Caciotta Dolce

Low-culture mixed-starter sweet-style caciotta. 10 L milk. Shared calculations and pH notes.

Milk: 10 L milk
Make: about 1 day
Salt at: after pressing
Affinage: 15–30 days,11–13°C

Ingredients

Whole milkAlready pasteurised; fat baseline 3.7%: 10 L
Calcium chloride solution: 3 mL
Bulk MA11 mesophilic starterExplicit 0.175% dose; source range 15–20 mL: 17.5 mL
Bulk TA60 thermophilic starterExplicit 0.175% dose; source alternate range 10–15 mL conflicts: 17.5 mL
Liquid rennet,200 IMCU/mL60 IMCU/L: 3 mL
Cheese salt20 g/kg; selected source dry-salt option: 2% of curd weight

Stage	Time	°C	pH	Do	Notes
Milk
Pasteurise				Skip for this cheese	Use already-pasteurised milk; this heating stage is skipped.
Culture	mix at 33–34°C	33.5	≈6.6predicted, milk	Warm milk; add calcium chloride and cultures.
Ripen	30–40 min	33.5	6.58source target, milk	Ripen gently at 33–34°C.	Source target 6.55–6.60.
Rennet	25–30 min	33.5	6.5source target, curd	Add diluted rennet; expect floc 10–12 min and cut at 2.5× floc.
Curd
Cut and rest	5 min	33.5	≈6.6predicted, curd	Cut 8–10 mm cubes; allow 5 min rest.
Stir	10 min	33	≈6.5predicted, curd	Stir gently to firm edges.
Scald	35–40 min	36.5	6.42source target, curd	Ramp 33→40°C over 30–35 min with continuous gentle stirring; continue as needed for 45–50 min total stirring.	Curds springy and separate when lightly squeezed.
Pitch	5–10 min	40	6.35source target, curd	Settle under whey and drain to curd level.
Shape
Drain and form	transfer promptly	38	≈6.3predicted, curd	Fill forms, gently consolidating curds under whey.	Six-minute representative transfer time assumed.
Stufatura	3–4 h	32–35	5.4source target, curd	Hold moulds in a warm, humid chamber at 32–35 °C and at least 90% RH. Turn at 15, 45, 90 and 180 min. Assess curd pH and drainage during the 3–4 h source window; proceed to the ambient stage once the curd is adequately consolidated and near the measured target.	Explicit adaptation: the source’s conflicting 50 °C chamber instruction is replaced by 32–35 °C for this mixed-starter cheese. Source curd target is 5.35–5.45; its separate whey 5.50 statement is not an interchangeable curd reading.
Stabilise	8–12 h	19	5.25source target, curd	Rest at 18–20°C.	Source terminal target 5.20–5.30.
Salt	until evenly absorbed	19	≈5.2predicted, curd	Dry-salt at 20 g/kg actual curd, distributing evenly.	Selected 2% source option; source 20–22% brine is not truly saturated.
Mill				Skip for this cheese
Press				Skip for this cheese
Cave
Affinage	15–30 days	12	≈5.2make-end baseline; recheck during aging	Age at 11–13°C and 85–90%RH; turn regularly.

Source and cheese-specific notes

International Cheese Regulars Recipes.txt — Caciotta Dolce

The source gives overlapping but inconsistent culture instructions: MA11andTA60 each 0.175% in one clause, total 0.25–0.35% elsewhere. This sheet follows the explicit 0.175%+0.175%=0.35% bulk culture option; DVI spoon alternatives are not interchangeable by mass.

Warm-phase adaptation: the source’s 50 °C chamber instruction conflicts with the mixed mesophilic/thermophilic starter schedule and makes simple Q10 extrapolation unreliable. This sheet uses 32–35 °C stufatura, followed by its stated 18–20 °C ambient stage. This is a disclosed process adaptation, not a claim that the original source specified that temperature.

≈ 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.