This simple farmhouse soft cheese is so easy and affordable. No special tools required. All you need is a bit of rennet and milk! The result is a spreadable or crumbling cheese similar to chevre.
In its basic form, cheese is milk that has been clabbered, and then drained of whey. Cultured cheese is flavorful. Hard cheese is sliceable.
This particular cheese doesn’t follow any recipe that I’m familiar with. It’s something I decided to make as a zero-waste, affordable soft cheese that my kids could have on their breakfast bagels or spread on toast after school.
However, it’s so simple that I’m certain it’s what farmers have been doing with their excess milk since the start of agriculture. It’s easy, delicious, and filling!
Notes on the recipe
Here are some notes on the recipe, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced cheesemaker:
- All of the flavor in this cheese comes from the culture. I don’t recommend skipping that step. However, feel free to use whatever culture you have available to you. Check out the section below for suggestions.
- There are a number of cheeses that clabber from culture alone. This recipe uses rennet to increase the yield.
- If you don’t have access to unhomogenized milk, I recommend adding calcium chloride, which will also improve the yield.
- This is a very low-fat dry cheese. Feel free to add a bit of cream for a higher-fat cheese.
Cultures
Feel free to use any mesophilic (room-temperature) culture that you want. Here are a few options that I have tested in this recipe. (We make it a lot. My kids really like soft cheese!)
- 1/8 tsp commercial mesophilic culture, like chevre, feta culture, etc.
- 1/4 cup of cultured milk kefir (not flavored)
- 1/4 cup of cultured buttermilk or sour cream
Options for finishing the cheese
The best part of making homemade cheese is that you get to finish it however you want! Here are a few options that we enjoy.
- Creamier: Stir in 2 Tbsp of whipping cream after draining the whey. This will add a smooth, creaminess to the cheese.
- Firmer: For a firmer cheese, let it hang for 24 hours or press it for 12 to 24 hours, flipping halfway through to ensure even pressing.
- Herby cheese: I have a separate recipe for a fancy herb and garlic cheese spread. For a fresh herb cheese, finely dice 1/2 cup of fresh basil, 1/2 cup of chives, and 2 Tbsp of fresh parsley and stir into the cheese.
Farmhouse Soft Cheese
This simple farmhouse soft cheese is so easy and affordable. No special tools needed. All you need is a bit of rennet and milk! The result is a spreadable or crumbling cheese similar to chevre.
- Cook Time: 12 hours
- Total Time: 12 hours
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Cheese
- Method: Cheesemaking
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
- 1 gallon of whole milk
- 1/8 tsp food-grade calcium chloride (optional, but improves yield)
- Mesophilic culture (see section above for amounts and options)
- 1/4 rennet tablet or 1/8 tsp liquid rennet mixed in 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp salt (non-iodized)
Instructions
- I’ve included a video showing the process for making goat cheese. It’s the same steps because I modeled this cheese after my goat cheese recipe. And I’m not a fan of making videos… so I hope you don’t mind me reusing it!
- Heat milk to 76F (24C). Stir in the calcium chloride, mixing thoroughly. Add the rennet and the mesophilic culture at the same time. Stir with an up-and-down motion to ensure even mixing.
- Maintain at 72F (22C) for 8 to 12 hours to set the curd. The exact time will depend on the type of mesophilic culture used. It is ready once it has formed a thick curd. (See video for example). Line a strainer with two layers of butter muslin. Gently pour in the curd. I recommend using a spoon to ladle in the curd once you’ve finished pouring off the separated whey. The curd won’t be set as firmly as other cheeses.Â
- Hang in the butter muslin for 6-12 hours, until you have reached the desired thickness. When the cheese is finished draining, place it in a bowl. Add the salt and any additional flavors. See the sections above for different ways to finish this cheese.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 3 weeks. If you use milk kefir to culture the cheese, it will continue to sour in the fridge, so you may want to use it up more quickly. I haven’t had the best luck with freezing this cheese. It tends to become crumbly after being in the freezer.
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