What is hop cheese?

Hop cheese is a mild, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese. Cheese Born in the American South. Other names include red cheese or baker’s cheese. Today, the name can be used for this traditional cheese or modern versions that more closely resemble cheddar cheese.

What is hop cheese?

Hop cheese is a highly perishable, semi-soft to semi-soft cheese produced in the southern United States in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. It was usually displayed for sale at small town town general stores, where the owner would cut wedges for customers using a special cheese cutter. The wheel sat on a rotating round board, above which hung a large knife that could cut a wedge of the correct weight for a customer.

Hop cheese is like a plain, fresh cheese Farmer’s Cheesewhich is made with milk, cream and salt, or dry curd cottage cheese, which is usually salted. However, traditional hop cheese is made only from cow’s milk, with no added salt or cream. Because of this, the cheese had a much shorter shelf life than aged cheese, only one to two weeks. It also has a very mild, neutral flavor and rubbery texture when young. Because it was highly perishable, hop cheese was usually made by the store owner or a nearby cheesemaker or farmer and was not mass-produced or exported for sale outside the region where it was produced. had gone

What’s in a name?

Hoop cheese gets its name from the hoop-shaped molds used to drain and shape it. Yogurt. It is also called red ring cheese, usually after the coating of red wax on the wheels. Baker’s cheese, the soft, fresh version of hoop cheese, is so named because it is often used to make baked goods such as cakes and pies.

How is hoop cheese made?

Raw milk is heated in a large pot, and then treated with beneficial bacteria. Cheese makingis added to milk. Depending on the recipe, rennet may be added to coagulate the milk, or the milk may be coagulated by allowing it to culture for several hours.

The curd is cut into half-inch pieces with a large knife, then the curd and whey are heated and stirred to remove moisture. When the curds are shiny and rubbery, they are placed in wide, round cheese molds tied with cheesecloth and pressed firmly to remove all remaining matter. Whey. The 22-pound wheels are cut up and coated in red or black wax before being sold to customers.

Types

Today, hop cheese is still produced and sold, but it is often more similar to mild cheddar cheese. Contemporary versions can be prepared with the addition of salt and annatto, which adds a bright orange color. Modern hop cheese can be aged for a sharper flavor. Hop cheese can be found in small grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations in the American South or purchased online. It is also produced and sold by cheese makers in Wisconsin.

The name hoop cheese or baker’s cheese can also be used to refer to a soft, fresh cheese similar to farmer’s cheese – essentially the dried curds of hoop cheese before being pressed and waxed.

Alternative

Mild, semi-soft cheeses such as young cheddar or Monterey Jack can be used as substitutes for hop cheese in recipes. Dry curd or cottage cheese Ricotta cheese Can be used as a substitute for baker’s cheese.

uses

Hop cheese can be used as a table cheese, on sandwiches, or in cooking. It can be used as a sharper, more flavorful cheese in macaroni and cheese recipes with soft, creamy melting cheeses or grated and melted into casseroles. Hop cheese is also a traditional ingredient. Pimento cheese spread.

storage

Refrigerate the hoop cheese. Wrap the cheese in a piece of wax paper or parchment paper, then place it in an unsealed plastic sandwich bag or plastic container. This will allow air to flow while keeping the cheese from drying out.

Hop cheese will keep in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. Remove any mold growth on the surface by cutting it off completely with a knife, taking care not to let the knife touch the mold.

Hop Cheese Recipes

Can you eat the rind?

Hop cheese is a Waxed rindwhich is not edible and should be removed before eating.