pH troubles during curd formation

[orchidarium92]

Hello all,
I tried making a batch of cultured buttermilk cheese, and apparently my curds decided they were not in the mood to cooperate. Two hours in and they were still as loose as my willpower around fresh bread. pH was sitting at 6.4, which I’m pretty sure is way too high for anything to actually set.

I used pasteurized, non‑homogenized milk and a standard mesophilic culture, so on paper it should have behaved, right?? Before I start playing around with culture amounts or ripening time, does anyone know what pH I should actually be aiming for with this style? Thanks in advance!

 

[Melotone]

Hello, I do not quite understand what your aim is. Did you want make cheese with pasteurized milk using buttermilk as an acidifier? Milk has normally an acidity of 6.7 to 6.6. 6.4 seems to me a good starting point to start adding your rennet. If you don’t add rennet at all you should leave it over 24 hours for a natural clabbering. When making soft cheeses the aim is 6.5 Ph for instance. What does your recipe say?