Recipes - Feta

Feta is a delicious cheese that can be made either with goats' or cows' milk. This recipe requires use of un-homogenized milk. However if you do not have access to un-homogenized, full cream milk. Just add calcium chloride after the milk has been heated to help firm up the curd Feta update 1

Ingredients

• 2L of Whole Non-Homogenized milk
• 1ml of rennet diluted in at least 4l of cooled, boiled water
• Approximately 1/4 a packet of starter culture (Either Mesophilic or Flora Danica) I recommend Mesophilic
• Calcium chloride (if using homogenized milk)
• salt for a 12% brine solution (Make 250ml of brine by diluting 5 teaspoons of salt in 250ml of cooled boiled water and adding 1.5ml of vinegar )

Equipment

• Cheese vat (tub)
• Cheese incubator
• 1 Feta mould and brining follower
• Butter Muslin
• Thermometer
• Pipette
• Draining spoon
• Long bladed knife

Method

Step 1 - Sterilizing Equipment 

• Set up a bucket or large container (I generally just use a small basin, fill it with cold water and add the correct amount of sterilization tablets)
• Keep all equipment that will come in contact in said tub. if you use something twice make sure you rinse it then place it back in the tub

Step 2 -  Inoculating the milk

• In the cheese vat bring the milk to 37C. Add calcium chloride if using homogenized milk and then add starter culture
•  Add diluted rennet while stirring the milk
• Let the milk set for 90 minutes at a temperature of 37C in the Cheese Incubator

Step 3 - Cutting the Curd

• Cut the curd into 1.5 cm cubes and leave to rest at 37C for 1 hour

Step 4 - Stirring

• After an hour, gently stir the curd every 5 minutes for the next half hour

Step 5 - Draining and Moulding

• After half and hour of stirring, the curds are ready to be scooped into the feta mould with the draining spoon. At this point you may like to add herbs to the curd in the mould
• Once all the curd have been put into the Feta mould, leave to drain on the sink. After three hours, place a piece of butter muslin over the top of the mould and flip the cheese and mould upside down (this ensures even draining). Leave the cheese on the sink over night to drain.

• Pour the 12% brine solution in the provided Feta mould container. Leave the brine in bring container over night to cool (Leaving it to cool over night is not an important step, and it is OK if you leave it out)

Step 6 - Salting

• In the morning (or when ready) put the Feta and Feta mould into the Feta brining container filled with the brine solution put the lid on and refrigerate
• Feta should be ready to eat after it has soaked in the brine for at least five hours.