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Thermophilic
Starter Culture
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Cheese cultures are necessary
to inoculate the milk with friendly bacteria. These bacteria serve
two functions. First, they cause the milk to become more acidic aiding
its coagulation. Second, the bacteria help develop the flavor of
the cheese.
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Cheese cultures are
divided into two basic types mesophilic and thermophilic. These terms describes
at the temperature the culture thrives at. Mesophilic (from the Greek words
meso – meaning intermediate and philic – which means loving) cultures thrive
around room temperatures. Thermophilic (from the Greek words thermo
– meaning heat and philic – which means loving)cultures require a higher
temperature. Professional quality cultures can be bought from a cheesemaking
supply company. They are usually available in a freeze dried form.
A home-spun method is to use cultured buttermilk as a mesophilic starter
or fresh yogurt as a thermophilic starter.
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This simplest of cultures
can generally be used for all recipes requiring a thermophilic starter.
The taste of the final product will vary slightly from that of a true cheese
culture.
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Start with 2 cups of FRESH milk. Heat
it to 185 F (85 C) on the range top or in a microwave. Be careful
not heat to high or the cream will separate.
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Let the 2 Cups of milk cool to at least 125 F (52
C) room temp.
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Add one heaping table spoon of FRESH yogurt (either
homemade or store bought “live and active culture” type like Dannon plain).
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Mix the yogurt into the milk thoroughly with a fork
or a whisk.
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Keep the mixture at 110 F (44 C) for 8-10 hours until
a firm yogurt has set. This can be done by using a double boiler on a low
setting or by placing the inoculated milk into a small CLEAN mason jar
placed in a warm water bath. The bath can be kept warm by placing
it on an electric range top at the lowest possible setting (so that ‘ON’
light is just on). Monitor the temperature closely the first few
times you do this and you will become a better judge of the temperature
settings of your range top. This way with future cultures you can
set the process up and not worry about it for 8-10 hours.
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Pour this culture into a full sized CLEAN ice cube
tray and put into your FREEZER. As with all steps of cheesemaking, cleanliness
is next to godliness.
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Once frozen, remove the cubes and put into a CLEAN
sealed container or plastic freezer bags. It is a good idea to label
the container to distinguish it from your mesophilic culture.
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The resulting ice cubes are each 1 oz of thermophilic
starter.
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Add these cubes (thawed) to your recipes as required.
The cubes will keep for about one month.
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To make more starter simply thaw one cube and
use it as the fresh yogurt used in step 3.
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Since January 01, 1999
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