Cheese. Gruyere

A cheese similar in taste to the Swiss Gruyere ripens for at least six months. Thermophilic bacteria participate in the formation of its taste, so we cut the cheese grain finer – about 1 cm rib and stir for 30 minutes, gradually heating it to 49 degrees. When this temperature is reached, continue stirring for about 20 minutes, until the grain is compacted. The degree of compaction should be higher than that of the caciotta. Stop stirring so that the grain settles and pour the whey into another container, so that the remainder slightly covers the layer of curd. We spread the curd in a mold, touching it with our hands so that there are no “eyes” left and the layer is formed dense. Press the cheese in the mold for 8-10 hours in three stages, increasing the weight from 3 to 10 kg and turning the cheese in the mold. Press at room temperature. We salt the cheese in brine or dry – just like with caciottu.
We transfer the cheese to a ripening room with a temperature of 12-15 degrees and a humidity of 85%. We turn the head first daily, then less often. After the crust begins to form, apply with a brush two or three layers of olive oil with a break of 1-2 weeks. With further aging, the mold does not need to be removed, it does not penetrate the crust. Before use, the mold is washed off the surface of the cheese with cold water.