How to Make Feta Cheese
Feta is an easy cheese to make at home! Here’s a step by step tutorial that any newbie cheese maker can succeed with – enjoy homemade feta cheese tonight.
Ingredients
- 1 Gallon Whole Raw Milk; may use pasteurized goat milk
- 1/4 tsp. Lipase Powder diluted in 1/4 cup water and allowed to sit for 20 minutes This step is optional, but it's suggested you use lipase if making this recipe with milk other than goat’s milk.
- 2 oz. Mesophilic Starter I recommend Cultures for Health
- 1/2 tsp. Liquid Rennet or 1/4 rennet tablet diluted in 1/4 cup cool, unchlorinated water
- 3 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1/4-1/3 Cup Cheese or Sea Salt for brine optional - brining gives it a stronger flavor, which is what makes feta distinct.
- 1/2 Gallon Water for brine optional
Instructions
- Combine the milk and the diluted lipase, if using. Heat the milk to 86°F/30°C.
- Add the starter, stirring to combine. Cover and allow the milk to ripen for 1 hour.
- Add the diluted rennet and gently stir with an up-and-down motion for several minutes. Cover and allow to set at 86°F/30°C for 1 hour.*
- Cut the curd into 1/2-1-inch cubes and allow to set undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Gently stir the curds for 20 minutes.
- Pour the curds into a colander lined with cheesecloth.
- Tie the corners of the cheesecloth into a knot and hang the bag over the sink to drain for 4 hours or more.
- Untie the bag and cut the curd into 1-inch slices, then cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.
- Sprinkle the cubes with the 3 teaspoons of sea salt to taste and then place in a covered bowl to age for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Omit this step if you will brine the feta.
- For that strong feta flavor, make a brine solution by combining 1/3 cup of salt and the water. Place the cheese in the brine solution and store in refrigerator for up to 30 days.**
- If the curds are not setting firmly enough for you to cut easily, next time add 1/8 tsp. calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup water to the milk before adding the starter.
Notes
*You can set your pot into a hot water bath in your sink and monitor the temperature a couple of times in the hour to make sure it stays close to 86°F/30°C. Don't worry if it falls below; just add some warm water to the bath. I use my hot box insulated bags to keep an even temperature.
Do not use ultra-pasteurized or high temperature pasteurized milk to make cheese.
If using vegetable rennet, you may need to double or even triple the amount used as veggie rennets aren't quite as strong as animal rennets. You may need to experiment if your curds don't set as well as you'd like. Be sure to always use fresh rennet.
You may hang the feta for more or less time, depending on the temperature in your house and how sharp you like your feta.
Remember to put a bowl underneath to catch the whey that strains out. Gently massage and/or knead the feta every now and then to encourage more whey to drain out.
**Brine your feta only if your goat’s milk comes from a farm; store-bought goat’s milk tends to disintegrate in brine.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!