Brie

Too Much Curd

Q. I made this with two gallons of raw milk took out 8 oz and added 8 oz of cream. When the curds were ready they didn't come close to fitting in the mold. I was using the large mold. It took me 40 minutes or more to ladle the curds with a slotted spoon into the mold. I wasn't using the right mold in the first batch that I made. It had a bottom on it. This one does not have a bottom, it is the M110. It seems that I have way too much moisture. I did cut the curds and stir them briefly before putting them into the mold.

A. You have too much curd for a single mold. I normally use 4 of the M7-Camembert molds for 2 gallons, or 2 of the M110 Brie Mold that you mention, which is what the Brie recipe calls for. The other factor is the high cream addition. Butterfat tends to slow the whey draining.

Aging Time

Q. Regarding the Brie recipe, I've seen it referenced that 4 to 5 weeks can give a good result for aging of this cheese. Does that time include the roughly 2 weeks for rind development ,or is this on top of those 2 weeks (meaning 6 to 7 weeks since it was salted)? 

A. Different conditions, such as moisture of the final cheese, and temp, can determine/affect the ripening time. It is best to keep checking the firmness when you turn the cheese. You should be able to judge the softening as you do.