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Feta cheese on plate

Feta Cheese

Creamy, salty, intense crumbles of awesomeness! Let me walk you through making your own Feta cheese at home. You'll never go back to store bought.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 hours 30 minutes
Brining Time 30 days
Total Time 30 days 20 hours 30 minutes
Course Cheese
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 1 pound(ish)
Calories 19041 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cheese

  • 1 gallon milk not ultrapasturized
  • 1 package Feta cheese culture
  • 1/2 tsp liquid rennet if using double strength, use half the amount

Storing

  • 1/3 cup sea salt
  • 1/2 gallon filtered water OR
  • 1/2 gallon olive oil extra virgin

Instructions
 

  • Start by heating the milk to 86 degrees F.
  • Add the milk culture and let hydrate for 2-3 minutes.
  • Stir in the culture well with an up and down motion.
  • Let the milk sit for an hour to culture. I usually remove the pan from the heat, put on the lid, and cover with a beach towel to retain the heat.
  • After an hour, dilute the rennet in 1/4 cup cool filtered water.
  • Mix the rennet into the milk with an up and down motion. Do not over mix.
  • Now, put the lid back on the pot and let it sit undisturbed over night. I put the towel back around it if it's cool in the house.
  • The next morning, the milk should be thick and there should be a layer of whey (clearish liquid) on the top.
  • Now it's time to cut the curds. Using a long knife, make cuts about 1/2 inch apart all the way to the bottom.
  • Now turn the pot and make another set of cuts perpendicular to the first.
  • Now with your knife at a 45 degree angle, cut the curds again. Turn the pot 90 degrees and cut at an angle again. Do that until you have made angled cuts in all 4 directions.
  • Over the next 20 minutes stir the curds gently, cutting any you missed with the spoon so that they are roughly the same size. The curds will shrink a little as they release more whey.
  • Put the butter muslin in a colander in the sink.
  • Pour in the curds and let the whey drain out.
  • After it has drained for about 20 minutes, tie the corners of the cloth together and hang the cheese over a bowl for 24 hours. You can turn the cheese in the cloth to make a smoother top if you want to.
  • After 24 hours, brine the cheese for about 30 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 19041kcalCarbohydrates: 182gProtein: 119gFat: 2016gSaturated Fat: 332gCholesterol: 379mgSodium: 39485mgPotassium: 4997mgSugar: 191gVitamin A: 6132IUCalcium: 4377mgIron: 12mg
Keyword feta
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