Raw Cow Milk Loaf

The raw loaf is on the left, and is much, much yellower. Like I have gushed before, raw milk was much easier to work with than homogenzied, but what does that really mean? Basically this: when making cheese, the softer the curd, the easier it is to screw up. Some common screwups that I've done include losing curd through colander holes, losing curd because the press squeezed it out, not being able to dry a very wet loaf well and making a complete mess of the kitchen, and others that aren't coming to mind immediately (need. coffee.).

Raw milk, at least in the three cases I have encountered so far, sets up with a harder curd, seems to be easier to dewhey (yay for making up words!), and presses really, really well. This makes it easier for a nooblet like myself to make better quality cheeses.

Start date: 3/8/2009
Wax date: 3/10/2009
Taste date: TBD

Recipe

• 1 gallon raw milk
  
• 1 cup cultured buttermilk
• 1 tablet of rennet

The milk had a nice neutral flavor with no hints of acidity on the tongue. Since I was a little paranoid I worked rather quickly, not wanting to keep the make anywhere near the 'danger zone', and got it cut, drained, salted, and in the press in less than two hours. In subsequent loaves I will indeed give more time, since I don't think I got the PH low enough (but I'm only guessing about that).