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The milk is carefully stirred. It warms up to 35 °C within 20 minutes, as warm water flows through the double wall of the cheese production container. Once the milk has reached this temperature, the cheese maker adds the starter cultures, calcium and rennet. The lactic acid bacteria ferment lactose into lactic acid. This preserves the cheese in a natural way. The mold culture will later cause the white mold to grow on the cheese. Calcium is added, because the natural calcium has been modified through the pasteurisation process of the milk. The rennet causes the milk to coagulate (become thick).
The milk must remain absolutely calm in order for the rennet and bacterial cultures to work. Within approximately 40 minutes, the coagulation process brings the milk to the proper consistency, comparable to that of a yoghurt.
The cheese maker next slices the soft cheese curd into grains with a tool called "the cheese harp". The smaller the curd grains, the harder the cheese. Our "Engelberger Klosterglocke" is a soft cheese; therefore the size of the grains is relatively large. These curd grains separate from the whey, the remaining aqueous liquid. The whey and the curd grains are then slowly stirred for 30 minutes. Afterwards, the cheese maker lets it rest. This allows the curd grains to sink to the bottom of the container. They slowly become more dense as the dead weight of the grains presses out the whey.
Adding warm water thins out the amount of lactose, the so-called "fertile soil" of the lactic acid bacteria, in order to control the fermentation. The curd grains have finally achieved the desired consistency and firmness. With a tool called "The Cheese Ladle", the cheese maker bales the soft curd grains into the bell-shaped "Engelberger Klosterglocke" forms.
Due to gravity, the curd grains become one mass and the remaining whey flows out. This nutrient-rich liquid is processed into whey drink. In order for the cheese to form evenly, the forms are turned by the cheese maker three times: 1) after 10 minutes, 2) one hour later, 3) in the late afternoon. Early the next morning, the cheese, still in its form, is dipped into the salt bath for two hours. The cheese absorbs the salt and releases its water. A thin crust forms on the outside. The larger and harder the cheese, the longer it must remain in the salt bath.
In our ripening cellar, just as in this mini-cellar, ideal conditions are required. A constant temperature of 16 °C and 95 % air humidity guarantee the growth of the white mold. After 8 days, the "Engelberger Klosterglocke" is snow-white and ready for you to enjoy. Some types of cheese are ready to be eaten immediately, while others must ripen for up to two years, or more.
