Step-By-Step guide:
Gouda
• Difficulty level: 
• Cow’s milk
(goat’s and sheep’s milk can also be used)
• Preparation: +/- 5 heures
• Volume: 10 liter milk yields 3 cheeses of around 400g or 1 cheese of 1kg.
• Download the PDF-version
Ingredients
• 10 l milk
• Mesophilic starter culture (e.g., buttermilk 2%, or a propagated mother culture such as Dickmilch 1%, or Flora Danica)
• Annatto (a few drops) for a warmer color
• NaNO3 (Sodium nitrate) if using raw milk,
or CaCl2 if using pasteurized milk
• Animal rennet or microbial rennet
• Salt
Introduction
Our northern neighbors certainly know their cheese—especially when it comes to Gouda. And they have perfected it to near perfection. Gouda is a true crowd-pleaser, delicious both in slices and cubes. It is one of the best-known and most widely consumed cheeses. The rind is coated with a wax or protective layer to prevent drying and external influences—this coating is not edible.
Gouda cheese is originally a Dutch semi-hard cheese. During production, annatto (Rocou) —a natural coloring derived from South America— is often added, giving the cheese its characteristic yellow-orange hue, especially when using winter milk or milk from cows that do not graze outdoors.
The cheese takes its name from the city of Gouda, where it has been traded for centuries. Today, the cheese market there is held only once a week during the summer months as a tourist attraction. Most Gouda cheeses are now produced industrially and shipped worldwide, as the type name and shape are not protected. Boerenkaas (farmhouse cheese) is the non-industrial version, made on the farm from the milk of the farmer’s own herd.
Gouda is a highly technical cheese, requiring strict adherence to all production parameters. Washing and stirring the curd must be done carefully and for a sufficient duration; otherwise, the final cheese will be penalized with a chalky, sour result.
SDepending on the aging period, Gouda is classified as young, aged (belegen), mature (oude), or extra-mature (overjarige). Coating the cheese ensures gradual aging and controlled moisture loss over time.
The leftover whey can, of course, be used to make ricotta. A recipe for this can be found under our step-by-step guide for acid-set cheeses.
Equipment
• Cooking pot of at least 10 L (or larger, depending on your milk volume)
• Cheese moulds with bottom and follower of your choice (e.g., three small molds, one 1 kg mould, etc.)
• Cheesecloth that fits the mold (3x the diameter)
• (Digital) thermometer
• Curd cutter or palette knife
• Stirring spoon
• Cheese coating (optionally containing natamycin, an antifungal agent)
You can order most of these materials in the webshop.
Procedure
For pasteurized milk: Add calcium chloride (CaCl2) to compensate for the loss of free calcium caused by pasteurization; otherwise, coagulation will not occur.
(Dosage: 2 ml per 10l of milk)
• Heat the milk to 20–22° C.
• Add the cheese starter/acid culture: 100ml per 10 L of milk (Use 200 ml if the starter was previously frozen or if using buttermilk.) A DVS culture (e.g., Flora Danica) can also be used; follow the package dosage. (Principle: add cold culture to cold milk, warm culture to warm milk. Frozen culture can be added directly to cold milk.)
• Heat the milk further to 30–31° C.
• For raw milk: Add NaNO3 (3 ml per 10 L of milk) to prevent “blowing” caused by butyric acid bacteria. Optionally, add a few drops of annatto.
• Rennet: 4 drops per liter of milk, equivalent to 25 ml per 100 L of milk.
• Let the milk rest until coagulated (approximately 45 minutes), maintaining the temperature.
• Check for a clean break.
• If OK, cut slowly for the first 5 minutes. Begin very gently; if you feel the curd pushing back, increase the speed slightly. The goal is curd-particles about the size of a corn kernel. Do not cut smaller, as they will shrink significantly during stirring.
• Stir gently for another 10 minutes to help release the whey, making it easier to drain.
PROCEDURE (continued): Washing and Stirring
• Calculate 45% of the total volume and drain that amount of whey. (Example: 45% of 10l = 4.5l whey removed). This usually corresponds to draining up to the curd level.
• From the remaining contents in the vat, calculate 45% again. (Example: 5.5l remains, 45% of that ≈ 2.5l.)
• Gradually add warm water (+/- 50–60° C) while stirring, adjusting the amount based on your milk volume (see calculation above).
• Raise the temperature to 36 °C (goat/sheep: max 35° C), keeping the curd constantly stirred. The total volume in your pot should end up around 7l.
• If the temperature rises too quickly, your water is too hot; if it rises too slowly, it is too cold.
(At the end, you can always add a bit of hot water if the curd is too cold, or cold water if it has already exceeded 36° C).
• Stir gently for 30 to 45 minutes. After 30 minutes, check the curd for the first time. It should now appear dull and slightly ivory-colored, this process is called “dry-stirring.” The most important test is to take a small “curd ball,” let it drain without squeezing it, and observe its behavior. (or, scoop a spoonful from your vat and let it drain on the spoon.) It should crumble or fall apart when you move it back and forth in the whey. If in doubt, stir for an additional five minutes.
• Depending on your stirring speed and the amount of wash water, you may need an additional 10–15 minutes of stirring. Check every 5 minutes. This step is crucial—under-stirring will be reflected in the final cheese, resulting in a chalky and sour texture.
• Then remove as much whey as possible and fill the molds immediately.
TIP: Start without a cheesecloth, place the follower on the mold and let it drain upside down for about 15 minutes.
Pressing
(see also the technical datasheet on pressing)
• As mentioned above, start by pressing without a cheesecloth. 1 Place the follower on the mould and let it drain upside down for about 15 minutes.
• Remove the cheese from the mould and place it on the follower. Drape the cheesecloth over the cheese so that it is not perfectly centered but with enough overhang 2 3 on all sides. Smooth the cloth, slide the mould over it, turn the whole assembly upside down, and fold the longest flap of cheesecloth over the side of the cheese that is still uncovered. Place the follower on top. 4
• Let any excess cheesecloth hang out of the mould; this prevents wrinkles and dents in the cheese rind. 5
• Now the real pressing begins: First press: 30 minutes at 4 or 5 times the weight of the cheese. If the rind does not close properly, briefly immerse the cheese in the still-warm whey.
• Second press: Flip the cheese in the mould, redress the cloth, then press 45 minutes at 8–9 times the weight of the cheese. Check if the rind is fully closed; if not, press for another 30 minutes. Longer pressing is never harmful.
• Remove the cheese from the mold and take off the cheesecloth. Place the cheese back in the mold with the imprint from the follower (stamp) facing down. Do not replace the follower. Let the cheese “rest” at room temperature overnight. By morning, the follower’s imprint will have almost disappeared.
Salting, Drying, and Coating
(see also the technical datasheet on salting).
Brine: Use 220 g salt per liter of water (stronger than St. Paulin brine).
00g cheese: 5 hours; 1 kg cheese: 10 hours; 2.5 kg cheese: 24 hours
General guideline: 1 hour of brining per 100 g of cheese.
Drying: After brining, let the cheese dry. Pat it gently with kitchen paper if needed. Turn the cheese every day for even drying. Depending on the acidity and mineral content of the brine, as well as the ambient temperature and humidity, drying can take 1–3 days. The cheese is ready for coating when a piece of kitchen paper pressed against it no longer absorbs moisture (it can still feel slightly tacky).
Coating: Apply patiently. Add one layer of coating every half day. First coat the top and sides using a brush, then after a few hours, turn the cheese and coat the other side. Repeat this process several times. Ideally, apply three layers.
Aging: Store at 14 °C, well-ventilated, with 85–90% relative humidity. Depending on the temperature and cheese size, it may be ready to eat after about 3 weeks. Larger cheeses require a longer aging period.
A bucket is an ideal container for a brine bath.Aging
Gouda cheese matures quickly. After about 3 weeks, it is already distributed to stores, allowing it to be sold as young cheese from 4 weeks onward. Depending on the aging period, Gouda is classified as etc... :
• 1 month – Young cheese
• 2 – 2,5 months – Young matured (Jong Belegen)
• 4 – 4,5 months – Matured (Belegen)
• 7 – 8 months – Extra matured (Extra Belegen)
• 10 – 12 months – Old cheese (Oude, Brokkelkaas)
• Over 15 months – Very old cheese (Overjaarse)
The longer you want your cheese to age, the larger it should be. Aging a small 400 g cheese for a year will not produce old cheese but rather a dried-out cheese. Small cheeses lose moisture too quickly, preventing the complex ripening processes from occurring. The cheese must retain enough moisture to support these biochemical transformations. It is therefore no surprise that long-aged cheeses are typically large wheels weighing several kilograms.
On Washing the Curd
• A characteristic step in Gouda cheese (and many other cheeses, such as St. Paulin) is washing the curd: whey is drained and replaced with warm water. This step has a strong influence on the final texture of the cheese.
• During stirring, lactose (milk sugar) dissolves into the wash water. Normally, the lactic acid bacteria in the starter culture convert this lactose into lactic acid. The longer we stir, the more lactose is removed from the curd, and consequently, less remains in the cheese. In other words, the lactic acid bacteria are put “on a diet,” resulting in a less acidic cheese. A less acidic cheese is creamier and melts more easily.
• Conversely, cheeses allowed to acidify fully, where lactic acid bacteria act freely, tend to be crumbly and chalky and melt poorly. Examples include feta, fresh (goat) cheese, and very young Brie or Camembert.
• Some cheesemakers wash the curd twice to remove even more lactose. If doing so, less wash water can be used, but it is essential to ensure that the final curd temperature still reaches around 36° C.
TIP
Gouda with Herbs
This is certainly possible. Before placing the curd into the moulds, mix in the herbs or spices of your choice (e.g., ground pepper, cumin seeds, fenugreek, young nettle, etc.).
Important precautions: Dry herbs or spices should be toasted or briefly boiled to ensure they are sterile. Fresh green herbs should be blanched. This ensures that only sterile flavoring agents are added to your cheese, preventing unwanted microbial growth while infusing your Gouda with aromatic flavors.
Cheese Mould with Cheesecloth, Kadova™, or Microperforated Mould?
In the step-by-step plan presented here, pressing is done with a cheese mould that requires a cheesecloth. This is important for achieving a smooth, closed rind, which ensures that later coating the cheese goes smoothly and prevents the coating from seeping into pits or cracks. This is a centuries-old technique that, when done correctly, produces excellent results.
In the industrial setting, moulds with an integrated plastic “cheesecloth” in the mould and follower are commonly used. Kadova™ is the market leader for this type of mould. Home cheesemakers sometimes hunt for second-hand options because new ones are very expensive, they are the Rolls Royces of cheese moulds. With some skill, however, a traditional cheesecloth can achieve just as beautiful a result.
Another type of mould is the microperforated mould. No cheesecloth is needed here—the walls of the mold are perforated with tiny drainage holes. These moulds are convenient but must be cleaned thoroughly to keep the microperforations open.