I just experimented making feta with Jersey milk and I am finding it to be somewhat less firm than my goat feta. I realize there is more fat so I kept it in its whey (while stirring) longer than the goat version so as to firm up the curd somewhat. My finished product remains somewhat soft. Any suggestions.
How long are you letting it set before putting it in the brine to age?
It sits out about 3 days. The pH is around 4.6 4.7 before it goes in the brine.
Gosh, I have a few suggestions which would be totally subjective to the make. Could you tell me a little more about your recipe, and your equipment (are you making in a large vat, or homemaking in a stockpot?).
I used 10 gallons of milk this time, and made two nice sized wheels of cheese, I would guess around 8 lbs. each. I ussually don't make large quantities, but my neighbor is away, and I'm milking her cow in the interim. I made the identical size at least twice this summer with goat milk and it firmed up very nice. This time around, I also put a 2 lb weight on the cheese on the 2nd day for a few hours to help with expeling of more whey. Perhaps feta is not meant to be of Jersey milk.
I was thinking perhaps you could try cutting the curd smaller. Of course you could also skim the cream off.
I'll try the cut variation that with the next batch, I'd hate to remove that beautiful Jersey cream. thank you for your advice smilingcalico.
The feta that I have made has been from store-bought milk but has been, according to my taste testers, nothing short of excellent. I used a recipe/technique based on the one from Fiasco Farms. Some learning experiences that really turned it around:
1) Warn everyone in the house that the smell is SUPPOSED to be there.
2) Calcium Chloride not only in the milk (and again, I used store bought milk), but in the brine will help everything achieve the end texture you want.
3) Dry salt the wheels after draining and let them sit for 2-3 days to firm up before going into the brine.
Hope this helps... I'm still VERY amateur at this...
-Michael
I made feta from my Jersey cow's milk this summer. It is very firm and nice and we're still eating it. I don't recall if I skimmed the milk ornot, though. I like cheeses that I can use skim milk for, so that I can make more butter.