• About
  • Contact Me

Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Cheese Making Kits
  • Courses
  • Support Me!
  • Live!
You are here: Home / Recipes / Bel Paese – A Great Beginners Cheese

Bel Paese – A Great Beginners Cheese

19/09/2016 By Gavin Webber 13 Comments

Bel Paese, meaning ‘beautiful country’ in Italian, is a semi-soft cheese from the Lombardy region. It was formulated by Egidio Galbani in 1906 who wanted to invent a product that would compete with French Alpine cheeses.

Bel Paese has a milky aroma infused with a mild buttery flavour. The taste can be compared with Mozzarella and St. Paulin. The cheese is hard to spread but soft enough to slice. It is wrapped in a waxed, foil or plastic rind.

Bel Paese Recipe

Makes about a 1.2 kg wheel of cheese.

Ingredients

  • 8 Litres (8 qt) Full Cream Cow’s Milk, preferably pasteurised/unhomogenised.
  • ¼ teaspoon (Tad) Thermophilic Culture (MOT92)
  • 2.5 ml (½ tsp) Calcium Chloride in ¼ cup non-chlorinated water
  • 2.5 ml ½ tsp) Liquid Rennet in ¼ cup non-chlorinate water
  • Saturated Brine solution 18%

Equipment

  • 165 mm Cheese basket
  • Cheese drying mat or Bamboo mat
  • Ripening Box
  • Dairy Thermometer
  • Stainless Steel Ladle
  • Stainless Steel Stirring Spoon
  • Mini measuring spoons (for cultures)

Method

Adding Ingredients

  1. Sanitise all of your equipment.
  2. Heat milk to 42°C/108°F. Turn off heat.
  3. Sprinkle Thermophilic starter culture over the surface of the milk and allow to rehydrate for a few minutes. Stir culture through milk using an up and down motion for 1 minute.
  4. Add Calcium Chloride and mix thoroughly.
  5. Add Rennet solution and stir for 1 minute. Cover and allow to set for 30 minutes.
  6. Check for a clean break. If necessary, wait another 10-15 minutes then test again.

Cutting the Curd

  1. Cut the curd into 0.9 cm/ 3/8 inch cubes. Allow curds to rest for 5 minutes to heal.  Gently stir for 30 minutes.
  2. Let curds stand for another 5 minutes.  They should sink to the bottom of the pot.
  3. Using a sieve and ladle, remove whey down to the level of the curd.  Gently stir the curd for a few minutes to break up the curd mass.

Pressing and Brining the Cheese

  1. Ladle the curds into the basket/mould.  Place the lid/follower on the top of the curds.  You will not need a cheesecloth.
  2. Let drain for 6-7 hours, turning hourly.  This cheese does not need a cheese press and forms using its own weight.
  3. Take out the cheese from basket/mould and place in the brine solution for 7 hours, flipping at the 3-hour mark.

Air Drying and Maturation

  1. Remove from the brine solution and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.  Place on a cheese mat in the ripening box and ripen at 4°C/42°F and 80-90% humidity.  The kitchen fridge will be fine for this cheese.
  2. Turn the cheese every second day, removing any collected whey and wipe the box dry with paper towel.
  3. After about 10 days, the cheese will feel slimy to touch.  Wash the cheese twice weekly with a cloth dipped in the brine solution to keep the rind clean.
  4. After 3 weeks, remove cheese from the ripening box and clean with brine solution and then dry thoroughly.
  5. Eat and enjoy!  You can wrap the cheese in foil to store in the refrigerator.

This Italian cheese goes well with fruits like apples, pears and figs. As it has a good melting capacity, it is often used in casseroles, hot Panini, focaccia or on a pizza. It can be eaten with fruity wines, such as dry red or white.

I found Bel Paese to be quite a surprisingly creamy, yet firm cheese that delighted my palate. It’s now a house favourite.

You can pick up supplies for Bel Paese at our shop https://www.littlegreenworkshops.com.au. I recommend the Italian Cheese Kit for newbie curd nerds as it contains most things you need to make this cheese.

 

Little Green Workshops

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Recipes, Video Tutorial

← How to Make Gouda Cheese LGC 053 – Cheese Wax →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber is passionate about home cheese making. He loves to make cheese in his spare time and shares the techniques, videos, podcasts, and recipes with his fellow curd nerds!

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. BlackGrits Does It says

    29/04/2020 at 19:45

    Hey Gavin,
    I am starting this cheese today, but want to know when is the soonest I could actually eat the cheese? I want to share it with my mom in-law on Mother’s Day.

    Reply
  2. Laura Workman says

    07/12/2019 at 02:31

    Hi, Great video! Can you share the details on your curd cutter?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      07/12/2019 at 08:34

      Hi Laura, you can get one here; https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheWoodJunkieStudio?coupon=CHEESEMAN18

      Reply
  3. Laura Stable says

    26/05/2019 at 10:41

    Hi Gavin, my Bel Paese is slimy after only a few days. Any idea where I went wrong?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      27/05/2019 at 18:54

      No, this sometimes happens. Just wipe it with a simple brine solution every few days and it will be fine.

      Reply
      • Laura Stable says

        29/05/2019 at 16:05

        Thanks Gavin!

        Reply
  4. Nikki says

    23/12/2018 at 22:35

    Hi Gavin,

    Any suggestions for using raw, unhomogenized cow’s milk? I have received two gallons of fresh raw milk from my neighbor’s dairy. They milk Jersey cows, so I suspect the butterfat content is higher. Should I skim the cream prior to making?

    Thanks so much!
    Nikki

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      29/12/2018 at 21:18

      All my recipes will work with raw milk, just omit the calcium chloride.

      Reply
  5. Dianne says

    19/12/2018 at 08:03

    Hi Gavin, This cheese looks great. I do a lot of soft cheeses. Can I use any Thermophilic Culture as I can’t get MOT92 here in NZ?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      19/12/2018 at 10:00

      Yes, most Thermophilic will do for this cheese.

      Reply
  6. Jocelyn Alvarez says

    25/08/2018 at 07:02

    Hello Gavin,

    I’d like to attempt this cheese, and I was wondering if it is possible (or recommended) to add lipase to it?

    Also, how do you to calculate the fat content of milk when reading the nutrition label? I’m planning to purchase an unhomogenized milk (specifically this brand: https://www.organicvalley.coop/products/milk/grassmilk/whole-grassmilk-non-homogenized-pasteurized-half-gallon/), and I’m unsure how this would translate to 3.25% milk fat (or however it would amount to).

    Thank you very much for you videos, recipes, and your time. I home to have a great experience making cheese.

    Best Wishes,
    -Jocelyn A.

    PS. I’ve been taste-testing different brands of Greek yogurt for making labneh, and when I attempted to make Labneh from Fage’s 5% Total Greek Yogurt it came out sweet, like cream cheese, even with the salt. Have you ever run into a hiccup like that.

    Reply
  7. Ansophie says

    18/06/2018 at 21:24

    Hi Gavin. Why do you prefer pasteurised milk for cheeses like Cloth Banded Chedder & Bel Paese?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      18/06/2018 at 22:22

      Simply because I cannot get my hands on raw milk.

      Reply

Leave a comment for the Cheese Maker! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us via Social

FacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagramFacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagram

Cheese Making Kits

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise
Cool Cheesy T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more
0:00
1:1:34
  • LGC094 - Interview with Ruth Cohn
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Archives

Tags

Aging Blue Brine Caerphilly Camembert Cheese Cheese Cave Cheese Press Colby Cream Cheese Curd Cutter Curds Drunken Cow eBook Emmentaler Equipment Farmhouse Cheddar Feta Gavin Halloumi Jarlsberg Kits Komijnekaas Mould Ripened Cheese Moulds Mozzarella Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano Podcast Queso Fresco Raw Milk Rennet Ricotta Romano Salt Sanitisation Starter Cultures Stilton Storage Technique Tzafatit Video Tutorial Waxing Whey Ricotta Workshops
Online video lessons by Little Green Cheese

Subscribe to Cheese Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Subscribe to Cheeseman.TV

Podcast Reviews

  • Love it. Keep it up!
    February 12, 2022 by Corknip from Denmark

    Excellent podcast. Started the home making adventure last month and have been catching up on all the past episodes and YouTube videos. it is a gold mine of shared knowledge. Thank you!

  • So funny!!!!
    June 15, 2020 by purple quaqamale from United States

    Little green cheese is so funny

  • Great podcasts
    June 14, 2020 by Chrissy Curd Nurd from Australia

    I’ve just started cheese making at home,Gavin ‘s podcasts are so informative. I also watch his you tube tutorials. Thanks for your great work!!

  • An excellent guide to artisan cheese!
    January 14, 2020 by N.K.13 from Australia

    I recently became aware of Gavin’s lovely YouTube channel and podcast and it’s been incredible. His competence and comprehensive explanations leave you craving more. Much like a good cheese! Cheers Gavin!

  • Perfect for Cheesemakers of all levels!
    December 3, 2018 by Viki Leeasa from Thailand

    I love that this podcast does not just have helpful tips and tricks on cheese making, but also stories and news from the cheese world, as well as nice little anecdotes from the host. A big fan from Thailand!

  • If you think you want to make cheese, listen to this!
    November 30, 2018 by paulsaw from United States

    Gavin Webber’s Little Green Cheese is By Far the best podcast I have ever heard! A truly informative and quality production!

  • Great program
    October 9, 2018 by p37dg9q14 from United States

    Very informative and enjoyable podcast. I started at episode 1 and currently listening to 25. I’ll be giving cheesemaking a go in the next week. Mike J from Oceanside CA

  • Great podcast
    September 13, 2018 by nicole_elias from Australia

    I have a long commute to and from work and have worked my way through the back catalogue of these podcasts. Enjoyed every one of them and hope for many more to come. Thanks Gavin! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Nicole

  • Excellent!
    September 3, 2018 by emeldridge from United States

    Looking to take up cheesemaking sometime soon and this channel has provided all the information necessary to get started!

  • Great Resource!
    August 28, 2018 by olivestones from United States

    I have been learning to make cheese for the past year. Gavin's podcast and video series has been a tremendous resource for me. His love for the cheese-making craft is evident in the amount of research he will perform in order to answer a listener's cheese question. All thumbs up for the amount of time and energy he puts into his quality podcast! ...And he cracks me up with his attempts at pronunciation!

Little Green Workshops

Copyright © 2022 · Gavin Webber