Leicester — home recipe

Leicester — home recipe adapted to a 10 L batch. 10 L milk. Shared calculations and pH notes.

Milk: 10 L milk
Make: about 1–2 days
Salt at: before moulding
Affinage: 12–16 weeks or longer, 13 °C

Ingredients

Whole milkPasteurised, not UHT: 10 L
Calcium chlorideSource solution concentration unspecified; verify label: 3.30 mL
Mesophilic starterOriginal packet serves 2 US gallons; use manufacturer dose for 10 L: 1.32 source-packet
equivalents
Liquid animal rennet, 200 IMCU/mLSource liquid strength unspecified; single-strength 200 IMCU/mL assumed: 3.30 mL
Cheese salt39.6 mL by volume; weigh your salt rather than assume bulk density: 2.64 tbsp
AnnattoOptional; diluted: 6.60 mL
Surface salt: a light dusting

Stage	Time	°C	pH	Do	Notes
Milk
Pasteurise				Skip for this cheese	Use already-pasteurised milk; this heating stage is skipped.
Culture	2–5 min	29	≈6.6predicted, milk	Add diluted calcium chloride; sprinkle culture, rehydrate 2 min and stir gently.
Ripen	45 min	29	≈6.5predicted, milk	Cover and ripen, maintaining temperature.
Rennet	45 min or clean break	29	≈6.4predicted, curd	Dilute rennet just before use; stir up/down 30 s, still milk and cover.
Curd
Cut and rest	0 min rest	29	≈6.4predicted, curd	Cut to 6 mm cubes; allow cut faces to heal without stirring.
Stir	15 min	29	≈6.3predicted, curd	Stir gently every 3 min to prevent matting.
Scald	30 min + 30 min	32	≈6.0predicted, curd	Heat 29→35 °C no faster than 2 °F/5 min; hold 30 min, stirring gently q 3 min.
Pitch				Skip for this cheese
Shape
Drain and form	20 min + 1 h	35	≈5.5predicted, curd	Ladle to colander 20 min. Slice into 50 mm slabs; keep under clean warm cloth and turn every 20 min for 1 h.
Mill	5 min	35	≈5.5predicted, curd	Break slabs to nickel-size pieces and stir gently.
Salt	mix several min	35	≈5.5predicted, curd	Mix salt gently until dissolved.
Press	about 26.5 h / closure	22	≈5.1predicted, curd	Press 7.5× wheel weight 30 min; flip/redress; 15× 2 h; flip/redress; 25× 24 h.	Source ratios based on 0.91 kg cheese; turn at changes.
Cave
Affinage	12–16 weeks; up to 9 months	13	≈5.1make-end baseline; recheck during aging	Dry until matte; oil, wax or bandage, then mature.	Dust with salt, dry 2–5 days then wax; source gives 13 °C maturation.

Source and cheese-specific notes

British Territorials Recipes.txt — Leicester — home recipe

Source misspells the name as LECIESTER; title corrected.

≈ marks an illustrative prediction. Source targets and recorded readings are labelled separately; recorded readings are historical context, not targets for a new batch. Use a calibrated meter and the correct sample medium. Read the shared method and assumptions.