Mozzarella Style Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon goat milk (raw, pasteurized- just not ultra pasteurized)
• 1/4 tsp citric acid
• 1/4 tsp liquid rennet
• ~1/2 tsp cheese salt (or to your taste)
• Non-chlorinated water for dissolving
• optional: ~1/8 tsp lipase powder
• Supplies: colander, thermometer, slotted spoon

Instructions

• Start by dissolving 1/4 tsp of citric acid in 1/4 cup cool water.
• Pour the citric acid water into a large pot and pour the goat milk over top and give it a quick stir.
• Over medium to medium-low heat bring the milk to about 88 F
• While the milk is heating, prepare your rennet and lipase: dissolve 1/4 tsp rennet in 2 T cool water, and 1/8 tsp lipase in 1/4 cup cool water.
• When the milk comes to temperature gently stir in the lipase followed by the rennet. Mix well using up and down strokes.
• Place a lid on the pot and set it aside for about 30 minutes- or until the curd forms a clean break.
• Once the 30 minutes is up, cut the curds into about 1 inch cubes and transfer to a colander placed over a bowl. Drain off as much of the whey as you can.
• In a pot large enough to hold your colander, heat up water to 140 F.
• Cut or tear any curds that are too big into to smaller 1-2 inch pieces. Dip these drained curds into the hot water. We submerge them for about 30 seconds the first time and start testing if they are ready to stretch.
• When the curds are sufficiently warmed, sprinkle them with cheese salt and start to stretch and pull the curds. You want to stretch it like taffy until it is smooth and glossy. You may have to reheat the curds by dipping for 10 seconds or so throughout the process. You can pull off small bits to check the flavor and add more salt if desired.
• Shape the cheese into a ball and run under cool water for a few minutes. Wrap tightly and place in the fridge for at least a few hours before using.

prep time: 5 MINUTES additional time: 30 MINUTES cook time: 10 MINUTES total time: 45 MINUTES

Make homemade mozzarella cheese using goat milk!

How to Make Homemade Goat Milk Yogurt

Ingredients

1 quart Goat Milk

3 tablespoons premade yogurt, any plain yogurt will do. Natural food grocery’s often carry goat milk culture.I generally save some from the last batch to add into the new one.

Directions

Heat milk to a scalding 180° F. Let cool to 110° F. Add yogurt or culture. Pour yogurt mixture into jars or glasses or earthenware containers. Cover jar with clear plastic wrap. Place jars in large pan of warm water. Maintain water at 100-120° F or set over pilot light on stove. Then cover with a towel. The yogurt will take 5 – 6 hours to thicken (dried yogurt culture takes longer). 

I use an instant pot set to warm. 

Refrigerate once the mixture has thickened. 

*Note: Goat milk yogurt is very thin, almost like kefir. For a thicker consistency, add 1 packet of unflavored gelatin dissolved in some of the scalded goat milk in step 1. You may also substitute powdered Meyenberg Goat Milk instead of gelatin — add 1/3 cup of powdered milk when making 2 cups of yogurt or 2/3 cup of powdered milk when making one quart of yogurt. Yogurt thickens after being refrigerated.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese or Cottage Cheese (continuation from Mozzarella post)

I usually make this cheese while making Mozzarella or right after...waste not, right?  And everyone around my house loves this stuff.
Make sure to do it with fresh whey, no more than 3 hours old, left over from making hard cheese.  If you don't have whey, buttermilk can be used as a wonderful substitute.

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Heat the whey in a pot until foam appears.  This usually happens just prior to boiling; if the mixture boils, it will taste burned.
Turn off the heat; let the whey set for 5 minutes.
Gently skim off the foam and place the whey in a colander lined with butter muslin or fine hole cheese cloth.
Add vinegar to cooling whey. For each cup of whey add a tablespoon of vinegar.
If you want to any seasonings now is the time, I add a bout a teaspoon of salt.

Let drain for 15 minutes, then refrigerate.  This ricotta will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator.

About 1/2 pound per gallon of whey.


*For cottage Cheese, basically you follow the instructions above but add 2 tablespoons fulls of white vinegar to the hot whey and heat it to 95 degrees F, the curd will separate from the liquid.  Use a cloth lined colander and follow the steps above.

30 Minute Mozzarella from scratch and Ricotta Cheese

 

1/2 rennet tablet (can be bought at some Walmarts or Macey's usually in the baking or canning isles.)
1/4 cup cool chlorine-free water (most bottled waters are chlorine-free), you can boil it and let it cool completely if you don't have bottled water.

1 gallon 2% low-fat milk (1%, or skim or even powdered milk)
2 teaspoons citric acid (baking isle)
1 teaspoon salt (optional)

You will need a thermometer, a stainless steel pot or something similar, a large bowl or jar with a lid to store it in and a wooden spoon.


Crush the rennet into the water and stir to dissolve. I put mine in a mortar and crush it that way.
  Pour milk into a non-reactive pot (no aluminum or cast iron).
  Place over medium heat. Sprinkle the citric acid over the milk and stir a few times. Heat milk to 90 degrees F; milk will begin to curdle.
  At 90°F, add the rennet solution and continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105°F Turn off the heat. Large curds will appear and begin to separate from the whey (the clear, greenish liquid).
  With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, scoop the curd into a large glass bowl. (If it's still too liquid, let it set for a few more minutes). Press the curds gently with your hand and pour off as much whey as possible.
 ++ Microwave curds on high for 1 minute, then drain off all the excess whey.
  With a spoon, press curds into a ball until cool.
  Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each, and continue to drain the whey and work cheese into a ball.
  In the meantime, place the whey over medium heat and let it heat to about 175°F.
  When cheese is cool enough to touch, knead it like bread dough until smooth. When you can stretch it like taffy, it is done. You can sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons salt into the cheese while kneading and stretching it. The cheese will become stretchy, smooth and shiny. If it is difficult to stretch and breaks easily, dip it into the hot whey for a few seconds to make it warm and pliable. Then pick it up again and stretch it into a long rope. Fold over and stretch again. Dip in hot whey as needed to make the cheese pliable.
  When the cheese is smooth and shiny (this takes just a few minutes), it is ready to eat. Shape it into a log or golf-size balls, then store in a solution of 2 teaspoons salt to 1 cup water, I usually keep mine in a clean Mason Jar in the fridge.

Sometimes I like to put it in olive oil to store it, sometimes with herbs or garlic for extra flavor.

**Don't throw away the whey,cool it put it in a jar and put it in the fridge so you can use it in place of liquid in home made breads, or bread pudding.
***Or use the reserved whey to make ricotta or cottage cheese.   I will post the recipe for this on another blog.
Note: If you are using store-bought milk, and your curds turn into the consistency of ricotta cheese and will not come together, switch brands of milk. It may have been heated at the factory at too high a temperature when they pasteurized it.
++If you do NOT have a microwave:  After step 5, heat the reserved whey on the stove top to at least 175F.  Add 1/4 cup of cheese salt to the whey (you could probably substitute kosher salt, but cheese salt is best).  Shape the curd into one or more balls, put them in a ladle or strainer, and dip them into the hot whey for several seconds.  Knead the curd with spoons or gloved hands between each dip and repeat this process several times until the curd is smooth and pliable.  Please be careful!  This is really hot, and working with more liquid increase the risk of getting splashed!  If you use the non-microwave method, you cannot use the whey to make the Ricotta, because the whey will contain too much salt.

Yogurt from Powdered Milk (a great way to get some calcium and use your food storage)

2 3/4 C nonfat dry milk

2 qts water (8 CUPS)

2T-1/2 C plain yogurt- make sure it says 'contains' live and active cultures otherwise it won't work. I like to use Greek yogurt.  I can get away with using a smaller amount.

Before you start, make sure all the utensils and pans and things are very clean.  You will need 4 pint or 2 quart sized jars, a big pot, a wire whisk or a big mixing spoon. It also helps to have a thermometer and crock pot.  And perhaps a funnel depending on the steadiness of your hands.

I mixed about 4 cups water and the powdered milk in a big pot with a wire whisk,  until it was completely incorporated. Then I put it a pan on the stove with the rest of the water. Heat this to 180 degrees - I used a candy thermometer- and stir often so it doesn't scorch. After it reaches 180 remove it from the heat and let it set until it reaches about 110- 115 degrees. I put a lid on mine and went about my housework.

Take out 2 c of the cooled milk from the pan and mix with the plain yogurt. Then add it to the remaining milk. Stir to dissolve it completely.  At this point you can add honey or sugar or whatever sweetener you like.  Pour very carefully into your jars and put the lids and rings on.

Every person who makes yogurt has their preferred method to culture it.  But since I am the one writing this I will put my own way.

I fill my crock pot with hot water that is about 120 degrees, and put the filled jars into the water and put the crock pot lid on.  I cover the whole thing with a bath towel to keep it warm and then walk away.

Let it sit in the warm water overnight, usually about 5-8 hours.  The longer you leave it the more tangy it is. I have left it as long as 24 hours and it was still great.

After it has set go ahead and play around with it adding fruit and granola...whatever you like in your yogurt.  I personally like lemon extract and a bit of honey in mine.  Caitlyn likes hot cocoa powder in hers, Anthony likes jam...

You can strain it through cheese cloth or a coffee filter and use it in place of mayo or sour cream in a pinch.

Store covered in your fridge, it will last several weeks unopened.
Once opened though eat within 3-4 days.

If you line a colander with cheese cloth or muslin and drain out the whey it makes a nice greek style  yogurt, or let it drain even longer and use it in place of cream cheese.

Ok Bye!!!