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You are here: Home / Recipes / How to Make Gouda Cheese

How to Make Gouda Cheese

16/09/2016 By Gavin Webber 7 Comments

Gouda originates from the Netherlands and is a washed curd cheese, similar in some ways to Edam. Gouda is pressed, brined, then waxed for aging and matures in about 6 weeks. It has a subtle flavour and has low acid development during aging.  So lets learn how to make Gouda cheese!

How to make Gouda - Taste Test

It is pressed, brined, then waxed for aging and matures in about 6 weeks, which is great because you don’t have to wait long to sample your handiwork.

It has a subtle flavour and has low acid development during aging.

How to make Gouda Cheese

Makes about 1.2 kg wheel of cheese.

Ingredients

  • 10 L (10 qt) Full Cream Cow’s Milk, preferably pasteurised/unhomogenised.
  • 1/8th Teaspoon (Dash) Mesophilic Culture (MO30)
  • 2.5 ml (½ tsp) Calcium Chloride in ¼ cup water
  • 2.5 ml (½ tsp) Liquid Rennet in ¼ cup water
  • 18% Saturated Brine solution made with cheese salt
  • Cheese Wax (optional)

Equipment

  • Cheese Press
  • 165 mm Cheese basket
  • Cheese drying mat or Bamboo mat
  • Loose weave cheese cloth
  • 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 29°C/85°F. Turn off heat.
  3. Sprinkle Mesophilic 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 40 minutes.
  6. Check for a clean break. If necessary, wait another 5 minutes then test again.

Cutting the Curd

  1. Cut the curd into 1.25 cm/ ½ inch cubes. Allow curds to rest for 5 minutes to heal.  Gently stir for 5 minutes.
  2. Let curds stand for another 5 minutes.  They should sink to the bottom of the pot.

Washing the Curd

  1. Using a sieve and ladle, remove about 4 cups of whey or about 10%.  Replace the whey with an equal amount of 60°C/140°F water to bring the overall temp up to 33°C/92°F.  Gently stir curds for 10 minutes, allow to settle again.
  2. Remove whey down to the level of the curd.  Gently stir the curd for a few minutes to break up the curd mass.
    Replace the whey with an equal amount of water heated to45°C/112°F. The overall temperature should reduce to 37°C/98°F.  If the temperature is too high, add some cool water to adjust.
  3. Stir curds continuously for 20 minutes.  They should shrink to the size of baked beans.
  4. Allow the curds to settle for 10 minutes. They should mat into one big mass.

Pressing and Brining the Cheese

  1. Pour the curds and whey into a cheesecloth-lined colander. Break up curds into chunks to release some more whey.
  2. Line your mould with cheesecloth and fill with the curds.  Fold one corner of the cheesecloth over the mould and top with a follower. Press at 10kg (22lbs) for 30 minutes.
  3. Remove from press and mould, turn the cheese, redress, and press at 13kg (30lbs) for 12 hours or overnight.
  4. Take out the cheese from press, unwrap and place in the brine solution for 12 hours, flipping at the 6-hour mark.

Air Drying and Maturation

  1. Remove from the brine solution and air dry on a cheese mat placed on a wooden board at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or until rind is almost dry to touch.  Turn a couple of times a day during air drying.
  2. Wax the cheese in 2 to 3 coats of cheese wax and ripen for a further 6 weeks at 12°C/54°F @ 85% humidity.  Turn weekly
  3. Eat and enjoy!

So How Does it Taste?

Well fellow curd nerds, it tasted amazing.  Check out the taste test video below;


My Gouda is amazing! It turned out much better than I expected and thankfully there was not a repeat of the original version I made many years ago. It was delicious, smooth, and creamy.

Now you know how to make Gouda cheese!

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

 

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Related

Filed Under: Recipes, Video Tutorial

← LGC 052 – Interview with Brendan Heffernan NSW Bel Paese – A Great Beginners Cheese →

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. Leigh Stillard (@LeighStillard) says

    20/11/2022 at 13:52

    Hi Gavin,
    Can you vacseal instead of waxing, and would this be a major change to the taste?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      22/12/2022 at 07:33

      No change to the taste. I now vacpack most cheeses for maturation.

      Reply
  2. Robert says

    14/04/2020 at 02:24

    Hi Gavin How can I alter your Gouda recipe to make Garlic Gouda? I already make your Parmesan, Romano, Drunken Cow, Asiago and Jarlsberg cheeses. Robert

    Reply
  3. maria says

    19/02/2019 at 04:58

    Hi Gavin,
    I made Gouda cheese exactly according to your instructions. I put it in the fridge two days ago,
    and yesterday I noticed there were cracks in the wax and in the cheese, and it only got worse now.
    Do you know the reason for that?
    I’d like to receive an answer

    Reply
  4. Hillary says

    09/07/2017 at 21:00

    Hi Gavin. I just made some gouda using this recipe. It is just done pressing now and before i put it into the brine i cut off a tiny piece that’s been sticking out from pressing and tried it. It was really squeaky on the teeth when i bit into it. Is this normal or have i done something wrong? And also the taste was slightly acidy. But really only very slightly. Is it something to worry about?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      09/07/2017 at 22:58

      Nothing to worry about. Most curds are squeaky after they are cooked as are most curds acidic. It will mellow with age.

      Reply
  5. Mike Morgan says

    17/09/2016 at 17:53

    Looks great Gavin! This might be my next cheese 🙂

    Reply

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