A Taste of Greece; Homemade Feta Cheese
Photo above: Hydra harbor, Greece, 2016
Homemade feta cheese. This is the finished cheese that is shown being made in the photos below.
How to Make Feta Cheese at Home
Fresh homemade Feta cheese with marinated olives and a nice glass of wine, enjoyed out on a sunny patio..... Feta brings home the taste of the Mediterranean. Better yet, it is an easy to make cheese; here's how:
Toggenburg goats at Swiss Frau Farm near Rubicon Wisconsin. I drive over to this farm for the pasteurized goat milk I use for cheese making. It is a lovely farm.
STEP 1: Sterilize the work area and counters where you will be working. Also sterilize all pots, containers and utensils that will come into contact with any ingredients. I use Star-san, but there are many sterilizing products, including diluted bleach, available.
STEP 2: Dilute a 1/4 teaspoon of lipase powder in a 1/4 cup water. Let sit 20 minutes
STEP 2: Dilute a 1/4 teaspoon of lipase powder in a 1/4 cup water. Let sit 20 minutes
STEP 3: Stir the diluted lipase powder into 1 gallon of whole goats milk
STEP 4: Warm over medium heat to 86 degrees, stirring regularly to ensure even heating
STEP 4: Warm over medium heat to 86 degrees, stirring regularly to ensure even heating
STEP 5: Thoroughly stir in 1/4 tsp of Meso B starter, I stir these ingredients in using a large headed perforated stainless steel ladle. Cover and let sit for an hour.
STEP 6: If your milk is pasteurized, which mine is (but not homogenized), then add 1/4tsp of Calcium Chloride diluted in a 1/4 cup of water, stirring it thoroughly into the milk.
STEP 7: Dilute a 1/2tsp of liquid rennet in 1/4 cup water. Thoroughly and gently stir this into the milk. Maintain at 86degrees and let sit for 1 hour.
STEP 8: Slice the curd into 1/2" slabs with a large knife (I use a pastry knife). Let sit for 45 minutes to let whey separate from curds.
STEP 9: Stir gently for 5 minutes, curd slabs will break up.
STEP 10: Line a colander with cheese cloth. Pour the curds and whey into the colander to strain the curds from the whey. Let the curds rest in the colander, draining, for 45 minutes.
STEP 11: Now the cheese will be pressed into a rectangular slab. I use a hardwood cheese press that I made, that you can see in the photos below. If you don't have a press, you could make a basic one by wrapping the curds in cheese cloth, forming them into a rectangular slab, and compress the slab of curds between two plates or boards with something heavy on top.
I line my little press with cheese cloth, press the curds together with my hands into a solid slab, fold the cheese cloth over the top, place the press plate (the board on top) into place, then put a heavy rock on top.
Press for a half hour, carefully remove the cheese, while leaving it in the cheesecloth, flip it over in the press, and press again for 1/2 hour.
I line my little press with cheese cloth, press the curds together with my hands into a solid slab, fold the cheese cloth over the top, place the press plate (the board on top) into place, then put a heavy rock on top.
Press for a half hour, carefully remove the cheese, while leaving it in the cheesecloth, flip it over in the press, and press again for 1/2 hour.
Hardwood paneer cheese press, also works for pressing feta. I drilled the drain holes at a downhill slop so that whey drains freely out of the holes.
Here is the feta cheese block after 30 minutes pressing, it's hard to see but the cheese cloth is there all around the cheese. Flip over the cheese slab, and press for another 30 minutes.
STEP 12: Remove the cheese from the press, lay it on a cutting board, and slice into square pieces
Pressed slab of feta
STEP 13: Sprinkle 1 tbsp of cheese salt over the cubes of feta, being sure to evenly distribute the salt over all the sides
STEP 14: Put in a sealed container and age in the refrigerator for 5 days
STEP 15: At this point you can enjoy your cheese and store it dry in the refrigerator, OR store it in the refrigerator in a brine made from 2 cups water, 2 tbsp cheese salt (or pickling salt) and 1/4 tsp vinegar. Enjoy!!
STEP 14: Put in a sealed container and age in the refrigerator for 5 days
STEP 15: At this point you can enjoy your cheese and store it dry in the refrigerator, OR store it in the refrigerator in a brine made from 2 cups water, 2 tbsp cheese salt (or pickling salt) and 1/4 tsp vinegar. Enjoy!!