Things You'll Need:
- 1 tablespoon of fresh yogurt
- 1 gallon of fresh goat milk
- 1/2 tablet of rennet
- 1/4 cup of water
- Long-bladed knife
- Table salt
- Wide-mouth jar
- 1-gallon (or larger) pot with a lid
- Strainer
- Two sterile handkerchiefs
- Bowl
- Cheese mold (cut the ends off a 4"x5" smooth-sided tin can and save one of the cut ends)
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Step 1
Warm the goat's milk to 86 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring regularly so that the goat's milk is not burned on the bottom of the pot.
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Step 2
Mix 1 tbsp. of yogurt with 1 tbsp. of cool goat's milk. Then take that mixture and add it to the warmed goat's milk. This will inoculate the goat's milk.
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Step 3
Cover the goat's milk and let it sit at room temperature for one hour.
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Step 4
While the goat's milk is sitting, dissolve 1/2 tablet of rennet into 1/4 cup of cool water.
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Step 5
When the goat's milk is done sitting, thoroughly mix in the dissolved rennet.
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Step 6
Let the renneted and inoculated milk sit covered overnight at room temperature.
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Step 7
The next morning, check to make sure the goat's milk has gelled. Make sure there is a clean break from the whey and the goat's milk.
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Step 8
Cut the goat's milk, which is now curd, just as you would a basic cheese. The way to do this is to start at one side and cut straight down until the knife hits the bottomof the pot. Make the next cut about 1/2" away from the first one, making it parallel but slightly sloping at the same time. The sliced curd should be wider at the bottom than the top. Repeat this process, increasing the angle a little with each cut, so that the curd is in 1/2" cubes.
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Step 9
Make sure your hand and arm are very clean. Reach to the bottom of the pot and gently lift the curd cubes so that you can stir them. If you find any larger pieces, make sure they are cut into 1/2" cubes like the rest.
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Step 10
Let the cubes of curd sit for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the curd is a bit contracted.
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Step 11
Line the strainer with one of the handkerchiefs. Strain the whey out of the curds by letting the curds sit in the handkerchief. However, be sure to save the whey for brine.
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Step 12
Let the curds continue to drain in the handkerchief for two to four hours, until no more whey is draining out of it. The curds can be drained in the refrigerator, or at room temperature.
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Step 13
Take the curds and place them in a bowl. Break up the curds by mixing in 1/2 tbsp. of salt.
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Step 14
Take the cheese mold you set aside earlier and line it with the other handkerchief. Place the curds inside and wrap the ends of the handkerchief over the top to act as a cover. Place some sort of a weight over the cheese mold and let it sit overnight to set.
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Step 15
While the cheese mold is setting, you must now prepare the brine. What you want to make is pickling whey brine, which is 12.5 percent salt. In more specific terms, that is 20 oz.. of whey mixed in with 5 tbsp. of salt. Stir it all together until it dissolves. To prevent the cheese from melting on the surface, it is very important that you make sure the brine is acidic.
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Step 16
After the cheese has set in its mold, take the cheese and cut it into 1" cubes. Places all of the cubes into a wide-mouth jar. Pour in the brine and make sure that the subes are almost completely submerged. With time, the cheese will actually become drier. Before use, make sure that you rinse off any excess salt.
