Homemade feta cheese

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Homemade feta takes more patience than a fresh acid-set cheese, but the payoff is a brined cheese with depth, salinity and a pleasantly crumbly texture. This style is especially useful if you want to understand draining, salting and maturation in a practical way.

Serves: 10 people

Preparation time: 180 min

Ingredients

• Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized – 4 gallons
• MT1 culture – 1/4 tsp
• Mild or strong lipase, optional – 1/16 tsp
• Single strength liquid rennet – 3/4 tsp
• Cheese salt – as needed
• Calcium chloride, for pasteurized milk – 1/2 tsp
• Calcium chloride, for brine – 2 tbsp
• White vinegar, for brine – 1 tsp

Method

1. Warm the milk, add the culture and optional lipase, and let the milk ripen so it develops the proper feta character.
2. Add calcium chloride if needed, then stir in the diluted rennet and wait for a firm curd.
3. Cut the curd into cubes and let the cut surfaces heal before stirring very gently.
4. Stir and cook lightly just enough to firm the curd, then transfer it to a draining cloth or mold.
5. Allow the cheese to drain thoroughly, turning it as needed so moisture leaves evenly and the body becomes compact.
6. Cut the drained cheese into blocks and salt them on all sides so the surface begins to toughen and season.
7. Prepare the brine with salt, calcium chloride and a small amount of vinegar so the cheese stores properly.
8. Place the feta in brine and let it mature under refrigeration until the flavor becomes tangy, salty and fully developed.