How to Make Gouda Cheese at Home

Sanitize all utensils and pots before starting.

Pour 3 gallons of low-temperature pasteurized, non-homogenized whole milk into a pot.

Heat the milk in a double boiler to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sprinkle 1.5 packs of mesophilic culture over the milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring it in.

Let the milk set for 30 minutes to ripen.

Add 3/4 teaspoon of calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup of non-chlorinated water and stir thoroughly.

Add 3/4 teaspoon of rennet diluted in 1/4 cup of non-chlorinated water and stir for 1 minute, then stop stirring and let it set for 40 minutes.

Cut the curd into half-inch cubes after checking for a good set.

Let the curd sit for 5 minutes to heal.

Gently stir the curds and cut any large pieces for 15 minutes.

Let the curds sink to the bottom for 3-4 minutes before starting the washing process.

Remove about a third of the whey using a strainer, being careful not to remove curds.

Slowly replace the whey with hot water (130 degrees Fahrenheit) over 15 minutes to bring the curds' temperature up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maintain the temperature of the curds at 100 degrees Fahrenheit and stir for another 30 minutes.

Ladle the curds into a mold lined with cheesecloth.

Cover the curds with cheesecloth and add whey back to cover them by about an inch.

Place the mold in a press and add 15 pounds of weight for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the cheese from the press and flip it over, then put it back in the press with the whey for another hour.

After an hour, flip the cheese again and add 50 pounds of weight, leaving it overnight.

The next morning, remove the cheese from the mold and carefully take off the cheesecloth.

Prepare a brine with 2 quarts of water, 1 pound of pickling salt, 2 tablespoons of distilled vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of calcium chloride.

Brine the cheese for 18 hours, flipping it in the brine four times.

Equipment Needed

Allergens