Gruyere

Posted on by looper

Gruyere

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Ingredients
  

  • 10 liters or 3 gallons of whole cow’s milk.
  • 1/3 a teaspoon of thermophilic culture.
  • A pinch of propionic culture.
  • One teaspoon of Rennet diluted in a 1/4 cup of water.
  • Cheese salt for the brine.

Instructions
 

  • Warm the milk up to 32°C or 90 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Add the bacterial cultures and stir thoroughly.
  • Cover the milk and leave it to ripen for about 45 minutes.
  • Add the diluted Rennet and leave it to set for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour or until you have a clean break.
  • Afterward, carefully cut the curd into equal 3cm cubes and leave the curds to rest for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully stir the curds with a whisk to cut the curd once more.
  • Your curd should result in pieces that are slightly larger than grains of rice.
  • Slowly heat the curds until the temperature reaches 46°C or 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • This should take between 30 to 45 minutes to attain the temperature. Be careful to slowly raise the temperature. A longer scalding period results in a drier cheese while a shorter period should give you a more moist cheese.
  • Gently stir the curds regularly at about every 5 minutes during the scalding period.
  • Once the optimal temperature is reached, leave the curds to settle for 10 minutes.
  • Drain off the whey up to the level of the curds.
  • Scoop up the curds to one side of your pot or container and place approximately 5kg or 10lbs of weight directly onto the curds. I used a large plate and 1 x barbell weight to do this pre-press.
  • Leave them for 15 minutes then pour out all remaining whey.
  • Immediately move the curds onto a cloth-lined mold while being careful and gentle so as not to break them.
  • Press the curd at 10kgs or 25lbs for an hour. If you used different measurements work out your pressing pressure here.
  • Remove, flip then redress. Press again at 15kg or 35lbs for an additional 2 hours.
  • Remove, flip and redress then press again at 20kg or 50lbs for 8 hours. You can also leave them overnight.
  • Remove and unwrap the cheese.
  • Soak the cheese in saturated brine for 12 hours and make sure you turn over the cheese every 3 hours to ensure even coverage.
  • Remove and pat the cheese dry.
  • Air dry it at 10°C for 2 weeks or until you notice it is obviously dry on the surface.
  • Rub salt on the cheese and afterwards transfer it to your cheese cave.
  • Wash the cheese with brine about 3 to 4 times a week for the first 2 to 3 months to manage the growth of molds.

Notes

You should age your Gruyere in your cheese cave for any length of time between six months to three years. I age my Gruyere for 12-18 months.
Just like most types of cheese, storing Gruyere is quite simple; ensure the ventilation in your cheese cave is great and ensure the humidity levels are low.
Place the cheese on a wooden tray and wrap it in clean parchment paper to preserve the delicate flavors of the cheese.
Gruyere is quite often eaten in slices or shredded.
If mold appears in a pack of sliced, shredded, or crumbled Gruyere cheese, dispose of the entire thing. To further extend the life of Gruyere, you may freeze it and expect it to last up to 6 months. In a normal refrigerator, Gruyere can last for up to 3 or 4 weeks.
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