Fresh Cultured Cheese

If you've never made cheese before, but have been curious to try, I have a recommendation for you - try a culture-ripened fresh cheese. They are soft & spreadable and are adaptable enough to serve plain or adorned with herbs & other flavors. They require minimal gear & ingredients and are pretty straight forward once you understand the basics. One of the basics is to start with very clean tools and work area. Milk is an ideal medium to grow bacteria - some of which make cheese taste great and others of which may not be so agreeable with our taste buds nor our health. By sterilizing tools, using clean towels, and washing hands frequently you can reduce contamination by unwanted bacteria and have consistent cheese making results. This especially becomes important when making aged cheeses where a stray organism could ruin your long awaited cheese. Another basic is choosing appropriate milk. Avoid ultrapasturized milk - the high heat used in this process damages the protein and thus interferes with the cheese making process. We live in dairy country (Humboldt County, California) and are fortunate to have access to great quality milk. My favorites for this cheese are Humboldt Creamery Whole Milk and Borges Family Creamery Organic Cream-Top milk. To improve yields, try mixing in diluted liquid calcium chloride to pasteurized milk, you’ll do this just before the rennet step. The following recipe is one that I use often. I like it because I can use goat or cow milk and if I choose to make it with cow’s milk, I can make it with skim on up to whole milk. One of the nutritious by-products of cheesemaking is whey. You can collect the whey and cook or bake with it. I have a friend that uses it to make lemonade. Cats, dogs & chickens like whey too.

Download Recipe for Fresh Cultured Cheese

Here is equipment you will need:

6-8 qt non-reactive sauce pan with a lid (minimum size – you can go bigger)
Thermometer
Long handled stirring spoon (not wooden)
Measuring spoons
Ladle
2 cups or 2 bowls that can hold at least 1/4 cup of liquid (for dilutions)
Clean butter muslin or a tightly woven, non terrycloth towel (about 1-yard length)
Colander or strainer
Large bowl - 1 gallon or larger capacity to catch whey
A place to hang curds to drain

Recipe for Fresh Cultured Cheese

1 gallon of goat or cow milk

½ tsp. liquid calcium chloride in 2 tablespoons distilled water (optional, but you’ll improve your yield when using pasteurized milk)

1/4 teaspoon direct set mesothermic*mesophilic culture (Flora Danica is exceptionally good – read package directions for dosage recommendations) *Correction - mesothermic should be mesophilic...it was my mistake and I apologize for the confusion.

2 teaspoons weak rennet solution (this must be prepared fresh by dissolving 1/4 rennet tablet in 4 tablespoons cold distilled water or 1 drop liquid rennet in 2 tablespoons cold distilled water; Discard any unused portion because it doesn’t keep.)

Kosher or pickling salt to taste

Process

1. Sterilize all your equipment - this can be done by boiling in water for 10 minutes or by briefly soaking in a dilute bleach solution (2 teaspoons beach in 1 gallon of water) and air-drying.

2. Prepare a work station with all the sterilized equipment ready to use. I like to place everything on a clean towel within reaching distance of the stove.

3. Pour milk into the clean sauce pan and gently warm it to 86°F, using medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove from heat and sprinkle culture on milk. Let culture hydrate for about 5 minutes and stir in.

5. Add diluted calcium chloride (if using) and stir briefly to combine.

6. Add 2 teaspoons weak rennet solution and stir gently in an up & down motion for about 1 minute...avoid stirring longer than this because the rennet will not set up properly.

7. Cover and let sit at room temperature undisturbed for 12-16 hours, or until a solid curd forms - this could look like soft custard floating in whey.

8. Set a colander or strainer lined with a double layer of butter muslin over a large bowl and gently ladle curd into it. Let whey drain 10-20 minutes then gather ends of muslin together to form a draining bag. Hang bag of cheese over a sink or bowl to drain for 4-6 hours. The longer it drains, the firmer it gets . Keep in mind that as the cheese stands in the refrigerator it will firm up even more.
Hanging to drain from wooden spoon Hanging from a wooden spoon to drain

Hanging from cabinet knob to drain

9. In a medium sized bowl, or stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix cheese with salt to taste. (I like about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt). Place cheese in a covered storage container and keep refrigerated. It keeps about 10-14 days salted, a few days less if unsalted.

Yield: 2.25-2.5 lbs cheese (drained 4 hours and using whole milk & calcium chloride)