Author Topic: My First Feta - Brine Question  (Read 3261 times)

TheFinalWord

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My First Feta - Brine Question
« on: December 16, 2014, 12:39:03 PM »
I've completed my first feta (my first cheese) and I have a question about brining.  The recipe I followed is from Mary Jane Toth which can be found at http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/the-farmyard/cheese-making/make-feta/.

I followed the directions and put around 3tbsp of cheese salt on the feta while flipping.

What I'm not sure of is how much salt I should now add as part of the brine.  I don't want it to be too salty and because I've already added salt, should I use a less salty brine?  Any suggestions on % would be appreciated.  I plan to use some of the whey for the brine to keep the pH consistent. 

Also, when do I place it in brine?  Do I do it now (I've just put it in the fridge) or do I do it after the 5-7 days of aging recommended in the recipe?

Offline scasnerkay

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Re: My First Feta - Brine Question
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2014, 02:03:35 AM »
I just had a look at her recipe. I have not tried that approach before. I add salt to my feta with a saturated brine instead, and then take the cheese out of the brine and put it on a mat in the cave to stabilize for 2 days. During that 2 days the salt is moving into the cheese and it firms up. I keep the whey in the house frig during this time. After the 2 days I put it into a light brine (8%) made from the whey. It is ready to eat in about 1 week. But it is still good 6 months later! So if the cheese is in your home frig, I would say you could let it rest 5 to 7 days as instructed. Try the cheese at that point - it should be tasty! Then put the rest in light brine for longer storage. I hope the whey from making the cheese has been kept in the frig as well!
I am making feta today too!
Susan

TheFinalWord

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Re: My First Feta - Brine Question
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2014, 03:15:07 AM »
Thank you for the response.  The whey was kept covered at room temperature for about 24hrs and then placed in mason jars and put into the fridge.  Will this pose a problem? 
Assuming it is OK to use the whey as part of the brine, I think I will do what you suggest and place it in a lighter brine after letting it rest in the fridge.

Offline scasnerkay

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Re: My First Feta - Brine Question
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2014, 11:09:39 PM »
You could try tasting the whey and see if it is too sour or okay! I think it will be okay.
Susan

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Re: My First Feta - Brine Question
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2015, 07:17:09 PM »
I haven't been keeping up with the Forum as much as I like lately (my goat herd keeps me pretty busy, along with making cheese!), but I'd like to contribute my recipe for Feta with details about the 2 kinds of brine I use.  I make my feta with goat's milk--which is very mild in flavor due to the breed I have and their diet.  I have also made it with store-bought cow's milk, both using whole milk and a combo of whole and 2%.  For both kinds of milk I use lipase added to get the distinctive 'feta' flavor, which is mostly from the traditional use of sheep's milk (or a combo of sheep and goat) in Greece.

Yield:  per gallon of cow’s, goat’s or combination milk, ~1 lb + a couple of ounces of cheese (better than 10% yield)

4 gallons milk
¼ tsp MM100
¼ tsp lipase (your choice on whether to try kid or lamb lipase)
¾ tsp CaCl2 (essential for pasteurized milk, goat milk whether pasteurized or not, and if you are going to store in brine)
½ + 1/8 tsp single strength rennet (kid, lamb or veal/calf) if using goat’s milk and ¾ tsp if using cow’s milk
Saturated brine (2.5 lb salt per gallon water/whey) with ½ tsp CaCl2 solution.  The calcium chloride ‘firms’ the milk and cheese structure and will help prevent the cheese breaking down in storage brine, if used.
Storage brine = a light brine (13% salt); to 1 gallon boiled water (or distilled water – even better 3 qts water + 1 qt feta whey), add 13 oz kosher salt and ½ tsp CaCl2 solution

Heat milk in a waterbath to 86°F for goat milk, 88°F for cow milk, gradually over a 20 min. period, stirring occasionally.  When target temperature is reached, sprinkle culture and lipase over the milk surface and cover pot to allow hydration, for 5 min.

Stir gently, up and down, 20 strokes with cheese ladle.  Ripen for 60 minutes, maintaining temperature.  Leaving the pot in the waterbath may increase the heat, so either remove the cheese milk from the waterbath or add cool water to the bath.

Mix CaCl2 with ¼-1/2 cup of lukewarm water and stir into cheese milk as with the culture.

Mix rennet with ¼-1/2 cup of lukewarm water and stir in.

Cover and let rest until clean break (CB), which may be 30-60 min, depending on milk used (species, stage in lactation)

Cut curd into ½” cubes and let rest 5 min to heal cut curd

Very gently stir while reheating to 86-88°F (goat and cow milk, respectively), if curd temperature has declined.  Stirring (with or without heating) firms the curd and encourages whey drainage.  Do not stir too vigorously or the cheese will be rubbery.  Total time of stirring (off and on) = 45 min.  Allow curd to rest for 10 min.

Remove whey to curd level and drain in cheesecloth hanging (this speeds drainage) for a ‘rustic’ formed cheese that can be cut into large cubes, or in square molds (with or without cheesecloth).  If using molds, these may be stacked 2-3 high, rotating order of molds in the stack at every flipping .of the cheeses.  This presses the cheeses, much like hanging.  Ripen the cheese at room temperature to develop acidity (won’t occur in the refrigerator), but preferably not above 78°F.  The acidity will help the cheese maintain its shape in the brine

Flip the cheese after 10-15 min for even whey drainage, then again at 30 min and 1 hour.  Drain 24 hours at room temp to develop acidity.  If hanging to drain, flip at 30 min. and 1 hour for the first 2 hours.

Remove cheese from mold(s) or cheese hung in cheesecloth.

Brine in the saturated brine for 8 hr per 1# of final weight, flipping halfway through and salting the exposed surface.

Air-dry the brined cheese at 50-55 °F for 1-3 days, turning daily.  Store in ‘storage brine’ in the refrigerator.

Any very open mold like the square ones would be fine (e.g. ricotta mould) and stacking types work well.


before goats, store bought milk = chevre & feta, with goats, infinite possibilities, goatie love, lotta work cleaning out the barn!