Emmental

Ingredients

Milk and cultures

• 15 litresraw or low-pasteurised whole cow milk, not homogenised
• ¼ tspthermophilic culture (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus helveticus)
• ⅛ tspPropionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii, the eye-forming culture
• 3 mlsingle-strength microbial rennet, diluted in 50 ml cool unchlorinated water

Brine

• 4 litreswater
• 1 kgcoarse non-iodised salt
• 1 tbspcalcium chloride
• 1 tspwhite vinegar

Equipment

• a copper or stainless vat holding 20 litres
• a curd harp or a long whisk and a knife
• a 20 cm mould and a press capable of 20 kg
• cheesecloth
• a cool cellar at 10 to 14°C (55°F) and a warm room at 20 to 24°C (75°F)

Directions

1. Warm the milk to 32°C (90°F) in the vat, stirring gently. Traditional Emmentaler is made in a copper kettle from raw milk from cows fed no silage, which is written into the AOP rules.
2. Stir in the thermophilic culture and the propionic culture and ripen 30 minutes, holding the temperature.
3. Add the diluted rennet, stir up and down for 1 minute, then stop the milk dead and leave it 30 minutes until you get a clean break: a finger lifted through the curd leaves a sharp edge and clear whey.
4. Cut the curd to the size of wheat grains, about 5 mm, working slowly and evenly for 10 minutes. Uneven grain gives an uneven wheel.
5. Heat the curd very slowly to 53°C (125°F) over 40 minutes, stirring constantly. The grains shrink, firm and squeak between the teeth; this cooking is what makes it a hard alpine cheese that keeps.
6. Hold at 53°C (125°F) for 30 to 45 minutes until a handful of grains squeezed together holds and then breaks apart cleanly.
7. Gather the curd in cheesecloth, lift it into the mould, and press at 10 kg for 30 minutes, then 20 kg for 12 hours, turning and redressing three times in the first 4 hours.
8. Float the wheel in the cold saturated brine for 18 to 24 hours, turning once and salting the exposed face.
9. Dry the wheel 2 days, then ripen in the cool cellar at 10 to 14°C (55°F) for 2 weeks, turning and wiping daily.
10. Move it to the warm room at 20 to 24°C (75°F) for 4 to 7 weeks. The propionic bacteria now eat the lactate and give off carbon dioxide, the wheel domes visibly, and the eyes form. Return it to the cool cellar for at least another 2 months before cutting.

Technique

• The holes are gas. Propionic bacteria produce carbon dioxide that collects at tiny impurity sites in the paste, and the sweet, nutty flavour of Emmental is the propionic acid from the same fermentation.
• Wheel size is why real Emmentaler tastes different: an AOP wheel weighs 80 to 120 kg and ripens for at least four months, which a domestic 1.5 kg wheel can only approximate.
• Food safety: if you use raw milk, source it from a dairy you trust and ripen the wheel for a minimum of 60 days, which is the legal threshold in most countries. Keep every surface, cloth and mould scrupulously clean, since a hard cooked cheese is unforgiving of contamination.
• Swiss AOP wheels are set with traditional animal rennet, so a bought Emmentaler is not vegetarian. Microbial rennet, specified here, sets the curd just as firmly and keeps the wheel meat-free.

Substitutions

• No warm ripening room: an unheated spare room at 20°C (70°F) in summer, or a large box with a thermostat and a heat mat, works. Without a warm phase you get a solid cheese with no eyes.
• Pasteurised shop milk will set if you add 5 ml calcium chloride per 15 litres, but ultra-pasteurised milk will never form a proper curd.

Variations

• Emmentaler AOP Höhlengereift, cave-aged, darker and much more savoury.
• Emmentaler Réserve, matured at least 12 months.
• Everyday Swiss Emmental sold young at 4 months, mild and elastic, the one that melts into gratins.

History

Named after the Emme valley in Bern, where it is recorded from the fifteenth century; carbon dioxide from propionic bacteria makes its holes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Emmental?

Emmental is a cheese & dairy from Switzerland: large wheel of mild nutty cheese pierced with big round holes. Named after the Emme valley in Bern, where it is recorded from the fifteenth century; carbon dioxide from propionic bacteria makes its holes.

How long does Emmental take to make?

Emmental takes 3 hr active of preparation and 4 months minimum ripening of cooking. The recipe makes 1 wheel, about 1.5 kg. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Emmental?

Yes, within limits. No warm ripening room: an unheated spare room at 20°C (70°F) in summer, or a large box with a thermostat and a heat mat, works. Without a warm phase you get a solid cheese with no eyes. Pasteurised shop milk will set if you add 5 ml calcium chloride per 15 litres, but ultra-pasteurised milk will never form a proper curd.