Feta Cheese Recipe #3

[Cheese Head]

Note, may be too salty for some people . . .

INGREDIENTS

• 2 US gallons Goat Milk
• 1 packet Mesophilic Culture
• 1/4 tsp. Lipase Powder
• Rennet of your choice and amount as per directions or your experience
• Kosher or Sea Salt
• Brine: 1/2 cup Kosher or Sea Salt per 1/2 US gallon of water (boiled and cooled to below room temp) + if want ½ tsp Calcium Citrate to prevent the feta from crumbling in the brine

DIRECTIONS

• Heat milk to 145 F and hold for 30 minutes.
• Cool in ice water bath to 86 F.
• Add culture and Lipase Powder and allow to rest at 86 F for one hour.
• Dilute rennet in 1/2 cup water, add to milk and set aside for 45-60 minutes to set.
• When get clean break, cut curd in 1/2 in/1 cm cubes, allow to rest ten minutes.
• Stir every ten minutes and hold at 86 F for 45 minutes.
• Pour off as much whey as possible into clean jars.
• Drain curds in cheesecloth lined colander, then hang for 3-4 hours.
• Flip curd wet side down and re-hang.
• Place cheesecloth wrapped ball of feta in bowl in fridge overnight.
• Gently cut feta ball into large cubes, salt gently with salt and place in sealed container in fridge for one week.
• Make and cool brine in gallon jug. After feta has aged one week, gently put cubes of cheese in brine and store refrigerated.

[DaggerDoggie]

It sounds good.  I may have to try this next.  I have found a source for raw goats milk and it's something that I could finally eat fairly quickly.

[Tea]

If the feta is too salty, just soak in milk for upto an hour before eating.

Must say that this recipe is completely different to the one that i use.  Must try it sometime and see what the difference is.

Tracey

[Cheese Head]

Feel free to post your frequently used one and let us know which you prefer . . .

[Tea]

Thought I might try this recipe and see what the difference is between this and the recipe that I usually use.
Noted with interest though, there is the addition of calcium citrate to prevent fetta from crumbling in brine.  This addition seems optional, and I am wondering if maybe this is what everyone is experiencing.
Will have to look this up as I haven't come across it before, and I think two control batches would need to be made before any comparisons could be concluded.

On second thoughts, I think that I will wait to get the calcium first before giving this a go.  Then I will make them both from the same batch of milk, same conditions, everything, and see what the difference is.