Best Homemade Feta Cheese Recipes

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HOMEMADE FETA CHEESE



Homemade Feta Cheese image

If you love making homemade cheese, try your hand at feta. The results are well worth the effort. Use goat or cow milk, or even a mixture of both. To serve, remove from brine and allow the cheese to air-dry before serving.

Provided by ChefJackie

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     Greek

Time 14h58m

Yield 16

Number Of Ingredients 9

½ cup water, divided
1/2 teaspoon calcium chloride
1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet
1 gallon whole milk
1/4 teaspoon feta MT1 cheese culture
8 cups water
5 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon calcium chloride
¼ teaspoon white vinegar

Steps:

  • Combine 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon calcium chloride in a small bowl; mix well.
  • Combine 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon rennet in another small bowl; mix well.
  • Pour milk into a double boiler set over medium-low heat. Heat milk until it registers 86 degrees F (30 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer. Sprinkle cheese culture on the surface. Allow to dissolve without stirring for a few minutes, then stir well. Cover and keep at 86 degrees F (30 degrees C) for 1 hour.
  • Pour calcium chloride mixture into the milk; stir for 1 minute. Add rennet mixture; stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until milk sets into curd, about 1 hour. Press edge of the curd gently with a palette knife or the back of a spoon to check for firmness.
  • Cut curd all the way to the bottom of the pot into 1-inch squares. Stir gently with a rubber spatula. Let rest, 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Stir curds, maintaining temperature at 86 degrees F (30 degrees C), until they sink to the bottom of the pot, about 20 minutes. Scoop out liquid (whey) with a ladle and discard or reserve for another use.
  • Line 2 basket-style molds with damp cheesecloth. Ladle curds into the molds with a slotted spoon and cover with ends of cheesecloth. Place one mold on top of the other, pressing lightly. Let drain, switching the molds and stirring curds a few times, until cheese is firm, at least 4 hours.
  • Mix 8 cups water, sea salt, 1 teaspoon calcium chloride, and white vinegar together in a large container to make brine. Submerge cheese in brine and let soak, at least 8 hours and up to 3 weeks.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 121.2 calories, Carbohydrate 11.3 g, Cholesterol 19.4 mg, Fat 4.8 g, Protein 8 g, SaturatedFat 3 g, Sodium 1753.2 mg, Sugar 11.3 g

HOMEMADE FETA CHEESE



Homemade Feta Cheese image

We eat a good bit of Greek food and I like to keep a jar of my Marinated Feta cheese on hand so I decided that I would learn to make it. It is simple and makes you feel so good that you made it yourself.

Provided by Marsha Gardner

Categories     Cheese Appetizers

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 gal goat milk or may substitute sheep or cows milk
1-2 Tbsp fresh yogurt, i use my own but any plain yogurt will do
1/2 tablet rennet junket
1/2 tsp kosher salt
BRINE
reserved whey
5 Tbsp kosher salt

Steps:

  • 1. In a large pot, add milk and bring to 90° over low heat, stirring often. In another bowl, blend yogurt and 1-2 tablespoons milk together and add to large pot. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour (don't peek).
  • 2. Crush rennet tablet, mix in 1/8-1/4 cup water and stir til dissolved. Add to milk and stir thoroughly. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature or til set. Remove lid and with a knife, cut into 1/2 inch squares. With very clean hands, lift the squares from the bottom of the pan. Line a strainer with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth and add squares. Let stand over another pot and drain for 2-4 hours til the whey has drained (reserve the whey if storing in brine). Turn cheese into a bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss gently to mix. Press into a mold or bowl, cover with a clean cloth and weigh down the top. Let stand overnight. Serve as is or store in a brine.
  • 3. BRINE: Mix the whey you drained and enough water to make 20 ounces. Add 5 tablespoons salt and stir to dissolve. Put cheese in a sterilized jar and cover with brine. Let stand, refrigerated, for 2 days. Rinse if cheese is too salty.

HOMEMADE FETA CHEESE



Homemade Feta Cheese image

Cow milk, goat milk or a combination of both may be used. Fresh milk is best (I'm talking FRESH here - like straight from the cow!) but store bought milk works fairly well. I have not tried the buttermilk version. There are numerous internet sources for cheese cultures, and they come in various forms (powder, frozen, etc). I have only used powder cultures from cheesemaking.com. Whatever form your culture is in, you should use the amount recommended for one gallon of milk, and follow any pre-cheesemaking instructions that come with it. This recipe was adapted from several sources and is designed for the beginning cheesemaker with limited access to specialty ingredients and equipment. Cheesemaking is a little tricky, as you are working with live cultures, as with sourdough bread, and a sensitive base - milk. It may take a few tries to get good results.

Provided by Elisa72

Time P4DT1h

Yield 1 pound

Number Of Ingredients 5

1 gallon whole milk, preferably non-homogenized
starter culture, mesophilic or 1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 tablet rennet or 1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet
1/4 cup cool water
salt

Steps:

  • Sterilize all of your equipment before you begin (wash in hot soapy water, rinse well. Spray with a bleach cleanser or soak in water with bleach added, then rinse well again).
  • Heat the milk slowly to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. (You will get better results if the temperature changes are always gradual.).
  • Add starter culture. A pinch of lipase enzyme may be added for more flavor.
  • Stir occasionally for 1 hour, holding the temperature at 90 degrees.
  • If using rennet tablet, crush well. Add the rennet to the 1/4 cup of cool water and stir until well mixed (for liquid rennet) or thoroughly dissolved (for rennet tablet). Add the rennet to the milk and stir for one full minute, then do not touch for 40 minutes or until the milk has coagulated, continuing to hold it at 90 degrees. The milk is ready when a finger or thermometer inserted into the curd at a 45 degree angle will separate the curd firmly and cleanly.
  • Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes. (Using a knife, make cuts all the way through the curd 1/2 inch apart, first in one direction, then perpendicular to the first cuts. Then, holding your knife at a 45 degree angle, do your best to make another series of 1/2 cuts. They need not be perfect - your goal is pieces of fairly uniform size.) Do not stir!
  • Let rest for 10 minutes, then stir gently. Cut any large pieces in half. Continue to stir gently about every ten minutes for another 1 to 2 hours, continuing to hold at 90 degrees, until the curds have shrunk to about 1/4 their original size.
  • Ladle curds and whey into Feta molds or a colander lined with coarse cheesecloth (which has been sterilized). The whey will drain out and the cheese will stay in the mold.
  • Leave overnight in a cool place to drain. The cheese will shrink down.
  • Take the cheese out of the mold and cut into 2-3 inch pieces.
  • Using coarse salt, generously salt all sides of pieces.
  • Leave at room temperature for a full day turning the pieces every once in a while.
  • Place the pieces UNCOVERED, on a wooden board in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. They will continue to drain whey.
  • Store your cheese in a brine solution made with 1/2 cup salt (Kosher, if possible) per 1/2 gallon of water (boiled and cooled to below room temperature), using just enough to cover the cheese. Let it age 1 to 4 weeks to develop flavor. Stored in brine in the refrigerator it will stay good for months, but the flavor will continue to get sharper.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 2342.4, Fat 126.9, SaturatedFat 72.8, Cholesterol 390.4, Sodium 1562.8, Carbohydrate 176.5, Sugar 205.3, Protein 125.7

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