How to Make Cheddar Cheese – Traditional Method

Cheddar cheese, the most widely purchased and eaten cheese in the world, is always made from cow’s milk.

It is a hard and natural cheese that has a slightly crumbly texture if properly cured and if it is too young, the texture is smooth.  It gets a sharper taste as it matures, over a period of time between 9 to 24 months.

Shaped like a drum, 15 inches in diameter, Cheddar cheese is natural rind bound in cloth while its colour generally ranges from white to pale yellow. However, some Cheddars may have a manually added yellow-orange colour (like mine).

Cheddar Cheese

Makes about 1 kg of cheese

Ingredients

• 10 L (10 qt) Full Cream 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 (½tsp) Liquid Rennet in ¼ cup water
• 12 drops of Annatto in 1/4 cup water
• 1 & ½ Tablespoons Cheese Salt
• Loose weave Cheese Cloth
• Butter, Lard or Coconut oil for banding

Equipment

• Cheese Press
• 165 mm Cheese basket with follower
• Cheese drying mat or Bamboo mat
• Dairy Thermometer
• Stainless Steel Stirring Spoon
• Mini measuring spoons (for cultures)

Method

Adding Ingredients

1. Sanitise all equipment.
2. Warm your milk to 31°C (88°F), stirring gently whilst bringing up to temperature.  Turn off the heat.
3. Sprinkle culture over the surface of the milk and allow to rehydrate for 5 minutes.  Stir thoroughly in an up and down motion without breaking the surface of the milk.  Cover and allow to rest for 40 minutes at the target temperature.
4. Add the Annatto solution and mix well.
5. Add the Calcium Chloride solution and mix well.
6. Add the rennet solution to the milk and mix thoroughly using the same up and down motion for no more than 2 minutes.  Cover and allow to set for 40 minutes.
7. Check for a clean break.  If necessary, leave for another 10 minutes then check again.

CUTTING THE CURD

1. Check for a clean break and cut the curds into 1.25 cm (½ inch) cubes.
2. Rest for 5 minutes to allow curds to heal.
3. Return to a low heat and gradually raise the temp to 39°C (102°F), stirring gently and continuously, during the period of 45 minutes.  Don’t heat too fast.  This slow process allows more whey to be expelled and avoids bitterness in the fully aged cheese.
4. Once the target temperature is reached, turn off the heat.  Let the curds rest for 40 minutes maintaining the temp at 39°C (102°F) .

Cheddaring, Milling, and PRESSING

1. Drain curds and whey through cheesecloth lined colander.  Return the curd slab back to the pot for cheddaring, place pot back into the double boiler to keep the curd slab at 39°C (102°F).
2. Cut the slab in half and cover pot and allow curds to stand for 10 minutes.
3. After 1o minutes, turn each slab over.  Let stand for another 10 minutes.
4. After 1o minutes, turn each slab over.  Let stand for another 10 minutes.
5. After 1o minutes, turn each slab over.  Let stand for another 15 minutes.  That’s 45 minutes cheddaring time in total.
6. Drain the two slabs through cheesecloth lined colander, then place the slabs onto a chopping board.
7. Cut the curd into 5 by 1.25 cm (2 by ½ inch) fingers.
8. Using your pot as a container, break each finger in half and then toss the salt through the curds.  This is called Milling
9. Line a 165 mm cheese mould with cheesecloth and fill with the curds.  Cover the curds with the corner of the cheese cloth, top with a follower, and press at 11 kg (24 lbs) for 1 hour.
10. Remove the cheese from the press, and slowly and carefully unwrap it.  Turn the cheese over, rewrap it in the cloth and press at 22 kg (50 lb) for 12 hours.

AIR DRYING AND WAXING

1. Then place on a cheese mat and board and let air dry at room temperature until it is dry to touch (usually 2-5 days).  Turn twice daily to allow for even drying.
2. Cloth band or wax the cheese and allow it to age for 3 months for mild, 6 months for Tasty, 12+ months for Vintage Cheddar.  Ripen in a humid cheese fridge at 10-12ºC (50-54ºF) at 80-85% humidity.  Don’t forget to turn weekly, to allow for even distribution of the fats and flavour.

I have tasted this cheese at 3 months and it is quite mild.  I recommend that this Cheddar Cheese is aged for 6 months or more for a sharper flavour.

If you are interested in making Cheddar cheese at home, I highly recommend the Hard Cheese Kit, as it contains most things you need to make this cheese.