How to Make Organic Cheese at Home

milk

🥗Healthier: low-fat milk

💰Cheaper: powdered milk

Lower calorie option and budget-friendly.

salt

🥗Healthier: sea salt

💰Cheaper: table salt

More natural option and widely available.

Clean and sterilize all equipment that will touch the cheese.

Heat the milk to 90 degrees Fahrenheit by placing the pot in hot water in the sink.

Stir the milk occasionally as it heats to ensure even temperature.

Once the milk reaches 90 degrees Fahrenheit, add the culture and stir thoroughly for 60 seconds.

Cover the pot and let the milk sit for 45 minutes to allow the culture to ripen, maintaining the temperature at 90 degrees.

In a separate bowl, dilute 0.5 teaspoons of liquid rennet in 0.25 cups of cool un-chlorinated water.

After 45 minutes, add the diluted rennet to the milk and stir gently from top to bottom for 1 minute, then top stir for an additional minute.

Cover the pot and let it sit for another 45 minutes, keeping the temperature at 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check the curd for a firm texture with a clean break after 45 minutes.

Cut the curd into half-inch pieces using a long knife, making vertical, horizontal, and angled cuts to form cubes.

Let the curd sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Slowly heat the curd to 100 degrees Fahrenheit by adding hot water from the kettle to the sink water, ensuring the temperature does not change more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit every 5 minutes over about 30 minutes.

Stir continuously as the curds shrink and whey increases.

Once the curd reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit, cover the pot and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Prepare a colander lined with cheesecloth over a bowl to catch the whey, then tie up the cheesecloth and hang it to dry for 1 hour in a warm spot.

After 1 hour, break up the curds with your hands to the size of walnuts and add 1 tablespoon of cheese salt, mixing well.

Pack the curds into a 2-pound mold lined with cheesecloth.

Press the curd at 10 pounds of pressure for 10 minutes, then remove and flip the cheese, pressing again at 20 pounds of pressure for another 10 minutes.

Finally, press the cheese at 50 pounds of pressure for 12 hours.

After pressing, air dry the cheese on a cheese mat at room temperature, flipping it 2-3 times a day until a uniform yellow rind forms.

Once air-dried, wipe the cheese with a vinegar-moistened cloth to prevent mold before waxing.

Heat cheese wax in a double boiler and apply a thin layer of wax to the cheese with a natural bristle brush, adding another layer once the first has dried.

Label the cheese with the date and variety before aging it.

Age the cheese for at least a month in a cool, humid location, aiming for a temperature between 46-60 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity of 75-90%.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Allergens