There is no doubt that cheese, being a dairy product, is very useful. At the same time, the cheese bought in the store is clearly inferior in its usefulness, and often in its taste, to homemade cheese. It is quite possible to make hard cheese at home.
It is necessary
-
- Press or 2 containers
- fit well into one another
- 7-8 bricks
- thermometer
- colander
- the cloth
- the form
- wooden spoon
- knife.
Instructions
Step 1
Hard cheese is obtained from large volumes of naturally whole milk. To obtain 0.5 kg of cheese, you will need at least 4 liters of milk.
Prepare the starter in advance. You can use sour milk as a starter (about, 5 liters per 10 liters of fresh milk). Heat fresh milk to a temperature of 32 degrees. Now add the starter and mix well. Cover and place in a warm place for 8-10 hours. In this case, the temperature of the container and milk will decrease slightly (up to 25 degrees).
Step 2
Add enzyme. This can be natural abomasum or (the simplest option) purchased at the pharmacy "acesedin-pepsin". 1 tablet of pepsin is diluted in 100 ml of water. Stir, cover and leave for 30-40 minutes.
Step 3
Cut the resulting mass into equal pieces (approximately 3 by 3 cm). Stir gently with a wooden spoon.
Step 4
Heat the curd mass in a water bath to 38 degrees. You need to heat slowly, the temperature should rise gradually, by 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Then soak it in a water bath until the desired density of curd cubes is obtained. Stir gently. The curd cubes should not stick together. You can proceed to further actions if the curd cubes break in your hand and do not stick together.
Step 5
Line a colander with a cloth. Put the mixture in a colander and let the whey drain. Transfer the curd mass to a low bowl. Loosen it, do not allow the formation of a lump. In this case, the serum should completely leave. Drain the serum. Remember to control the temperature. Go to the next stage when the temperature of the resulting mass drops to 32 degrees. At the same time, the curd mass becomes rubbery.
Step 6
Salt the resulting mass to taste. Mix well. The temperature of the curd mass should drop to 30 degrees.
Step 7
The next stage is spinning. If there is no ready-made press, take two containers (for example, two buckets) of different diameters. A smaller capacity will replace the piston. Make holes in the bottom of the larger container for the liquid to drain. You can use bricks as a load (1 brick - 5kg). Line a large container with a cloth and lay out the curd mass, cover with the free end of the cloth. Insert the plunger. Load it up. Initial weight 15 kg. Gradually increase the weight to 40 kg.
Step 8
When the whey stops dripping, take out the cheese and wipe it off well. Wrap the cheese tightly with a dry cloth. Wash and wipe the press mold. Keep the cheese under pressure (40-50 kg) for 24 hours
Step 9
Take out the cheese, wipe with a dry cloth and place in a dry, dark place to dry for 4-5 days. Wipe and turn it daily until a crust forms.
Step 10
Melt the paraffin in a water bath and immerse the cheese in it for a few seconds. Take out the cheese and let the paraffin solidify
Step 11
Place the cheese in a cool place (the temperature should not exceed 15 degrees). Turn daily. Soak it for 6 weeks. The cheese will acquire a sharper taste after 3-5 months of aging. In this case, the storage temperature should be from 5 to 7 degrees.
