Last week I made a tomme cheese from cow’s milk. It will be a few months before I know for sure how it turned out but the curds were tasty and they knit together perfectly (unlike my monterey jack flop.)
To make it I heated 2 gallons raw cow milk from Dungeness Creamery to 88 degrees then added 1/4 teaspoon of MM-100 culture. I let it sit for 30 minutes then added 1/2 teaspoon of animal rennet and again let it sit at 88 degrees for 30 minutes. To keep the temperature steady I fill my 5 gallon brew kettle with water heated to that temperature and then float my 2 gallon canning pot inside with the milk in it.
After 30 minutes I had a clean break (like jello, when you insert a knife you can cut it.) I cut the curds to 1/4″ cubes then slowly raised the temperature up to 100 degrees.
I poured some whey off so that it barely covered the curds then let them rest at 100 degrees for 10 minutes. At that point I scooped the curds into a cheese mold lined with cheese cloth and pressed at 10 pounds for 1 hour. I turned the cheese, redressed with the cheese cloth and pressed it at 10 pounds for 2 hours.
Then I salted the outside heavily and put it on a bamboo sushi mat over a dinner plate in the fridge to dry slightly overnight. The next day I wrapped it in parchment paper since I don’t have waxed butcher paper and put it in the wine fridge in the garage that I am using as a cheese cave.
It needs to be turned weekly and can be eaten in 30 days if you used pasteurized milk or 60 days if you used raw milk. Or you can age it longer for a sharper flavor. I plan to try it around the second week of July since it’s my first tomme and I want to know if I’m on track before making more!
I have one aging now that Julie of River Ranch made during our cheesemaking class just before St. Patty’s day. It’s covered with mold but I’m pretty sure I can just brush that off with a wire brush since she demonstrated that for us when we were there. I’ll post pictures later this week when I brave it.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS // May 20, 2009 at 9:49 am
It is fun to watch you make cheese. I’ll be along behind you before long – and I appreciate learning from you! It all looks wonderful! I can’t imagine waiting 60 days, though! The cheese I buy right now is raw goat cheddar, aged 60 days, and it is amazing. So I know it is worth it.
~Wardeh
2 admin // May 21, 2009 at 12:37 am
I’m so excited for your goat’s milk! If you make tomme with goat’s milk you only use 1/8 teaspoon rennet instead of 1/2 teaspoon. It doesn’t take as much to set it up.
3 Lisa // Jul 12, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I’ve been making soft cheeses from my nigerian goats and would like to try making the tomme cheese. Where did you get your molds
thanks,
lisa
4 admin // Jul 13, 2009 at 1:16 am
Hi Lisa, they are the $18 molds from http://www.dairyconnection.com. You can buy more expensive molds but this is perfect for 2-3 gallons of milk and a great entry level price. Good luck with your cheeses!
5 Janet // Aug 15, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Hilarious! My cheesemaking set-up looks IDENTICAL to yours: brewpot, free-wights, mold and all! I’ve got a tomme I just sort of winged that I’ve been washing in raspberry mead. I think I’ll try yours tomorrow!
6 Janet // Aug 15, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Even the wine fridge!
7 admin // Aug 17, 2009 at 3:10 am
Loved your blog but I didn’t see your raspberry mead recipe. That sounds fabulous!!!!
8 missy greene // Oct 21, 2009 at 11:10 am
Hi, jist found your blog. I have alpines an have been making soft chhese for 4 years now my herd is larger nd I want to make other cheeses, am ready to try a Tomme, howdid yous come out?? Do y ou know anything about making leaf wrapped cheeses??
will check out he rest of your stuff, looks great, thanks, missy
9 admin // Oct 23, 2009 at 2:01 am
Hi Missy,
the tomme is great if you don’t let it age too long which I did. Mine is more like a parmeson now (kept forgetting about it in the wine cooler). I’ve never done leaf wrapped cheeses. There must be some good cheese forums around. Let me know if you find any – I’m hoping to start cheesemaking again this winter but we found a local farm to buy raw gouda & swiss style cheeses from for $8ish/# which is the same or less then I can make raw milk cheeses for after paying full price for the milk!
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