We are making Swiss cheese this weekend in class. I like to make Swiss cheese because it always comes out good. I worked on that recipe for a long time, reading different recipes and techniques, and talking to Al on the other cheese forum. He learned how to make cheese in Switzerland so I feel like he has first hand experience.

I realized the other day that Al put in one of his posts that you need to add some water to your Swiss after you cut the curd. You add water the same temperature as the curd. You don’t take any whey out, you just add the water to reduce the acid level. He says this helps the propionic to form the eyes better. I never get much in the way of eye development, just little bitty ones, but the cheese is delicious.

I’d like to try adding the water, but at the same time, the cheese is delicious so why mess with it?

So this week we will stick to the standard recipe. If someone doesn’t show up for class, and I have to make a pot of cheese, I might try adding the water to mine, just to see what it does. He gave a percentage of the milk for the water. I think it was 20% but I’ll have to look back and see. Someone else had tried it and they added one cup water to 2 gallons of milk.

I guess I’ll see if it helps my eye formation in a few weeks.

A timely post, Tammy.  The last few days I’ve been trying to talk myself into making a Baby Swiss.  Seems I tried Swiss years ago and never did get a satisfactory end result.  But I’ve about convinced myself that it’s time to try it again.  It won’t be today, but perhaps next week.  I’m still not settled on exactly what I’m going to make - I have about 7 hours to decide.  Likely it’ll end up a cheddar or Gouda.

OK, when push came to shove I decided that since I was not in great need of any particular type of cheese, it would be a good day to experiment.  So, hearkening to another post, where I wondered about changing to different types of culture, I’ve decided to go with a Swiss Gouda.  What I’m doing is making a Gouda but with thermophilic culture and propionic shermanii.  I’ll follow the Gouda recipe for temps, times, etc.; but following the brining, I’ll leave it out at room temp for a while to see if it will swell up like a Swiss.  What I’m hoping to end up with is a Swiss taste and look, with the smooth creamy texture of a Gouda.  I’ll keep y’all updated.

(Is this a “Franken-cheese?”)

Let me know how that works out, it would be real interesting. I didn’t know you could make a low temp cheese with a thermo culture. I kind of thought it might not activate, but I guess thermo culture works mostly in the aging process. I’d be real interested to hear about this make.

I saw a video one where someone at Beechers said that their flagship cheese is a mixture of a Gruyere and a cheddar. I’ve always wondered what that meant. It could be cheddar with thermo culture aged for 15 to 18 months. That is a wonderful cheese. I would love to make something as good as that.

Maybe you are on to something. You’ll have to think up a fancy name for it if it works out. A german name, and you could say that you were mimicking a cheese that you had in Switzerland last year.

I believe the thermo culture should grow at lower temps, just not as quickly.  The higher temps are optimal growth conditions.  I’m open to suggestions on a name, all I could come up with was Swiss Gouda, which isn’t very stimulating.

That Gruyere/cheddar blend may have been made like CoJack, where the curd from two different cheeses are stirred together prior to pressing.  With your class situation it would be easy, and fun, to blend different curds together like that.  No tellin’ what all you might come up with.

The Swiss gouda is in brine right now.  Then, as I understand it, it needs to form a rind in the cave for 2-3 weeks; and then a few weeks at 65 - 70 for hole development, then back to the cave for aging.

My oldest son in in Germany, and studying German.  Maybe I can get him to think up a catchy name.

If I get a decent cheese I’m going to call it Chedd-eyre.

That sounds much better than Gru-dder!

I remember when I made swiss it was awesome, got no holes but the taste was their, I also found out you have to age it or the flavour wont develop, 6 months minimum. I nibbled on it early and loved the flavour, then the rest I gorgot for another few months and then noted how even more flavour it had.
Good luck on the swiss:)

I agree with you on the flavor. Swiss and Gruyere are good at 4 months, but wait and it will be much better later on. The flavors just seem to get more complex.

My impatience is showing.  The Swiss Gouda has now been at room temp for a week and a half, and still no sign of swelling.  It’s starting to look like the same result as previous attempts - no eye development.  Starting to battle the mold on the surface now.  It was getting ahead of me so instead of the regular brine wash I did a dry rub.  All that brine washing leaves the surface somewhat sticky, which - to me - seems like it would invite mold growth.

Tammy - did you make that Chedd-eyre yet?

is the mold yellow or regular? If its yellow(orange) then is good, ive gotten that.

Some green, some white.  But now gone!

I have not made the chedd-erye yet. I haven’t had time to make cheese on my own in a long time. I think I can do something next Saturday, but I’m not sure about work yet. I also don’t know if I should make the Chedd-erye, or the Montasio, or the Havarti.

All sound like good choices.  Most of the people I deal with go for the Havarti, although my barber would do most anything for a Montasio.  Might be time to start thinking about cheese for Christmas gifts.