Step 1

Warm milk to 88F. Remove the pot from the heat.

Step 2

Add in the mesophilic culture and annatto. Stir 2 minutes.

Step 3

Cover and maintain the temperature for 1 hour.

Step 4

Stir in the rennet 30 seconds. You do not need to dilute the rennet in water for small batch cheese. Stir slowly, but throughly. Stop the motion of the milk with your ladle.

Step 5

Coagulate the milk for about 40-50 minutes. If you are using a flocculation cap place it on the milk and begin checking for flocculation after 12 minutes. Mark the time elapsed. Multiply that number by 3 then subtract the flocculation time from the product. (Example: Flocculation time of 15 minutes; 15x3=45; 45-15=30 more minutes of coagulation.)

Step 6

Check for a clean break.

Step 7

Cut the curds to ¼”. Cut in a grid then on the diagonal the depth of the pot in all 4 directions.

Step 8

Allow the curds to rest and heal for 5 minutes to lock in moisture. Skip this step if you want a dry cheddar.

Step 9

Return the pot to the heat and warm to 95F over the course of 30 minutes. Stir continuously, beginning with slow stirring and increase speed as the curds toughen up.

Step 10

Heat the curds to 102F in 15 minutes, stirring fairly rapidly.

Step 11

Maintain the temperature and stir for a final 15 minutes. Stir as quickly as you can.

Step 12

Test the curds by squeezing them in the palm of your hand. They should hold together in a clump yet break apart when rubbing them with your thumb.

Step 13

Pitch the curds for 5 minutes and allow them to sink to the bottom.

Step 14

Meanwhile, prepare a waterbath to keep your curd warm during the cheddaring process. I use my kitchen sink filled with hot water & 2- half gallon mason jars filled with water to weigh the pot down.

Step 15

Remove the whey from the pot.

Step 16

NOTE: Try to maintain a 102F temperature for the cheddaring process.

Step 17

Cut the curd mass in the bottom of the pot into 4 blocks and stack them on top of each other.

Step 18

Place the covered pot in the water bath & weigh it down.

Step 19

Stack and flip every 15 minutes for 1 hour until the curds have the consistency of cooked chicken breast. Drain any whey in the bottom when flipping the curds. (This is a total of 4- 15 minutes with 3 flip/stacks.)

Step 20

Weigh & make a note of the curd mass.

Step 21

Quickly cut the curds into 1” cubes so you don't lose too much temperature.

Step 22

Using a micro digital scale, weigh out 2.6% of the curd mass in salt.

Step 23

Add the salt to the cubed curds in 2 phases with 5 minutes between additions. Place the pot back in the waterbath between saltings.

Step 24

Prepare your cheese press between saltings.

Step 25

Quickly transfer salted curds to a cheesecloth lined hoop.

Step 26

Press at 20 pounds pressure for 15 minutes.

Step 27

Remove the cheese from the hoop, flip, and redress in the cheesecloth.

Step 28

Return the cheese to the press and apply 60 pounds of pressure overnight.

Step 29

In the morning, remove the cheese, flip, and redress a final time. Return it to the press and apply 80 pounds of pressure until the cheese has been in the press for a total of 24 hours.

Step 30

Transfer the cheese to a cheese mat and air dry for 2-3 days, flipping twice daily.

Step 31

Was the cheese for the aging or apply a cloth bandage rind using clean cotton fabric and melted butter.

Step 32

Age the cheese in a cheese fridge at 55F and 80% humidity for 4-6 weeks for mild cheddar and 3 months or more for sharp cheddar.