All-in-one brewer or electric mash kettle
An electric brewing vessel that combines controlled heating with a removable grain basket and, on the documented models, a recirculation pump for mashing and boiling wort.
Baby-Swiss-style cheese
A washed-curd cheese with propionic bacteria, warmed by hot water in two steps and then held in a warm room for weeks so the bacteria can form its holes.
A washed-curd cheese whose holes come from propionic bacteria
Baby Swiss-style cheese is a washed-curd cheese whose eyes, or holes, form during warm ripening. Jim Wallace's Swiss Cheese recipe for New England Cheesemaking Supply (HE-B13) gives the documented four-gallon method with a two-gallon note, and the source rates it advanced.
The culture is a lactic mesophilic culture, MM100, together with Propionic Shermanii. The source calls the propionic culture essential for the holes, which is why the fermentation type is recorded as mixed. The rennet dose for the four-gallon batch is not in the text read; the two-gallon note gives 1.5 ml.
Sources for this section
Why the whey is replaced in two steps
After the curd is cut to 3/8 inch, it rests, is stirred gently and settles, and then a third of the whey is removed. The source says this step gives baby Swiss its elastic texture. Hot water at 130 °F (54 °C) is added slowly so the curds reach 95 °F (35 °C) within five minutes, and then more is added to bring them to 102 °F (39 °C) within five to ten minutes. The total water added equals the whey removed, and the curds are stirred slowly for 30 to 40 minutes.
Sources for this section
Pressing, rest and the acid limit
The curd is allowed to settle and consolidate, the whey is drained to about an inch above the cheese, and a plate with a weight of about half the expected curd weight is set on it. The consolidated mass is rolled in cloth and moulded. It is pressed at about twice the cheese weight, 8 to 10 lb for four gallons, turned at one-hour intervals, then increased to 20 to 25 lb, and kept at 75 to 80 °F (24 to 27 °C) for a total pressing time of five hours.
The cheese rests at 52 to 56 °F (11 to 13 °C) until the next morning. The source says it should not develop acid beyond a final pH of 5.2 to 5.3, because excess acid spoils the texture and the eye formation.
Sources for this section
Brine, hole development and the rooms
The cheese is brined in a gallon of water with 2.25 lb of salt, a tablespoon of 30% calcium chloride solution and a teaspoon of white vinegar, for 2.5 to 3 hours per pound, with the surface re-salted halfway through. The source warns against over-salting.
Ageing takes three rooms. The cheese is kept cool at 50 to 55 °F and about 80 to 85% moisture for two to four weeks without wax, then moved to 65 to 70 °F (18 to 21 °C) and 80% moisture for three to four weeks of hole development, turned daily, with two to three weeks for smaller holes. It is finished in a cold room at 45 to 50 °F and 85% moisture for a month or more, and waxed only after the holes have fully developed.
Sources for this section
The brewer as hot-water tank (untested adaptation)
Untested adaptation: the brewer used as a hot-water tank supplying 130 °F non-chlorinated water to a separate cheese pot or a nested one. The brewer plays no part in the development of the holes or in the ageing, which the source describes entirely in its rooms and times. This route is not the documented method above.
What the sources leave open
4-gallon rennet dose: Not in the text read; only the 2-gallon note gives 1.5 ml..
Curd water volume for the 2-gallon version: Not recorded..
History
The page's history section refers to Wisconsin Swiss makers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; not verified here.
Ingredients
Yield 4 lb · Scaling: source batch only
15.1 L4 gal as recorded
Pasteurised or raw; a 2-gallon version halves the batch.MM100 mesophilic culture
Amount not stated
7/16 tsp if pasteurised, 5/16 tsp if raw milk (2-gallon note: 1/8 tsp MM100 or 1/2 pack C101)Propionic Shermanii
0.6 mL⅛ tsp as recorded
for pasteurised or raw milk (2-gallon note: 1/16 tsp)Calcium chloride (optional)
3.7 mL¾ tsp as recorded
if neededRennet
Amount not stated
4-gallon dose not in the text read; the 2-gallon note gives 1.5 mlNon-chlorinated waterHeated to 130°F.
7.57 L2 gal as recorded
for the curd; final water added equals the whey removed3.79 L1 gal as recorded
1.02 kg2¼ lb as recorded
per gallon of brine water15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
White vinegar
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Excess acid spoiling texture and eye formation
The page sets a final pH limit of 5.2-5.3 after the overnight rest.
Hazard sourceUse pasteurised milk; Penn State says ultra-pasteurised and UHT milk interfere with curd formation and should not be used, and does not recommend raw milk for home cheesemaking.
Control sourceFinal pH after the overnight rest not below 5.2-5.3 (source quality limit)
Control sourceThe brewer setting is the bath temperature, not the milk temperature. Every temperature in the steps is a temperature of the milk, curd or whey, measured with a calibrated probe in the food.
The brewer configuration is a proposed adaptation that nobody has published a trial of; the source method was written for a pot in a sink of warm water or on a stove.
Use non-chlorinated water for the curd, as the page specifies.
- Heat the milk to 84°F (86°F for raw milk with higher fat). Add the MM100 culture (7/16 tsp for pasteurised milk, 5/16 tsp for raw), 1/8 tsp Propionic Shermanii and, if needed, 3/4 tsp calcium chloride. Ripen, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile heat 2 gallons of non-chlorinated water to 130°F for the curd.
- Add the liquid rennet and let the milk set quietly for 40-45 minutes; it thickens at 10-15 minutes.
- Cut the curd to 3/8 inch over 5-10 minutes. Rest 5 minutes, stir gently 5 minutes, let it settle 5 minutes, then remove 1/3 of the whey; the page says this step gives baby Swiss its elastic texture.
- Slowly add 130°F water so the curds reach 95°F within 5 minutes, then stir for 5 minutes. Add more water so the curds reach 102°F within 5-10 minutes; the total water should equal the whey removed. Stir slowly for 30-40 minutes.
- Let the curd settle and consolidate, drain whey to about 1 inch above the cheese, and set a plate on it with a weight of about half the expected curd weight (2.5 lb for 4 gallons). Roll the consolidated mass in cloth and put it in the mould.
- Press at about twice the cheese weight (8-10 lb for 4 gallons), turning at 1-hour intervals, then increase to 20-25 lb; keep the cheese at 75-80°F for a total pressing time of 5 hours.
- Rest the cheese at 52-56°F until the next morning (8-10 hours). The page says it should not develop acid beyond a final pH of 5.2-5.3.
- Brine in 1 gallon water with 2.25 lb salt, 1 tbsp calcium chloride (30%) and 1 tsp white vinegar, for 2.5-3 hours per lb, re-salting the surface halfway. Do not over-salt.
- Age cool at 50-55°F and about 80-85% moisture for 2-4 weeks, without wax.
- Move to 65-70°F and 80% moisture for 3-4 weeks of hole development (2-3 weeks for smaller holes), turning daily.
- Finish in a cold room at 45-50°F and 85% moisture for a month or more. Wax only after the holes have fully developed.
Conditions
Yield4 lb
Temperature29–39°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
No source in this record establishes a place.
Related
Equipment
Brewer as a hot-water service station
The brewer holds clean water at a set temperature for washed-curd cheeses and other hot-water jobs, beside a separate cheese pot, instead of heating milk directly.
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Sources
New England Cheesemaking Supply Company (author Jim Wallace)Method
Swiss Cheese Recipe (Baby Swiss)4-gallon method, culture and propionic doses, water steps, pressing, pH limit, brine, three ageing stages
Cited in: A washed-curd cheese whose holes come from propionic bacteria; Why the whey is replaced in two steps; Pressing, rest and the acid limit; Brine, hole development and the rooms; The brewer as hot-water tank (untested adaptation); What the sources leave open
Penn State ExtensionSafety
Home Cheesemaking (Penn State Extension, ART-4803, Kerry E. Kaylegian, 2019; copy hosted by UC ANR)pasteurised milk suitable; UP/UHT unsuitable; raw milk not recommended
Cited in: The brewer as hot-water tank (untested adaptation); What the sources leave open