Itty Bitty Hooves

Great Cottage Cheese

May 18, 2007 on 9:29 am | In dairy, cheese recipes |

I finished my first batch of cottage cheese in many years yesterday and had some for dinner. OH was it good! Fresh, homemade goat’s milk cottage cheese beats store bought by a mile! It’s so easy too. I’d like to share the recipe with you. If you don’t have the luxury of owning a goat to make cheeses with, you can make it with store bought whole milk (or 2%, or skim if you desire low fat, or fat free versions).

You need:
one large pot with lid
candy/milk thermometer
a whisk
cheese cloth, or a clean pillow case
a bowl
rennet–I prefer liquid rennet but that’s harder to find if you’re not going to make cheese all the time it’s not worth the hassle of finding it. You can get ‘junket rennet’ tablets in most grocery stores in the baking aisle where they have custard and ice cream supplies.
1 cup buttermilk
one gallon of milk
long knife

Note: This receipe requires very little actual cooking time, but LOTS of waiting time. So do it on a day you’ll be home all day, or in the evening when you’ll be home in the morning to finish the process.

First pour the gallon of milk into the large pot and slowly bring to 90 degrees. While you’re doing that dislove 1/4 tsp liquid rennet, or 1/4 tablet of junket rennet in 1/4 cup cool water. Then pour in the buttermilk and the rennet mix into the milk and whisk thoroughly.

Cover the pot and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours (or overnight).

The milk is set when you take a spoon and cut a piece and it comes out holding it’s shape with nice crisp edges to the cut.

At that point take a long knife and cut the cheese diagonally, and then horizontally in roughly 1/2 inch sections.

Cover and let the curds sit for an additional 30 minutes.

Warm the milk to 115 degrees slowly and keep it between 115 and 120 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pour the cheese into the cheese cloth, or pillowcase. (If you want to save the whey — the discarded broth from the cheese–to make ricotta put a bowl under the cheese cloth and put the cloth in a strainer). Let the cheese drain for 30 minutes.

Dip the cheese (still in the cheese cloth or pillowcase) in warm water and drain 5 minutes.

Dip the cheese (still in cloth) in cold water to rinse and drain.

Put cheese in bowl and salt to taste while breaking up the curds.

Viola–perfect cottage cheese for you and your family.