Wensleydale — Jeff Hamm / Ribblesdale
Wensleydale — Jeff Hamm / Ribblesdale 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
- 2–4 months (cave conditions assumed)
Ingredients
- Whole milkPasteurised, not UHT
- 10 L
- Bulk mesophilic starter0.5% v/v; chosen bulk interpretation
- 50 mL
- Rennet, 200 IMCU/mLProposed modern adaptation: 45 IMCU/L at 200 IMCU/mL; not an activity-equivalent conversion of the source. Adjust to the source flocculation / set criterion.
- 2.25 mL
- Cheese salt
- 2.3% drained curd
weight
| 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 | 32 | ≈6.6predicted, milk | Warm milk to the stated culture temperature and stir in the active bulk mesophilic starter. | |
| Ripen | 80 min | 32 | ≈6.3predicted, milk | Cover and ripen, maintaining temperature. | |
| Rennet | 35 min or clean break | 32 | ≈6.1predicted, curd | Dilute rennet just before use; stir up/down 30 s, still milk and cover. | Floc multiplier 3.25. |
| Curd | |||||
| Cut and rest | 5 min rest | 32 | ≈6.1predicted, curd | Cut to 10 mm cubes; allow cut faces to heal without stirring. | |
| Stir | 90 min | 32 | 6.35source target, whey; act on measurement | Stir very gently at 32 °C; no temperature rise specified. | |
| Pitch | 15–20 min | 32 | ≈5.5predicted, curd | Pre-press lightly under whey, then drain. | |
| Scald | Skip for this cheese | ||||
| Shape | |||||
| Drain and form | 30 min +30 min | 28 | 5.4source target, curd; act on measurement | Cut blocks and turn 3 times over 30 min; cut 50 mm cubes and drain 30 min at 22–24 °C. | |
| Mill | 5 min | 23 | ≈5.4predicted, curd | Mill finely. | |
| Salt | mix | 23 | ≈5.4predicted, curd | Salt 2.3% of actual curd weight. | |
| Press | 48 h / closure | 22 | ≈5.1predicted, curd | Press 10–30× curd weight over 2 days until closed knit; turn/redress as needed. | |
| Cave | |||||
| Affinage | 2–4 months | 12 | ≈5.1make-end baseline; recheck during aging | Complete the described drying or rind-finishing stage, then mature under the stated cave conditions, turning as directed. | Cave temperature/humidity absent; 10–13 °C/85% RH proposed house conditions. |
Source and cheese-specific notes
British Territorials Recipes.txt — Wensleydale — Jeff Hamm / Ribblesdale
Low 0.5% starter interpreted as bulk liquid; source does not specify culture strain or rennet amount.
Where source rennet potency or quantity is unknown, the make uses an explicitly proposed 45 IMCU/L modern starting dose (2.25 mL at 200 IMCU/mL for 10 L); confirm actual flocculation and adjust future makes.
≈ 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.