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How to Make Feta Cheese From Scratch with Cow or Goat Milk

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Savor the rich, creamy texture of homemade feta. Learn how to make feta cheese from scratch. Aged to tangy perfection, it’s a delightful addition to salads, pastas, and your favorite dishes.

Ingredients

Optional Brine Ingredients

  • Peppercorns
  • rosemary
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Basil
  • thyme
  • Minced garlic

Instructions

  1. You will see a lot of gently stir directions in this recipe, that means stir slowly and avoid making bubbles.
  2. Heat one gallon of milk over low heat to 86° F (30° C).
  3. While waiting for your milk to heat, add 1/2 teaspoon lipase to 1/4 cup filtered water, stir to dissolve.
  4. When the milk reaches 86° F (30° C) turn off the heat, and gently stir in the lipase mixture; stir for 30 seconds.
  5. Sprinkle 1 packet of feta cheese cultures over the top of the milk, then gently stir the cultures into the milk for 1 minute.
  6. Place a lid on the pot then wrap the pot in a warm towel or blanket to maintain a warm temperature. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 2 hours.
  7. After 2 hours, dilute 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet in 2 tablespoons of filtered water.
  8. Add the diluted rennet to the milk mixture and stir with a very gentle up and down motion for no more than 30 seconds.
  9. Place the lid back on the pot and then wrap the pot in a warm towel or blanket to maintain a warm temperature.
  10. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 1 hour.
  11. After 1 hour, check for a clean break— slice the curd once and pull it back a little with the knife. You should see whey fill the crack and your knife should be clean. If you do not have a clean break yet, let it sit for 30 more minutes then check again.
  12. Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes, then let them heal for five minutes.
  13. Gently and slowly, stir the curds all the way through for five minutes, then rest for 20 minutes. Then repeat once more (stir gently for 5 minutes, rest for 20 minutes).
  14. Line a colander with butter muslin, making sure you have enough cloth draped to tie the ends together. Gently drain the curds into the cloth lined colander (place a large pot under the colander to reserve the whey, you will need it to make the brine).
  15. Tie the butter muslin with the cheese curds inside to make a pouch. Hang the pouch of cheese to drain for 16 hours.
  16. The next day, (with clean hands) unwrap the cheese from the cloth and cut it into cubes. Go ahead and place a clean colander over a bowl and drape the butter muslin over the colander.
  17. Gently toss the cheese in 15 grams of sea salt, coating all the cheese in salt.
  18. Place the salted cheese cubes in the butter muslin lined colander. Fold the cloth over the cheese and place it in the fridge to drain and age for 72 hours.
  19. After 72 hours, make the 8% salt brine— in a pot, heat 550 milliliters of whey, 50 milliliters lemon juice, and 50 grams of sea salt. Bring to a boil.
  20. While boiling add the optional herbs. The amount is up to you, the more you add the stronger the flavor. It doesn’t take much to add some herbaceous flavor to the cheese, so start small. After adding the herbs simmer for about 10 minutes.
  21. Allow the brine to cool completely to room temperature.
  22. Take the cheese out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. The cheese and brine must be the same temperature.
  23. Add the cheese to a quart mason jar and pour the brine over the cheese so it’s completely covered.
  24. Put a lid on the jar and place it in the fridge for 24 hours before enjoying it.
  25. Keep the cheese in the brine and keep it refrigerated.

Notes

  • You can use store-bought milk or farm-fresh milk. If using store-bought, use 2% or whole milk that is low-temp pasteurized, and non-homogenized. While it is possible to use homogenized milk I do not recommend it. I use Kalona Supernatural brand milk.
  • You can also use fresh raw milk in this recipe, but if you do, you should age the cheese in the brine in the fridge for about 2 months before eating.
  • Use cow, goat, or sheep milk in this recipe. A mix of milk works great too.

Find it online: https://cultured.guru/blog/how-to-make-feta-cheese-from-scratch-with-cow-or-goat-milk