I was looking over Denise’s post and her mention of Caerphilly got me to thinking that perhaps I’d try one.  I did a wee bit of googling the subject, and it seems that this cheese is noted for being salty.  I was wondering just how salty it was, and what might be the result if one reduced the salt content? Another google source said that it was a “dry, crumbly” cheese.  Is that true, or is it’s texture smoother and creamier?

Would it be possible for one of you who has a good Caerphilly recipe, to post it on the recipe section of this site?

The saltiness could account for the dry crumbly texture since salt drys things out. Dont see why one could not use less salt, salt is ether used to preserve or add taste.

I used the recipe in 200 Easy Cheeses - won’t know for a while whether it’s a good one or not. It looks nice, but it’s likely I drastically over-salted it. Is it OK to post recipes straight out of books? If there are no copyright problems, I can copy it out if you like. It’s quite an easy recipe.

From a legal standpoint, we should not violate copyrights.  However, if you have altered the recipe in any way, it then becomes yours, as I understand it.  In any event, its a good thing to give credit where credit is due.  Maybe Rick will chime in on this question.

yup, just say were you got it.

A couple more questions for you Denise, regarding the Caerphilly recipe you posted.  First, what do you call “medium pressure?”  Do you use the same weight for all the pressing stages, or increase gradually?

Second, I’m unfamiliar with “aroma mesophilic culture.”  Can you explain what that is?

I know Caerphilly is supposed to be a very salty cheese.  Do you suppose that reducing the brining time would alter the flavor as well as reducing the salt content?  I guess it wouldn’t be a genuine Caerphilly though, now would it?

First, what do you call “medium pressure?”  Do you use the same weight for all the pressing stages, or increase gradually?

Good question! This stumped me too until I flicked through the book I got the recipe from (200 Easy Cheeses) and found where she explains that ‘light pressure’ is 5 to 10 psi, ‘medium pressure’ is 10 to 20 psi and ‘firm pressure’ is 20 to 45 psi or higher. She goes on to explain that for a tomme mould with a cheese requiring medium pressure, a 5-gal pail of water (=40lb/20k) would do the trick. For my little 4l, 11cm cheese, my notes tell me that I pressed at 5k for 30 mins, turn over, 5k for 2 hrs, turn over then 11k overnight. I think this was more a result of how many dumbbells I could balance without causing an avalanche, rather than any careful calculation of psi. Gotta get me a proper press. After the first 30 mins there was quite a bit of whey on top of the cheese, which is why I removed it from the mould and turned it over. Also gotta get me a proper mould with holes in.

Second, I’m unfamiliar with “aroma mesophilic culture.”  Can you explain what that is?

Again, you and me both! At the time I had no cultures at all, and used plain yoghurt. I mailed the New England Cheesemaking Supply people for advice when ordering cultures, and their Jim Wallace told me that ‘aroma mesophillic culture’ is the same as an ordinary meso culture, but it also produces ‘aromatics’. The ones they sell at NECS (MM100, Flora Danica) come only in larger pack sizes and, he said, it would be perfectly OK to use only ordinary meso culture.

I know Caerphilly is supposed to be a very salty cheese.  Do you suppose that reducing the brining time would alter the flavor as well as reducing the salt content?  I guess it wouldn’t be a genuine Caerphilly though, now would it?

You realise you’re asking a total beginner??? I have no idea! It was only after I’d brined my tiny cheese for 20 hours that I realised that being only a quarter of the original recipe it probably didn’t need that long and should have been scaled down like the rest of the recipe.  Or maybe brining is different from adding the salt directly to the curds, in that once the cheese has gained a balance it doesn’t take in any more salt from the brine? I really have no idea and still have a long wait before I know how my little Caerphilly will turn out. I imagine it will be a long, long, long time before I produce anything resembling a genuine, recognisable any kind of cheese! For the time being, I’m happy with any palatable result.

I’m finding that cheesemaking is a bit like gardening - it makes you believe in, and look forward to, the future.

As to pressing weight, it sounds like there must have been a misprint in that recipe.  With your diameter mold, “light pressure (5 - 10 psi)” would work out to 55 to 110 lbs. of actual weight.  I’m sure that is not right.  She obviously meant 5 to 10 actual pounds of weight.

OK on the “Aroma meso.”  I use MM100 regularly for Gouda.

As to brining, the “balance” you refer to is when the concentration of salt in the brine equals the concentration of salt in the cheese.  And that is going to be incredibly salty.

I cut into my 3-week-old Caerphilly last night. It was salty, but no more than it’s supposed to be, and certainly not as salty as I’d feared it might be after brining it for nearly a whole day.
I put it out on a cheeseboard with some artisanal cheeses we’d received as a gift, and my husband nearly fell off his chair when he realised the little white cheese was homemade - he ignored the posh stuff and kept cutting off slices of the Caerphilly. Up until now he’s muttered about his wife being a bit crazy messing about making cheese at home ‘because there’s perfectly good stuff in the shops’, but I think I have now got a convert! Yay!

I know just what you mean.  My wife would not even try my home made cheese for years.  But I finally won her over with a Colby; and now she won’t even share it with anyone else.  I’m not sure which is more fun - making it, or eating it.  Or perhaps seeing someone else enjoying it.

Looks like I’ll be giving this recipe a try within the next few days.  Would anyone happen to have pH marks for this cheese?  I’m guessing it would be slightly less acidic than a cheddar; but I’m speculating here.

I cut into my 1 month old Caerphilly this morning.  I was not prepared for the cheese I got.  It was fantastic!  Very mild (I’ll be aging some a bit longer), nicely moist, good solid texture.  In short, a terrific cheese.  I may have to fight my wife to get much of it for myself.  This is going to be a new fav.

Green Cheese Maker - 25 May 2013 12:01 PM

Looks like I’ll be giving this recipe a try within the next few days.  Would anyone happen to have pH marks for this cheese?  I’m guessing it would be slightly less acidic than a cheddar; but I’m speculating here.

Whey pH 6.4-6.5 (titratable acidity .13-.14) ... from http://www.dairyfoodsconsulting.com/recipes_Caerphilly.shtml ... there is a recipe posted there too.

Thank you for that info.  As it turns out, my pH was 6.5.  Even that took over 1.5 hours.  But at least I now know what to shoot for.