• Blog
  • Scratch Cooking
  • Slow Living
    • Outdoor Living
    • Permaculture Gardens
    • Homesteading
  • Everyday
    • In The Kitchen
    • Adventures
  • Handmade
  • About Us/Contact
  • PRIVACY POLICY

All Scratch Cooking

Making Homemade Feta Cheese | Recipe & Tutorial

Forgotten Way Farms may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking links on this page. Learn More.
312 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe

A few years ago I decided to try my hand at making cheese at home, from everything I’d read about cheese making; a soft cheese was the way to go for beginners. The biggest sell point for me? You don’t need fancy equipment! My first try was Mozzarella, which was delicious. But I wanted to make Homemade Feta Cheese.

Learning to make Homemade Feta Cheese

So, I turned to my friend who’s a Homemade Feta Cheese pro, and we spent a lovely afternoon together. I am a hand’s on learner type of gal, and I love learning by watching, asking questions and getting my hands in there. A mentor, friend, or Youtube is the route I usually take when I want to learn a new skill.

Why you should make Homemade Feta Cheese

  • No fancy equipment is necessary!
  • It’s easy peasy
  • The taste is amazing.
  • Raw Feta Cheese is good for you
Homemade Feta Cheese Recipe from Forgotten Way Farms Blog

Homemade Feta Cheese Recipe and Tutorial

Homemade Feta Cheese the Easy Way at Forgotten Way Farms.com
  1. Heat 1 gal. milk (preferably non-homogenized. Fresh raw milk is what I use) to about 86 degrees F. (88 degrees F. for cow’s milk) If you are using using store-bought pasteurized and homogenized milk, you will need to add Calicum Chloride at step 4. You don’t have to use it with fresh raw milk. Avoid using ultra-pasteurized milk when making cheese, no amount of calcium chloride will compensate for ultra-pasteurized milk.
  2. Dissolve both ¼ tsp. of Mesophilic starter and ¼ tsp. Lipase powder in a ¼ C. of water. Add to the warm milk.
  3. Cover the milk and let sit for one hour to ripen.
Step by Step Tutorial for Homemade Feta Cheese over at Forgotten Way Farms.com

4. (If you are using store-bought pasteurized and homogenized milk you will need to add 1/2 tsp. of calcium chloride to your milk at least 5 minutes before you add the rennet.)

Add ¼ tsp. Rennet and let it sit for about an hour, or until set.

~Step 5. Cutting the Curds~Photo Tutorial for making Homemade Feta Cheese at Forgotten Way Farms

5. When you can put a knife into the curd mass and get a clean break, it’s ready to cut. Cut the curds into ½ inch pieces making horizontal cuts and then vertical cuts using a curved knife or curd cutter. (I used a regular knife, and it still worked.)

6. Gently stir the curds and whey for about five minutes and then allow the curds to rest in the whey for about ten minutes.

Making a batch of this oh so simple Feta Cheese! What a great recipe and tutorial from Forgotten Way Farms

7.  Lay a piece of cheesecloth into a colander. Drain off the whey and scoop the curds into the cheesecloth gather the sides twist and tie with a piece of string.

8. Hang your cheese at room temperature for twenty-four hours over a bowl; this will allow your curds to ripen.

9. Cut the curds into slabs and place in a sanitized tray or 9×13 pan. Salt both sides of the curd slabs with coarse non-iodized salt.

10. Seal the tray or 9×13 pan( I put a clean cloth over it) and let sit at room temperature (55-68 degrees F.) for 1-3 days.; this will further ripen the cheese.

Wow, what a great tutorial for homemade feta cheese!

11. Then, I gently slice the slabs of cheese into cubes and pack them into clean jars.

Homemade Marinated Feta with Garlic and Herbs! Wonderful recipe and tutorial at Forgotten Way Farms

12. Then comes my favorite part! I mix a marinade of about 2 C. olive oil, minced garlic, and herbs. Stored in the fridge this way it lasts for 2-4 weeks. The flavors will just get better! But be sure and flip the jar every once in a while. You can eat it fresh too. Sometimes my Feta doesn’t even make it to the jar; everyone just eats it!

Homemade Feta Cheese, Recipe and Tutorial at Forgotten Way Farms! LOVE this blog <3
Print

Homemade Feta Cheese Recipe and Tutorial

Ingredients

  • 1 Gallon Raw Milk
  • 1/4 Tsp. Mesophilic Starter
  • 1/4 Tsp. Lipase Powder
  • 1/4 C. Water Non-Chlorinated
  • 1/4 Tsp. Rennet
  • 1/2 Tsp. Calcium Chloride only if using homogenized milk
  • Coarse non-iodized Salt,
  • 2 C. Olive Oil
  • Garlic/Herbs minced

Instructions

Heat 1 gal. milk (preferably non-homogenized. Fresh raw milk is what I use) to about 86 degrees F. (88 degrees F. for cow’s milk)

  1. If you are using store-bought pasteurized and homogenized milk, you will need to add Calcium Chloride at step 4. You don’t have to use it with fresh raw milk. Avoid using ultra-pasteurized milk when making cheese, no amount of calcium chloride will compensate for ultra-pasteurized milk.
  2. Dissolve both ¼ tsp. of Mesophilic starter and ¼ tsp. Lipase powder in a ¼ C. of water. Add to the warm milk.
  3. Cover the milk and let sit for one hour to ripen.
  4. (If you are using store-bought pasteurized and homogenized milk you will need to add 1/2 tsp. of calcium chloride to your milk at least 5 minutes before you add the rennet.) Add ¼ tsp. Rennet and let it sit for about an hour, or until set.
  5. When you can put a knife into the curd mass and get a clean break, it’s ready to cut. Cut the curds into ½ inch pieces making horizontal cuts and then vertical cuts using a curved knife or curd cutter. (I used a regular knife, and it still worked.)
  6. Gently stir the curds and whey for about five minutes and then allow the curds to rest in the whey for about ten minutes.
  7. Lay a piece of cheesecloth into a colander. Drain off the whey and scoop the curds into the cheesecloth gather the sides twist and tie with a piece of string.
  8. Hang your cheese at room temperature for twenty-four hours over a bowl; this will allow your curds to ripen.
  9. Cut the curds into slabs and place in a sanitized tray or 9×13 pan. Salt both sides of the curd slabs with coarse non-iodized salt.
  10. Seal the tray or 9×13 pan( I put a clean cloth over it) and let sit at room temperature (55-68 degrees F.) for 1-3 days.; this will further ripen the cheese.

  11. Then, I gently slice the slabs of cheese into cubes and pack them into clean jars.

  12. Then comes my favorite part! I mix a marinade of about 2 C. olive oil, minced garlic, and herbs. Stored in the fridge this way it lasts for 2-4 weeks. The flavors will just get better! But be sure and flip the jar every once in a while. You can eat it fresh too. Sometimes my Feta doesn’t even make it to the jar; everyone just eats it!

Recipe Notes

Notes: ~I don’t brine my feta, but you can! We eat it fresh or marinated in oil and herbs. Yum. ~If your feta turns out rubbery in texture, the curd was handled too much. Remember, gentle stirring and handling. ~Feta is a great cheese to start out with because it’s easy to make and is delicious on everything!

 

Notes on making cheese:

  • I don’t brine my feta, but you can! We eat it fresh or marinated in oil and herbs. Yum.
  • If your feta turns out rubbery in texture, the curd was handled too much. Remember gentle stirring and handling.
  • Feta is a great cheese to start out with because it’s easy to make and is delicious on everything.
  • Make a loaf of Challah Bread, grab a jar of your Homemade Feta Cheese, some Olives + Cured Meats and you’re picnic ready!

My question to you is, do you like making cheese and how often do you make it?


Leave a Comment

« Wild Morel Mushroom Soup Recipe
Zucchini & Carrot Fritters Recipe|Video Tutorial »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Daniel & Abby Jo



We are passionate about the forgotten arts, homesteading, frugal living, real foods, scratch cooking, growing our food, simple living and everything in-between!

Checkout Our Cozy Christmas Baking Cookbook

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Instagram Feed

[instagram-feed]

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website Accept uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
312 shares