Feta Recipe

Chris Banker, 7/16/2024

Ingredients:

  • 3 gallons milk
    • Not ultra-pasteurized
    • Ideally sheep or sheep + goat
    • Goat, cow, or mixed are all ok
  • 1 tsp Calcium Chloride (if using storebought milk)
  • ¼ tsp Feta MT1 culture
  • ⅛ tsp Lipase 400 (Sharp), optional up to ¼ tsp
  • ½ tsp animal rennet (or equivalent vegetable)
  • Salt for brines

 

Instructions:

  1. Heat 3 gallons of milk slowly to 93F
  2. Mix in 1 tsp calcium chloride, if needed
  3. Sprinkle ¼ tsp feta culture and allow to hydrate for 5 minutes
  4. Gently stir in culture
  5. Allow 40 minutes to acidify, maintaining 93F
  6. Stir in lipase diluted in filtered water, if using
    1. Lipase is optional and can be used at up to ¼ tsp
  7. Gently stir in ½ tsp rennet, diluted in filtered water, about 25 gentle up and down strokes
  8. Allow 45 minutes to coagulate, check for a clean break before moving on
  9. Cut the curd to ½” in a vertical grid, and in slices from top to bottom
  10. Stir the curd gently for 20 minutes
    1. Initially, slowly move the whole mass around, whey is expelled as the curds bump into each other
    2. As a larger gaps form, gently move the curds around
  11. Allow curds to settle for 10 minutes
  12. Scoop out whey to close to curd level, using a mesh strainer and ladle
  13. Scoop curds into rectangular or round cheese forms, lining with cheesecloth if necessary
  14. Allow to drain under their own weight, optionally stacking forms
  15. Flip often, every 15-30 minutes initially and then every few hours
  16. Drain for 12-24 hours or until a semi-firm block has been formed
  17. Make at least ½ gallon saturated brine
    1. Add 1 tsp calcium chloride to prevent leaching of calcium from cheese
  18. Brine for 4-6 hours at 50-55F, if possible, or room temperature
    1. Note: brining time will depend on size of cheese wheels and desired salt level
  19. Remove from brine and air-dry at 50-55F, if possible, or room temperature
  20. Air dry for 2-3 days, flipping at least twice a day
  21. Make a 7% storage brine (70 grams of salt per liter)
    1. Add calcium chloride to avoid deterioration of cheese surface
  22. Store blocks of cheese in the storage brine at 50-55F, if possible, or fridge temperature
    1. Store for up to a year

 

Tips:

  • Feta is made as a basic semi-firm cheese, but is not typically pressed. At most, stack your forms, but no need to use a press.
  • Traditionally brined, but can be dry salted
  • Ideally brined at 50-55F, but fridge temp is ok
  • Use calcium chloride in brines to keep cheese intact. If the exterior of the cheese gets soft and slimy, it is usually due to the lack of calcium in the brine pulling calcium from the cheese and weakening it.
  • Lipase can be used in differing amounts to add more intense flavor to milder milks. Typical amounts range from 1/8 to 1/4 tsp for this recipe.
  • Don’t forget to use your whey for ricotta – heat to about 190, add a bit of vinegar if it doesn’t form by then