Andy Montoya
Brick cheese is a Wisconsin-made cheese that is best known for its use in Detroit-style pizza. It is made by heating raw milk to 162°F, then cooling it to around 90°F before adding a starter culture of bacteria to begin fermentation. The curds are then cooked and cut into cubes, moulded, and soaked in a brine solution before being transferred to an ageing room. The young cheese has a sweet, mild, earthy flavour and melts well, while the aged varieties have a nuttier, tangier flavour and a strong aroma. It is a semi-hard cheese with an ivory to pale yellow colour and an orange-hued rind.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Wisconsin |
| Texture | Semi-hard |
| Colour | Ivory to pale yellow |
| Rind colour | Orange |
| Taste | Buttery, nutty, tangy, sweet, mild, earthy |
| Aroma | Pronounced |
| Substitutes | White Muenster, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella |
| Pairs well with | Pickles, Gamay Beaujolais, other light red wines |
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What You'll Learn
Brick cheese is a Wisconsin-made cheese
Brick cheese is a popular cheese in the Midwest and Northeast, and it is known for its ability to slice and melt well, making it a perfect topping for pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, polenta, and mac and cheese. When used on Detroit-style pizza, it is often blended with mozzarella to create an authentic flavour. However, due to its strong aroma and limited availability in certain regions, it can be challenging to find brick cheese at a reasonable price outside of the Midwest. Substitutes such as white Muenster or Monterey Jack cheese are sometimes used in its place.
The unique flavour and texture of brick cheese make it a popular choice for those seeking a buttery, mild, or nutty taste in their dishes. Its melting properties also contribute to its versatility in various recipes, enhancing the overall sensory experience of the dish. While it may be challenging to source in some regions, brick cheese remains a beloved Wisconsin-made cheese, especially for those with a penchant for Detroit-style pizza.
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It's the preferred cheese for Detroit-style pizza
Brick cheese is a Wisconsin-made cheese that is best known for being the preferred cheese for making Detroit-style pizza. The process for making it resembles the method of making cheddar cheese, and it is often described as a cross between cheddar and limburger. Its colour ranges from ivory to pale yellow, with an orange-hued rind. It is a semi-hard cheese with an open texture that sometimes features small holes. The younger versions are sweet, mild, and earthy, and they melt and slice well, making them perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, polenta, and mac and cheese. They also melt beautifully on pizza, giving it a nice crisp.
On the other hand, aged brick cheese varieties have a nutty, tangy flavour and a pronounced aroma. It may be challenging to find outside the Midwest, but it is a popular cheese in the region. Brick cheese is made by heating raw milk to 162°F, which pasteurizes it, and then cooling it to around 90°F before pumping it into open steel vats. A starter culture of bacteria is then added to begin the fermentation process, where the bacteria consume the lactose and produce lactic acid.
When it comes to Detroit-style pizza, brick cheese is the star ingredient. It is often blended with mozzarella to create the perfect, authentic Detroit-style pizza. The combination of these two cheeses gives the pizza its distinctive flavour and texture. While brick cheese can be hard to come by in some parts of the country, those seeking to recreate Detroit-style pizza at home can substitute it with white Muenster or Monterey Jack cheese, which are more readily available and share similar qualities.
The Detroit Style Pizza Co. is a popular resource for those seeking to recreate this unique pizza style at home, offering a range of products, including pans, mixes, frozen pizzas, and other tools and supplies. They even provide a Detroit Pizza Collection, which includes Widmer's Wisconsin Brick Cheese, Sartori Parmesan, and sliced pepperoni, for a complete Detroit-style pizza experience.
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It's similar to mozzarella but with a buttery taste
Brick cheese is a Wisconsin-made cheese that is best known for its use in Detroit-style pizza. It is also a popular cheese in the Midwest and Northeast. The process for making it resembles the method of making cheddar cheese. Its colour is ivory to pale yellow, with an orange-hued rind. It is a semi-hard cheese with an open texture, which sometimes features small holes.
Brick cheese is similar to mozzarella but with a buttery taste. It is mild, sweet, and melts well, making it an excellent cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches, sandwiches, burgers, polenta, and mac and cheese. It pairs well with pickles and is perfect for potatoes au gratin or hash browns.
Younger versions of brick cheese have a sweet, mild, earthy flavour, while the more aged varieties have a nutty, tangy flavour and a pronounced aroma. It is made by heating raw milk to 162°F, which pasteurizes it, and then cooling it to around 90°F before pumping it into open steel vats. A starter culture of bacteria is then added to start the fermentation process, where the bacteria consume the lactose and produce lactic acid.
Brick cheese is traditionally made in Wisconsin and is known for its ability to bake well. It can be difficult to find outside the Midwest and may be expensive in certain southern and western states. However, it is a popular choice for pizza, and some people blend it with mozzarella to make an authentic Detroit-style pizza.
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It's semi-hard with an open texture and small holes
Brick cheese is a semi-hard cheese with an open texture and small holes. It is made by heating raw milk to 162°F, which pasteurizes it, and then cooling it to around 90°F before adding bacteria to start the fermentation process. The curds are then cooked and cut into cubes, and pressed into rectangular molds to be firmed. This process gives brick cheese its characteristic texture, which is said to be similar to mozzarella but with a buttery taste. The younger versions of brick cheese are mild, sweet, and earthy, and melt and slice well, making them perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, polenta, and mac and cheese. They are also excellent for pizzas, especially Detroit-style pizzas, where they are often blended with mozzarella. Aged brick cheese, on the other hand, has a nuttier and tangier flavor, and a more pronounced aroma.
Brick cheese is a Wisconsin original, invented by Swiss farmers in the state. It is also sometimes made in Ontario, Canada, by the Jensen Cheese Company, where it is sold with hot peppers, onion, and garlic. Outside of the Midwest, it may be challenging to find brick cheese at a reasonable price, especially in the southern and western states. However, substitutes such as white Muenster or Monterey Jack cheese can be used in its place, as they share similar qualities that make brick cheese ideal for Detroit-style pizza.
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It's mild, sweet, and melts well
Brick cheese is a semi-hard cheese with an ivory to pale yellow colour and an orange-hued rind. It is made in Wisconsin, where the process for making it resembles the method of making cheddar cheese. The cheese is formed by heating raw milk to 162°F, which pasteurizes it, and then cooling it to around 90°F before adding a starter culture of bacteria to begin fermentation. After curdling the milk, the curds are cooked and cut into cubes, then moulded into bricks and soaked in a brine solution. Finally, the bricks are washed with a whey and brine solution containing bacteria and aged for several weeks.
Young brick cheese has a sweet, mild, and earthy flavour, and melts and slices well, making it perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, polenta, and, of course, pizza. When melted, it crisps up beautifully and has a buttery taste. Its mildness also makes it a good complement to stronger cheeses like mozzarella, and it is the preferred cheese for making Detroit-style pizza.
Outside of the Midwest, brick cheese can be hard to find and expensive. However, it is available from some online retailers and specialty food stores. It should be wrapped in wax paper or parchment and stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a few weeks.
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Frequently asked questions
Brick cheese is a semi-hard Wisconsin-made cheese with an ivory to pale yellow colour and an orange-hued rind. It is made by heating raw milk to 162°F to pasteurize it, then cooling it to around 90°F before adding a starter culture of bacteria to begin fermentation. It is then cut into cubes, moulded, and soaked in a brine solution before being transferred to an ageing room.
Younger versions of brick cheese have a sweet, mild, and earthy flavour, while more aged varieties have a nuttier, tangier flavour and a stronger aroma. It is said to be similar to a mild cheddar/jack hybrid with a buttery taste.
Brick cheese slices and melts well, making it an excellent cheese to use for pizza. It is the preferred cheese for making Detroit-style pizza, often blended with mozzarella.
