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How to make goat cheese or chèvre

How to make chevre (soft goat cheese)
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Soft goat cheese, like chèvre, is an easy and delicious cheese for beginners. Adding flavors to goat cheese turns it into an impressive appetizer. See the section above for more information on how to store and flavor goat cheese.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 gallon of whole goat’s milk
  • 1/8 tsp food grade calcium chloride (optional, but improves yield)
  • 1/8 tsp mesophilic starter in 2 Tbsp water (see notes for options)
  • 1/4 rennet tablet mixed in 2 Tbsp water (or 1/8 tsp liquid rennet)
  • 1 tsp salt (non-iodized)

Instructions

  1. If you want help with any of these steps, watch the video below the recipe. 
  2. 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.
  3. Maintain at 72F (22C) for 12 hours to set the curd. After 12 hours, it will have formed a thick curd. 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 whey. The curd won’t be set as firmly as other cheeses. (And save that whey! It’s packed with protein and flavor).
  4. Hang in the butter muslin for 6-24 hours, until you have reached the desired thickness. A shorter time, (6 hours) will result in a soft spreading cheese. A longer time will result in a firmer, crumbling cheese.
  5. When the cheese is finished draining, place it in a bowl. Add the salt. Additional flavors, like herbs, can either be stirred in with the salt or added on top of the cheese. See the sections above for more information on flavoring and forming the cheese.
  6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Notes

  • Chèvre has its own specific mesophilic culture. However, soft goat cheese can be made with any type of mesophilic culture. You can even use 2 Tbsp of milk kefir or mesophilic yogurt. Milk kefir will result in a stronger flavored cheese. For a mild-tasting cheese, don’t add any culture.
  • Calcium chloride isn’t traditionally added to chèvre, however, it does improve the yield of goat cheese.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/homemade-goat-cheese/