Djathë Dhie

Thermophilic goat-milk white cheese, gently cooked and brined. 10 L milk. Shared calculations and pH notes.

Milk: 10 L milk
Make: 6–9 h + brining
Salt at: 18% brine after pressing
Affinage: 30 days–3 months, 10–12 °C

Ingredients

Already-pasteurised whole goat milk: 10 L
TA61 thermophilic starterSource 1/16–1/8 tsp per 13.5 L; check actual product activity: 0.0463–0.0926 tsp
Calcium chloride solutionSource concentration unspecified; confirm bottle strength before using this volume: 3.70 mL
Rennet, assumed 200 IMCU/mLDilute in 37 mL cool water: 1.85 mL
BrineSource 3–4% cheese salt describes expected uptake, not an extra dry dose: 18% NaCl

Stage	Time	°C	pH	Do	Notes
Milk
Pasteurise				Skip for this cheese	Use already-pasteurised milk; this heating stage is skipped.
Culture	mix gently	36–37	≈6.6predicted, milk	Warm goat milk with calcium chloride, add TA61 and stir gently.	Mixing duration is an estimate.
Ripen	30 min	36–37	≈6.6predicted, milk	Cover and ripen.
Rennet	45–60 min	36	≈6.3predicted, curd	Add diluted rennet and hold to a clean break.
Curd
Cut and rest	10–15 min	36	≈6.3predicted, curd	Cut 1.5–2 cm cubes, rest and stir gently.
Scald	15–20 min ramp + 20 min hold	36 → 40–42	≈6.0predicted, curd	Cook gently to 40–42 °C while stirring; hold 20 min.
Stir				Skip for this cheese
Pitch				Skip for this cheese
Shape
Drain and form	while filling	40–42	≈5.9predicted, curd	Drain and fill cloth-lined moulds.	Model assumes 6 min for filling.
Press	4–6 h	40–42 → room	5.35source target, curd; act on measurement	Press initially at 1× cheese weight, then 2× to consolidate; target curd pH 5.3–5.4.	Pressure ratio is an explicit interpretation of ambiguous source notation.
Salt	6–8 h/kg cheese	10–12	≈5.3predicted, curd	Submerge in 18% brine.
Mill				Skip for this cheese
Cave
Surface dry	24 h	11 assumed	≈5.3make-end baseline; recheck during aging	Dry the surface after brining.	Source omits drying temperature; 11 °C is selected to match the following aging environment.
Affinage	30 days–3 months	10–12	≈5.3make-end baseline; recheck during aging	Store in brine tubs; extend to 2–3 months for firmer texture.	Source gives no storage-brine change or turning schedule; monitor actual condition.

Source and cheese-specific notes

Djathe_Dhie_Dashboard.docx

Scaled from 13.5 L to 10 L. Already-pasteurised goat milk is selected, so the source calcium chloride addition applies.

Source pressure is ambiguously written as cheese:press weight 1:1 then 2:1. This adaptation interprets intended press load as 1× then 2× cheese weight.

This is the brined branch. Do not add an extra 3–4% dry salt to the curd as well as the 18% brine.

The source initial brining rate and 10–12 °C maturation in tubs are not a validated shelf life or preservation process.

≈ 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.