How is Blue Cheese Made?

Wonder How is Blue Cheese Made?

Asking the question How is Blue Cheese Made will get you as many answers as there are types of blue cheese (and then maybe some more!). But here is a recipe you would need to follow to make a ‘standard’ blue cheese. Good luck!

Ingredients

• 2 gallons whole milk
• 1/8 tsp Penicillium roqueforti (blue mold)
• 1 packet direct-set mesophilic starter or 4 ounces prepared mesophilic starter
• 1 tsp liquid rennet (or ¼ rennet tablet) diluted in ¼ cup cool, unchlorinated water
• 2 tbsp cheese salt, plus a pinch for sprinkling

Directions

• 1. If using cow’s milk, heat it to 90 degrees F (86 for goat’s milk). Add the mold, then starter; mix well. Cover and let ripen at 90 degrees F (86 for goat’s milk) for 60 minutes.
• 2. Add the diluted rennet; gently stir with an up-and-down motion for 1 minute. Cover and let the milk set at 90 degrees F (86 degrees for goat’s milk) for 45 minutes, or until the curd gives a clean break.
• 3. Cut the curd into ½-inch cubes. Let set for 5 minutes (If using goat’s milk, let set for 10 minutes).
• 4. Gently stir the curds every 5 minutes to keep them from matting. Do this for 60 minutes.
• 5. Let the curds set, undisturbed, for 5 minutes.
• 6. Pour off the whey. Put the curds in a colander and let drain for 5 minutes. Put the curds back into the pot and gently mix them by hand so they are not matted.
• 7. Add 2 tbsp of salt and mix well. Let set for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sterilize I boiling water a 2-pound cheese mold, two cheese mats, and two cheese boards (6” x 6”). Let everything drain.
• 8. Place a mat on a cheese board and the mold on the mat. Fill the mold with curds. Cover with a cheese mat and a cheese board. Turn over the mold every 15 minutes for the first 2 hours, then once an hour for the next 2 hours. Let drain overnight.
• 9. Remove the cheese from the mold; sprinkle with the remaining salt on all surfaces. Shake off excess salt. Let set at 60 degrees F and 85% humidity. (Many basements meet those requirements). Set the cheese on a cheese mat or board. Turn it over each day for three days, salting it and shaking off the excess each time.
• 10. Using a sterilized ice pick or 1/16th inch diameter knitting needle, poke 40 holes from top to bottom. Age at 50 degrees F and 95% humidity (an extra refrigerator with a pan of water on the bottom works well). It’s best to store the cheese on its side in a wooden cradle. Every 4 days, give it a quarter turn on its side to keep it from becoming misshapen. Mold appears within 10 days.
• 11. After 30 days, the surface of the cheese will be covered with blue mold and a reddish brown smear. Gently scrape them off with a long-bladed knife.
• 12. Scrape off the mold and smear every 20-30 days.
• 13. After 90 days, scrape the cheese and wrap in foil. Lower the refrigerator’s temperature to between 34 and 38 degrees F and age 60 days longer, turning the cheese weekly. For a milder cheese, sample after three months. Ideally, it’s ready to eat after 6 months.

Yields 2 pounds