No rennet or other ingredients are needed. This is the traditional way of making feta cheese as our ancestors did. Many traditional ways of growing food, cooking, and preserving food are getting lost and I think it is super important to re-introduce it to those interested. If you want to be more self-sufficient, this is the recipe you want to know.
Traditional Feta Cheese Recipe – Using Milk Only – No Additives
Firstly, pots, baskets, utensils, and cheesecloth must be super clean and rinsed with boiling water. Your hands and the surroundings must be super clean, too. When you have done this part, we can start making cheese.
- Let the raw milk go sour/ferment for 1-2 days in a pot with a lid out of sunlight at room temperature until it gets “solid” so you can cut it with a knife.
- Cut the sour milk into small cubes with a long knife diagonally, and at an angle from both sides while warming it up to ~42ยฐC. Stir gently with a wooden spoon in between to bring the lower parts of the milk up so it warms up evenly.
- Take it off the heat and let it sit for about 45 minutes.
- Move the curd into cloth lines baskets. Fill the baskets at least up to about 80-90% of the volume as it will shrink later. Let the curd drain on the spoon with holes before placing it in the basket. Yes, it takes a while but this step is important so invest some time here. You won’t be able to get all the curds out of the pot with the perforated spoon. *I usually drain the remaining through a cheesecloth in a colander to make ricotta from the small bits.* Keep the whey for later use.
- Apply some weight to drain it properly. I usually place a jar with water on top. The more weight you apply, the harder your cheese will be at the end. You will find out how you like it after a couple of times making feta. Experience is the best teacher! Keep the whey. After about half an hour, remove the cheesecloth and place the cheese back in the basket. Apply weight and flip the cheese gently a couple of times within the next couple of hours. We want to get rid of the whey as much as we can.
- Store in a sealed container in 8-10% whey brine solution: 8-10 grams salt per 100ml whey. Alternatively, you can also vacuum the cheese together with some brine.
Tip: Make Persian Feta! To do this, take the feta out of the brine, and tap dry with a clean cheesecloth or paper towel. Mix 1:1 good quality olive oil and oil that doesn’t go solid in the fridge. Add dry garlic, dry parsley, or other herbs of your choice. Place the feta in the oil mix, close the container, and place in the fridge for at least a couple of days before digging in. Enjoy!
For the Halloumi recipe, check my post here.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.
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