How to make feta cheese at home

Brynza is considered to be the most delicious variety of all available soft cheeses. The brine product can be used as an independent snack or added to vegetable salads, first and second courses, pies. Experienced housewives by trial and error brought effective cooking technology. They can easily be translated into reality on their own, if you adhere to practical recommendations. Let's consider the main aspects in order.

Brynza at home: a classic of the genre

• fat milk (2-3.2%) - 1.8 liters.
• fat kefir (3.2%) - 180 gr.
• sour cream (fat content of 15-20%) - 375 gr.
• chicken egg - 7 pcs.
• small table salt - 55 gr.

1. Pick up an enameled pan, pour milk into it, pour salt. Put on the stove, set the average power, bring the mass to a boil.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the kefir and sour cream with a mixer so that the mass rises 1.5 times. Start pouring hot milk slowly while stirring.
3. Put the mixture on the stove again, bring to a boil. When the first bubbles appear, turn down the heat to the minimum mark. After 15 minutes, you will receive whey and cottage cheese.
4. Prepare a colander, line it with gauze cloth folded in several layers. Move the mixture to the filter, let the whey drain.
5. After that, wrap the cottage cheese in gauze, tie the edges to make a bag. Send the mixture under the press, you can put a heavy bottle of water.
6. After 5 hours, you need to move the future feta cheese into the refrigerator for 3 hours. When the specified time passes, remove the cheesecloth, taste the product.

Brynza with table vinegar

• whole milk - 2.8 l.
• salt - 120 gr.
• table vinegar - 45 ml.
• drinking water - 475 ml.

1. Pour milk into an enamel pan, put on medium heat. When bubbles appear, reduce power to the lower mark, pour in table vinegar. Stir the composition until the whey begins to stand out.
2. At this moment, turn off the burner, remove the mass from the fire, leave the mixture to cool completely. Prepare a kitchen sieve, lay cheesecloth folded in 3 layers into it, pour over the curd and whey.
3. Take a little with your hands, wait 2 hours until the whey completely drains. Next, tie the loose edges of the gauze to form a bag of fabric.
4. Put a heavy bottle of water (4-5 kg.) Over the composition, proceed with the preparation of the brine. Mix the salt with drinking water, wait for the crystals to dissolve.
5. Pour the solution into a plastic container, move the pressed cheese into it, put the bottle back in. Cheese will be ready after 6 hours. Keep the product in the refrigerator.

Cheese in a slow cooker

The age of technological progress leaves its mark on society. Almost every housewife has a crock-pot; the device can be easily used for making feta cheese. Subject to all conditions, you will receive about 350 gr. final product.

• 4 eggs
• whole milk - 2.3 liters.
• crushed salt - 65 gr.

1. Sterilize the glass jar in the following way: take a wide pan, put a container in it, fill it with water almost to the neck (indent of about 3 cm). Boil the composition for about 20 minutes, then turn off the burner and dry the jar.
2. Pour milk into the container, cover the neck with gauze or bandage, leave in a warm place for 24 hours, so that the composition turns sour. You can also use sour milk initially, in which case nothing needs to be done with it.
3. If milk is well pasteurized, it may not be susceptible to oxidation.In this case, transfer the product to the multi-bowl, set the “Extinguishing” program, duration - 10 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the chicken eggs and salt, pour the mass into a multi-bowl for sour milk. Turn on the “Baking” function (holding time - 25 minutes).
5. Take a sieve, lay 3 layers of gauze in the cavity, pour the finished product into this filter. Squeeze out the serum to make the glass excess moisture. Tie the loose edges of the gauze, put a five-liter bottle upstairs, wait 6 hours.

Cheese with seasonings (dietary)

• chicken egg - 7 pcs.
• fat milk (3.2%) - 1.2 l.
• yogurt or kefir - 1.2 liters.
• small sea salt - to taste
• caraway seeds - 1 pinch
• garlic - 2 cloves
• fresh dill - 1 bunch
• ground red pepper - on the tip of a knife

1. Take a pan with thick walls and a bottom, pour in kefir or yogurt, put a bowl on the stove. Wait for the first bubbles to appear (bring to a boil).
2. While the mixture is languishing, mix the chicken eggs with salt, then send to a boiled mass and reduce power. Stir the composition periodically, you will see how kefir is divided into whey and cottage cheese.
3. It is at this moment that the mixture must be removed from the heat and cool. As soon as it reaches room temperature, add caraway seeds, ground pepper, salt, minced garlic press, chopped dill.
4. Prepare a colander, cover it with three layers of gauze, pour the mass there. Wait for the whey to drain, to speed up the process, press the mixture with your hands. Leave for 3 hours.
5. Tie the edges of the cheesecloth together, place on a plate, place a 5-liter bottle on top. Leave it for at least 8 hours, after the expiration date, remove the cheesecloth, remove the feta cheese in a food container.

Sourdough feta cheese

• eggs - 6 pcs.
• sour cream (fat content of 20-25%) - 375 gr.
• fat milk - 2.2 liters.
• small sea salt - to taste

1. Mix milk with salt, pour into a saucepan, put on the stove, turn on the heat at medium power. Constantly stir the composition so that the mixture does not rise and does not begin to foam. If this cannot be avoided, turn down the heat.
2. In another pan, beat the sour cream and chicken eggs, the mass will rise 2 times. As soon as the milk begins to boil, pour the beaten eggs to it, put on the stove.
3. The serum will stand out, at this point you can turn off the fire. Prepare the container, insert a colander into it and lay the gauze. Move the mixture into a kind of filter, leave for 4 hours.
4. For the specified time, the liquid drains, you just have to tie the edges and send the mass under oppression. As a press, you can use a five-liter bottle.
5. Next, you need to withstand cheese for about 5 hours, and then put it in the refrigerator for the night. In the morning you can enjoy exquisite taste.

Practical recommendations

1. If possible, use homemade milk rather than purchased milk. You can cook feta cheese in goat and cow milk.
2. If you cook cheese in hot weather, keep it under pressure in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.
3. The advantage of purchased milk in the preparation of feta cheese is that the cheese is light, dietary. It can be eaten by people with high cholesterol.

In addition to the classic ingredients in the preparation of feta cheese, fried or pickled vinegar, mushrooms, parsley, celery and other ingredients are used as desired. For cooking 0.5 kg. feta cheese you need about 2.7 liters. milk of high fat content (from 3.2% and above). If you take a dairy product of low fat content, you will need more composition.

Video: homemade feta cheese without enzymes