Easy recipes for the beginner

Feta recipe from Cheese Please by Tracey Johnson

4 Litres of Pasteurized milk (non UHT)

1/8 Tsp MO starter culture (see below for other options)

1/4 Tsp Calcium Chloride (if not using raw milk)

1/4 Tsp Rennet

Heat the milk to 31c (88f) and mix the calcium chloride into a 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water, add this to the milk. Sprinkle over the starter culture, if you do not have MO any mesophilic or thermophilic culture will work for this recipe. You can also use 1/4 cup plain yoghurt or cultured buttermilk. Pick one. 

If using powdered culture let it rehydrate for a few minutes then stir in well and leave to ripen for 45 minutes. The milk should hold its temperature no need to keep heating it. 

After 45 minutes mix the rennet into a 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water and add this to the milk stirring in an up down motion for no more than 45 seconds.  Rennet likes to float which is why we use and up and down stir, also when you are finished stirring you need to still the milk so it doesn't continue to move as this can result in a swirled or even shattered curd. 

After 45 minutes coagulation time check for a clean break. This is done by putting a knife in to the milk and turning it 45 degrees, if there is a cavity underneath you have a clean break, if it remains too liquid to do that wait another 15 minutes. ( If you still don't get a clean break check the temperature and ensure you are not using high temp pasteurized milk.)

Cut the curd into 1/2" cubes and leave to heal for 5 minutes. Then slowly drag your spoon across the bottom of the pot once to disturb the cubes. You don't want to stir at this point as it can break up your curd too fast.

After 5 more minutes begin carefully stirring the curd and check it remains at 31c (88f) you can add heat if it isn't. Stir for 20 minutes, you will notice the curd lose their square shape and become rounded and smaller, thumb nail sized. 

Drain the curd and whey into a cheesecloth lined colander, when it has stopped draining freely gather the corners and create a bag, place a small plate on top and add 5-8lbs weight for 1-2 hours ( depending on how dry and crumbly you would like the feta to be)

Cut the curd mass into 1' cubes and spread it out on a plate to dry salt. I don't brine this cheese because if the brine pH is wrong your cheese will melt and be lost.  I have a full video on my Youtube about how to dry salt this cheese click here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPKvNc7i1cM

Keep at room temperature (covered) for two days salting and flipping the curds until your desired salty flavour is reached. At this point rinse the salt off and store in oil with herbs for marinated feta, or dry and vacuum seal and freeze. 

Total make time : 2hrs 40 mins - 3 hours.

salting/turning up to two days. 

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Thank you to Chera Gunter Renouf for this recipe. 

This recipe is for the home cheese maker and can be reduced to 4 liters of milk using the same amount of ingredients.

This recipe can be doubled in milk volume to 12 liters. Double all ingredients

Please read the recipe first to make sure you are familiar with the steps in making cheese.

You need a cheese mould to press this cheese.

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   6 Litres of  2% milk

   1/8 tsp  LyoPro TAC  starter culture 

    Pinch of Lipase Powder

    ¼ Tsp of Calcium Chloride

    ¼ Tsp Liquid Calf Rennet 

    1 cup Non Iodized salt ( Kosher, pickling , sea salt )​

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Step 1. Heat the milk

  Warm 6 Litres of milk to 33⁰ C in a double boiler set up. 

Dissolve 1/32 Tsp of Lipase powder in  3 Tbsp of (non- chlorinated water) and leave sit on the counter while you go through steps 2 to 3.

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Step 2.  Culture the milk

 Sprinkle 1/8 tsp of the LyoPro TAC starter culture over the top of the milk and wait 5 minutes for  culture to rehydrate. Stir in gently with an up and down motion.

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Step 3.   Letting the milk rest  

Place the lid on top of the pot and wait 15 mins.

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Step 4.   Adding the lipase   

 Now add the lipase powder you dissolved 15 mins ago. Stir in using the up and down motion we call the cheese makers stir.​

Step 5.   Adding the Calcium Chloride 

 Dissolve ¼ tsp of Calcium Chloride in 3 Tbsps. of non-chlorinated water.  Add the Calcium chloride mixture to the milk and stir gently. (cheese makers stir)

​ Bring the milk back to the 33⁰ C if it has cooled and then remove from the heat.

Place the lid back on top of the pot and wait for 45 minutes. (you can wrap your pot with a towel if you think it will drop more than a few degree's in temperature during the 45 minutes) You want to keep the temperature the same if possible

Step 6  Adding the rennet     

 Add ¼ Tsp. of liquid Calf rennet to 3 Tbsp. of non-chlorinated water and add to the milk. Stir the milk for 30 seconds with the up an down motion. You want the milk to stop moving at all after one minute.

 Replace lid on top of the pot and wait 45 minutes.

Step 7     Testing for a clean break

Test for a clean break by cutting a line in the curd. Insert the knife into the line and lift up. You should see the line split in two with clean edges. If you do not see a clean break, leave your curd for another 15 minutes to set. Once a clean break is achieved you can cut the curd.​

Step 8     Cutting the Curds​

Cut the curds ½ cm in width across the pot. Cut curds in the opposite direction so it looks like a checker board.

 Cut the pillars of curd into cubes by sliding your knife in on an angle and cut ½ cm top to bottom as best you can.

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Step 9     Raising the Temperature

 Raise the temperature of the cheese to 38⁰C over 25 minutes and stir gently. Take 10 seconds across the pot on  the first 4 stirs. Go really slowly so you don't break the curd.

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Step 10.   Cutting curds

 Lift curds from the bottom of the pot gently to the top and look for any larger size curds and cut them small. If the curd is  breaking up (getting soupy) stop and wait for another 10 minutes for the curd to firm up.

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Step 11.  Raising the temperature more

   Take the pot out of the double boiler set up and place the pot directly on the element and raise the temperature to  52⁰C over the next 15 minutes.  Continue to stir constantly expelling as much whey from the curds as possible.          

     The curds will become quite small and rubbery.  You can cut up any curds that are larger than the rest by bringing them up on the slotted spoon and cutting them there right on your spoon.

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Step 12.  Let the curds rest

   Take the pot off the element and let the cheese rest for 5 minutes. The curds will sink to the bottom of the pot.

Step 1

You can choose to line the cheese mould with a wet cheesecloth and fill with curds to the top. Or you may choose NOT to use a cheese cloth to line the mould. It is a personal preference. You do not have to use a cheese cloth for Parmesan Cheese but is recommended for beginners. Scoop the curds out of the pot and into the 

 CHEESE MOULD. our (Gouda mould works great for Parmesan too) Fold over the cheese cloth on the top and place the follower on top and press the cheese with 6 kg of weight for 15 minutes.

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Step 2

Remove cheese from the mould gently and unwrap the cheesecloth if you have used one and flip the cheese, rewrap with the same wet cheesecloth and place the cheese back into the mould and press again with 12 kg for 30 minutes.  If you have chosen not to use cheese cloth you simply take the cheese out of the mould, flip it and place back in the mould.

TIP: If the cheese gets stuck in the mould with no cheese cloth , run the mould with cheese in it under warm water and gently tap the mould upside down.

Step 3. 

 Repeat Step 2 but this time press at 20 kg for 8 hrs. 

After the 8 hours remove from press and put in the brine.

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THE BRINE

To make a brine add 250 g or 1 cup of non-iodized salt ( sea salt, kosher salt, pickling salt, Himalayan Salt) to 5 cups or 1.18 litres of non-chlorinated water or whey and put into a baggie or bowl. 

Step 13. Brining the cheese

 Prepare the brine and soak cheese for 8 hrs. at room temp.

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Step 14. Drying the cheese

  Remove the cheese from brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Leave the cheese to dry at room temp on a plastic mat  for 3 to 5 days depending on how big the cheese wheel is. Flip the cheese each day to promote even drying.

 A larger wheel will take more time to dry than a smaller wheel.

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To age the Parmesan Style Cheese

Once the cheese has developed a skin from aging on the counter at room temperature for 3 to 5 days and is dry to the touch, you can choose how you will age your it.

We suggest rubbing the cheese with olive  each day or every second day for the first two weeks. Then vacuum seal 

Store the cheese at 8⁰ C to 11⁰ C. Your fridge crisper will do nicely. You can also use a wine fridge to age all your cheeses.   Age the cheese for 3 months for a small wheels and 9 months to 2 years for larger wheels.  

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Flip the cheese daily for the first two weeks. Then onece a week for the remainder of your aging time. Love your cheese and it will love you back!​

There are many recipes on the internet and in books. They will all differ slightly in one way or another. Some recipes will have more time between adding ingredients, some will have less. .

This Parmesan Recipe is tried and true and the one we use at home all the time. It makes fantastic Parmesan style cheese that everyone will enjoy.