Homemade Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

1. Gently warm the milk to 86 degrees F (30 C).
2. Sprinkle the packet of mesophilic starter culture over the top of the warmed milk, and
   allow it to rehydrate for 2 minutes undisturbed.  (This helps prevent
   clumping.) Use 1 packet for raw milk or 2 packets for pasteurized milk. Alternately, use a bulk mesophilic starter at a rate of 1/4 tsp for raw milk or 1/2 tsp for pasteurized milk.
3. Stir the culture into the milk using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
4. Allow the milk to culture undisturbed for 45 minutes.
5. If using pasteurized milk, dilute 1 tsp of calcium chloride in 1/4 cup cool unchlorinated water. Add to the cultured milk and stir for 1 minute to distribute. (This is optional, but highly recommended as the calcium is damaged in pasteurized milk, and it has difficulty forming good curds. This will help firm them up a bit, which will be easier to work with during the cheddaring process.)
6. Dilute 1 tsp rennet in 1/4 cup of cool unchlorinated water and add it into the cultured milk, stirring using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
7. After 1 minute, still the milk and allow it to set undisturbed for 45 minutes until the curds are set and show a clean break. If the curds are not set, wait another 5-15 minutes before proceeding.
8. Cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes and then allow them to sit for 5 minutes.  (This allows the curds to heal a bit before you move along, which will improve the structure of the finished cheese.)
9. Slowly heat the curds to 100 degrees F (38 C), increasing the temperature by no more than 2 degrees every 5 minutes. This should take at least 40 minutes. Occasionally stir the curds to prevent matting.
10. Once the curds reach 100 degrees F (38 C), hold the temperature for 30 minutes and gently stir the curds.
11. After 30 minutes, stop stirring and allow the curds to settle to the bottom of the pot.
12. Once settled, pour the curds through a cheesecloth-lined colander (reserving the whey to make whey cheese).
13. Allow the curds to drain for 15 minutes, during which they’ll mat into a solid mass.
14. Remove the curds from the colander and slice them into 1-inch strips. Stack the strips on top of each other and place the stacked curds back into the cheesecloth-lined colander.
15. Suspend the colander over a pot of warm (100 degree F, or 38 C) water, and place a lid on top of the colander to maintain warmth. (Optionally, you can also fill a large Ziploc bag with warm water and place it on top of the curds to add more warmth and weight to help the cheddaring process.)
16. Hold the curds at 100 degrees F (38 C) for two hours, flipping the stacked curds over every 15 minutes. This is called cheddaring.
17. After 2 hours, the curds should have a texture like cooked chicken breast. Gently break them with your hands into 1/2 inch pieces, but keep them in the colander over the warm water bath to keep them warm.
18. Hold the broken curds in the colander, still maintaining 100 degrees in the water below, for 30 minutes. Gently stir the curds with your hands every 10 minutes to keep them from matting.
19. After 30 minutes, add the cheese salt (2 Tbsp. if starting with 4 gallons milk) and gently distribute it through the curds with your hands. Be sure to mix it thoroughly so it’s evenly distributed.
20. Line a cheese form (cheese mold) with cheesecloth and place the salted curds in the form. Drape part of the cheesecloth over the top of the curds, and then place a follower for the cheese form on top.
21. Place the curds into a cheese press and press at 20 pounds pressure for 30 minutes to form the cheese into a block. At this point, the individual curds will still be visible, but it should mostly hold together when removed from the press.
22. Remove the cheese from the press, undress it, flip it over and redress with cheesecloth. Press at 40 pounds pressure for 12 hours (overnight usually).
23. In the morning, remove the cheese from the press, undress it, flip it and redress it. Press the cheese at 50 pounds pressure for 24 hours.
24. Remove the cheese from the press and remove the cheesecloth.
25. Allow the cheese to air dry at room temperature for 2 to 5 days, flipping daily until it’s dry to the touch on all sides.
26. Dress the cheddar block for aging by cloth binding, waxing, or vacuum sealing (see article).
27. Age the dressed cheddar block at 50 to 55 degrees F (10 to 13 degrees C) and 85% relative humidity for at least three months. (Preferably 6 months to a year.) Flip the cheese daily for the first week, and then weekly after that.

Once the aging period is complete, store the cheese in the refrigerator. The colder refrigerator temps will slow/stop the enzymatic processes within the cheese, and it should then be stored, wrapped, and cared for as you would any finished cheddar cheese (ie. as you would treat a cheddar from the store).