Feta Cheese

 

1. Make a brine: 1 gallon of water, 2.5lbs of non-iodized salt
   1 tablespoon of calcium chloride, 1 tsp of white vinegar
   Refrigerate to keep at 52-54F

2. Heat 1 gallon of milk to 93 degrees

3. Sprinkle a package of New England Cheese's buttermilk culture over milk,
   let it sit for 2 minutes, and stir to incorporate

4. Let milk sit for 60 minutes (I put mine in a mild water bath to help hold the temperature)

5. Do a quick stir of the milk, dilute 1/2 tsp of rennet in 1/4 cup of filtered water,
   and incorporate into milk

6. Let it sit for 45 minutes. If you can achieve a clean break on the curd,
   do a grid cut into 1/2 inch squares and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes

7. Over the next 30 minutes, stir the curd occasionally to release more whey

8. Allow curd to stand undisturbed for 10-15 minutes (until it settles to the bottom of the pot)

9. Remove excess whey until there is just a slight layer of whey over curd

10. Line a mold with cheese cloth and ladle your curd into the mold

11. Allow the curd to drain for at least 8 hours at room temperature.
    If possible, turn the mold over a couple of times to promote better drainage

12. When curd is firm enough to hold a cut, cut the curd into 1/2 lb pieces

13. Allow it to continue drying for another 6 -12 hours.

14. Place in a saturated brine for 4 hours. Brine should be refrigerated temperature (50-52 degrees) when cheese is added.

15. Remove from brine, dry cheese and place on rack (in refrigerator) for 3 days. Turn several times a day.  The outside of the cheese should become progressively harder

16. Prepare a storage salt brine of 6-8% (6-8 oz of salt in 3 qts of water will fill a 1 gallon jar to hold this batch), place Feta into a large container with lid and fill with the brine. Make sure the container has minimal head-space to avoid mold development.

17. The feta can be aged in this brine for just a few weeks or up to a year or more at 45-55F. Younger cheese will be milder in flavor.This tends to be a high salt cheese and if the salt is too high for your taste simply soak for several hours (up to a day) in milk before using.