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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 rennet tablet
• 1/4 cup cool, chlorine-free water
• 1 gallon milk (cow's or goat's, raw or pastuerized, etc.)
• 2 teaspoons citric acid
• Salt, optional

Need: Cooking thermometor

Dissolve the rennet tablet in the water. Warm milk into a non-reactive pot (no aluminum or cast iron) over medium heat. Add the citric acid to the milk and stir continually. Heat milk to 88 degrees F, you will see the milk begin to curdle.

At this point, add the rennet solution and continue stirring slowly until the milk reaches 105 degrees F. Turn off the heat. Large curds will begin to separate from the whey (the clear, greenish liquid).

With a slotted spoon or strainer, collect the curd into a large microwavable bowl. Press the curds gently with your hand and pour off as much whey as possible. Microwave curds for 1 minute, then drain off all the excess whey. Again, gently press curds into a ball until cool (use a spoon if its too hot to the touch). Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each, continuously draining the whey and work cheese into a ball.

When cheese is cool, knead it like bread dough in order to smooth the curds. When you can stretch it like taffy, it is done. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons salt into the cheese while kneading and stretching it. The cheese should become stretchy, smooth and shiny. If it is difficult to stretch and breaks easily, dip it into the hot whey for a few seconds. Continue folding and stretching until the cheese is smooth. Dip in hot whey as needed to make the cheese pliable.

When the cheese is smooth and shiny, it is ready to eat. Shape it into a ball or log, then store in a solution of 2 teaspoons salt to 1 cup water.

Added by: Abbey Racan on 2/17/2010 11:59am


Featured product(s): Cheese,
Background ingredients: Milk, Bread, Raw Milk, Raw Milk Cheese,