Cottage cheese is fresh cheese. It is not pressed or ripened like most cheeses. It is an awesome cheese to make for beginners in cheese making. As its name says, even a cottager can make it. However, you would need a good lactic acid bacteria to make a stunning quality cottage cheese- one that is soft and creamy, tasting it will take you to cheese heaven. Here’s a recipe for cottage cheese.

Yield

453 g

Aging

none

Ingredients

 Whole Cow’s Milk (4 liters)- You can also use goat’s milk

1/8 tsp Bioprox M265 Mesophilic Starter Culture or Bioprox M272 Mesophilic Starter Culture

1/4 tsp liquid animal rennet

¼ tsp Calcium Chloride (dilute in ¼ cup water)

Equipment

large pot

thermometer

curd knife/ curd cutter

ladle or spoon for stirring

colander

cheese cloth/ butter muslin

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put the stove on the lowest heat and heat the milk until 22⁰ C. Another way to control the temperature is by putting your pot in a larger pot and with very warm water. Stir the milk continuously to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot.
2. Add the calcium chloride solution. Stir well.
3. Sprinkle the mesophilic starter culture. Let it rehydrate for 2 minutes before stirring the milk in an up and down motion.
4. Add the rennet and stir the milk for a minute.
5. Let the milk sit for 5 to 8 hours or longer until the curds have properly set. You’ll the curds are ready when they shrink away from the sides of the pan, and you get a clean break when you cut it.
6. Cut the curds into ½-inch cubes using a curd cutter/ knife.
7. Gently stir the curds for 10 minutes.
8. Slowly heat the curds until the temperature reaches 46⁰ C. Increase the heat slowly adding 1 to 2⁰ C every 5 minutes. Do this for 60 to 90 minutes. The curds should be firm with a bit of resistance when pressed after 90 minutes.
9. Line the colander with cloth and drain the curds well.
10. Add salt, fresh herbs and your favorite spices and enjoy!
11. You can pack the rest of your cheese in a sanitized container and refrigerate it.