Brick Cheese

Name: Brick Cheese
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 8 h
Yield: About 1 small home batch
Ingredients: 2 gallons pasteurized whole cow milk; 1/8 teaspoon direct-set mesophilic starter culture; 1/16 teaspoon Brevibacterium linens culture; 1/2 teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water; 1/2 teaspoon single-strength liquid rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water; 2 tablespoons non-iodized cheese salt; 3% wash brine made from 3 grams non-iodized salt per 100 grams boiled and cooled water

Brick Cheese is a washed-rind American cheese with measured starter, careful draining, brining, regular rind washing, and controlled humid aging.

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Difficulty

Advanced

Prep time

1 to 2 hours active

Cook time

4 to 8 hours make day

Total time

4 to 8 weeks depending on rind strength

Servings

About 1 small home batch

Region

Wisconsin

Era introduced

American Dairy Age

Introduced by

Swiss-American cheesemaking

Recipe tools

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The Story

Brick cheese was created in Wisconsin by Swiss-born cheesemaker John Jossi in the 1870s, named for the bricks used to press it and tied to the state's immigrant dairy history. The recipe below keeps that history practical for a home cheesemaking setup: use pasteurized milk, sanitized tools, measured culture, controlled temperature, controlled humidity, and refrigerated aging rather than casual countertop ripening. It is a learning recipe for the American style, not a commercial standard of identity or raw-milk guidance.

Ingredients

2 gallons pasteurized whole cow milk
1/8 teaspoon direct-set mesophilic starter culture
1/16 teaspoon Brevibacterium linens culture
1/2 teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water
1/2 teaspoon single-strength liquid rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water
2 tablespoons non-iodized cheese salt
3% wash brine made from 3 grams non-iodized salt per 100 grams boiled and cooled water

Equipment

Large stainless steel pot
Accurate dairy thermometer
Long curd knife
Slotted spoon
Colander
Butter muslin or cheesecloth
Cheese mold
Cheese press
pH strips or pH meter
Aging refrigerator or cheese cave

Directions

Read the safety notes before starting. Use pasteurized milk only, sanitize every tool that touches milk or curd, wash hands well, and discard the batch if it smells rotten, turns slimy, grows black or pink mold, or shows swelling that does not match the style.
Warm the milk to 90 F. Add mesophilic culture and Brevibacterium linens, rest 3 minutes, stir 1 minute, cover, and ripen 45 minutes.
Add calcium chloride and rennet as diluted additions, stirring each for 30 seconds. Hold at 90 F for 40 to 45 minutes, until set.

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