(From Peter)
Baby Swiss Recipe
for 50 lb. milk
It is best to use milk with 3.0-3.5 % Fat. Cheese made from higher fat milk has a soft body and limited eye formation.
Heat milk to 84 °F
Add mesophilic culture.
Propionic bacteria 1/4 teaspoon.
Ripen with culture for 10 minutes
Add rennet
Wait for curdling time 30 to 45 minutes.
Cut into 3/8” cubes.
Settle curds for 5 minutes
Stir curds at 84F for 15 minutes. Settle the curds for 5-10 minutes and remove whey equal to 1/3 of the original milk volume.
Add water at 140F and stir the curds to raise the temperature to 102 °F.
Stir the curds for 30-40 minutes until the curds are slightly less firm than for Cheddar.
Settle the curds for 10-15 minutes and move the curds to the back of the vat and form a pack like for Cheddar. Drain off the whey until there is 1 inch left over the curds. Place perforated stainless steel screens on the curd pack and place pails of water equally on top of the screens so that the curd is pressed with approx. one half its weight for 15 minutes.
Drain off the remaining whey. Cut the pack into squares that are the size of the forms. Move the curd pieces into the forms and press with twice their weight.
After one hour turn the cheeses and return to the press. Turn again after one hour and return to the press. Repeat. Press two more hours for a total of five hours. Keep the room warm during pressing.
Move the cheese to a cool room at 50 °F without pressing until the next morning.
Brine for 3-4 hours per pound of cheese. Turn the cheese every day and salt the top surfaces.
After removing from the brine, place the cheese in a room with 65-70 °F for
3-4 weeks for proper eye development. The move to a cooler room at 45-50 °F for at least one more month.
The cheese can be waxed after eye formation is completed.
