How to Make Gouda
Gouda or ‘Goudse kaas’ is a sweet yellow cheese named after the city of Gouda in Southern Holland. The name is not protected, so many of the cheeses that are sold internationally as “Gouda” are not necessarily a cheese from this region. What is interesting about Gouda is a trait it shares with its birth country. The cheese itself was originally developed in the premium pastures, which were claimed by the use of dikes. In effect, the land in which Gouda was created was once completely under water. Gouda cheese is sold around the world, but here’s how to make your very own mild and smooth “Gouda” cheese right at home. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2 gallons milk
- 1/2 C meso starter
- 1 teaspoons rennet
- 1 1/4 Lbs salt
- 2 Large pots
- Tea kettle
- Candy thermometer
- Cheesecloth
- Cheese molds
- Cheese press
- Cool box or refrigerator that can be set at 50 degrees F
Instructions
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1
Sterilize the cheese mold, press and cheesecloth. Line each mold with the cheesecloth, leaving a little extra cloth on the top of each mold.
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2
Heat milk to 90 degrees Fahrenheit and stir in meso starter. Once the meso has been mixed through, add the liquid rennet and continue stirring for 1 minute. Hold temperature at 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 75 minutes.
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3
Remove from heat and cut the curd (this is the solid form that the cheese is beginning to form) in half. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
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4
After 10 minutes, begin to raise the temperature slowly to 100 F. Raising the temperature should be done very slowly. It should take you 30 minutes to get there.
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5
While slowly raising the temperature, heat 6 quarts of water in a separate pan until it reaches 100 F as well.
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6
Once the fresh water and cheese has reached 100 degrees, do a wash. Ladle off 2 quarts of whey from the heating cheese and replace the whey with 2 quarts of the hot water from the other pan. Repeat this step twice more at 10 minute intervals. After the wash, allow the cheese to continue heating for about 30 minutes. It should be heating at 100 F for 60 minutes in total.
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7
Drain off the remaining whey and remove the cheese from the pan. Press cheese into cheese press (mold) and press at 20 lbs for 30 minutes. Flip the cheese and repeat, pressing for 30 minutes on the reverse side.
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8
Remove cheese from mold and cheesecloth. Redress with a new, clean and sterilized cheesecloth.
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9
Return to the mold and press at 40 lbs for 3 hrs, flipping several times throughout.
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10
After this final press, you can cut the cheese log per your desired size and shapes. The cheese press with give you a long log of cheese that doesn’t really resemble the traditional look of round Gouda. If you’d like to maintain the round “Gouda” look, you can press the log slices between two plates in order to clean the edges.
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11
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts of warm water. This will be used for salting the cheese, so let it cool down to room temperature before submerging the cheese, otherwise the cheese will melt.
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12
Finally, place the cheese in the cooled salt water solution and let it float for 3 hours.
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After 3 hours of soaking, remove the cheese and let air dry for three weeks, maintaining a standard temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
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14
Cover them with red wax to use as gifts or enjoy them as is for yourself!
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Tips & Warnings
If you’d like to be extra cautious in your sterilization process, ask your local piercing/tattoo parlor if they will autoclave your equipment for a small fee.
Many people like to double the batch when they make cheese. You can easily double this recipe, but it is not necessary to increase the water or time for the washing cycle.
Sterilize with boiling water, not alcohol. Additionally, you can sterilize cloth by ironing it on a very hot setting.
