Cheese. Caciotta

Caciotta is an uncomplicated, delicious traditional Italian cheese. After you have placed the curd in the self-pressing cheese pan, place the pan on a drain in a warm room at 35-40 degrees. You can position the mold over a water bath. We soak for 1.5 hours periodically, lightly compacting the cheese with your hand. Turn the cheese pan onto a drainage mat, which must be placed on the wire rack so that the residual whey will drain. We keep the cheese for a couple of hours at room temperature, remove it from the mold and transfer it on a drainage mat to a cold room or place it in the refrigerator for 6 hours. The temperature should be 8-12 degrees. After that we start salting.
You can salt the cheese in a strong brine – 1 kg of salt per 4 liters of water. Salting time is 2-3 hours per half-kilogram head. Time is selected experimentally – to taste. I usually salt it dry – sprinkle coarse salt on the head on a drainage mat. When the salt is absorbed, turn over and repeat on the other side. We also apply salt on the side of the head. Salt evenly so that no unsalted spots remain.
We maintain the caciotta at a temperature of 8-12 degrees and a humidity of 85%. We turn the head first daily, then less often. Caciotta is ready to eat from 10 days of aging. The best taste will be for cheese aged for at least 2-3 months.
If you are preparing a short-term caciotta, then wipe the emerging mold with a cloth dipped in a curing solution. With a long exposure, cover the surface of the cheese with olive oil – after the crust begins to form. Apply the oil with a brush two to three layers with a break of 1-2 weeks. It is not necessary to remove the mold with a long exposure. It does not grow inside the head. Before eating cheese, wash it off with cold water, blot the head with a clean towel and you can cut it.