Hello Brie-tiful!

Well my little Bries are getting a nice thick coat of fuzzy penicillium mold on them! I'm very pleased at how white, soft, and full the mold has become, especially in such a short time. A small crumb of the rind had fallen off when I was flipping them, which made a nice little sample for me to "evaluate." It had the taste of a mild Brie's rind, which is just what I wanted! Now that the cheese is well-encased, the rind should begin to break down the cheese into creamy goodness with continued aging.

Carla and I also made a second batch of brie, this time only using the penicillium culture, not the geotrichium as well. In further reading, I came across a statement that only goat cheeses need the geotrichium to keep the rind on, but any type of milk can achieve a fuller flavor with the addition of the geotrichium. So it will be interesting to compare our results between the two and see if there's much of a tangible difference.

From here we're planning on trying raw-milk Brie next, which should be an adventure in its own right!