How to Make Gouda Cheese From Scratch

Warm 11 gallons of milk to 90°F in a large pot.

Scoop some milk out of the pot and mix it with clabber culture.

Let the clabber culture sit for 5 minutes to rehydrate, then gently incorporate it into the milk with up and down stirring motions.

Dilute the rennet in a little bit of water and add it to the pot, stirring with up and down motions.

Cover the pot and let it sit for 1 hour to coagulate.

Check for a clean break by making a slit in the curds and lifting the edge; if it breaks cleanly, it's ready.

Cut the curds into 1-inch cubes by making vertical and horizontal cuts to form a grid pattern.

Cover the pot and let the curds rest for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, cut the curds into smaller pieces by going underneath the curd mass and cutting gently.

Cover the pot again and let it rest for another 5 minutes.

Stir the curds for 5 minutes, then let them rest for 5 minutes again, repeating this process to achieve a uniform curd size.

Equipment Needed

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