Homemade Cottage Cheese – Large Curd
Rich, large curd cottage cheese with a firm texture and creamy finish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 gallon pasteurized milk, skim or whole
- 1/8 teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup water (if using store bought milk)*
- 1 package direct-set mesophilic starter, 1/4 teaspoon bulk mesophilic starter or 4 ounces prepared mesophilic starter
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet (or 1/4 rennet tablet) dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water
- cheese salt (optional)
- cream, 1-2 tablespoons (optional)
- herbs (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the milk to 72°F. If using calcium chloride*, add it now. Add the starter and mix thoroughly.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the diluted rennet and mix thoroughly with a gentle up and down motion. Cover and let set at 72°F for 4-8 hours, or until the curd coagulates. The curd will be soft.
- Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes. Allow to set, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. Use a long knife that reaches all the way to the bottom of your pot, and move smoothly and gently – don’t tear the curd. Try to keep your cubes as uniform as possible so your cheese cooks evenly.
- Place the pot on low heat. Increase the heat by two degrees every 5 minutes, until the temperature reaches 80°F. Stir gently to prevent the curds from matting.
- Increase the heat by three degrees every 5 minutes, until the temperature reaches 90°F, stirring gently to prevent the curds from matting.
- Increase the heat by one degree per minute, until the temperature reaches 110°F, stirring gently to keep the curds from matting. Watch your heat and try not to heat too fast. Slow, gentle cooking makes for a more tender curd.
- Maintain the temperature at 110°F for 20 minutes, or until the curds are sufficiently cooked and no longer have a custardlike interior. Stir gently every few minutes.
- When the curds are sufficiently cooked, let them settle to the bottom of the pot for 5 minutes.
- Pour off the whey. Pour the curds into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth into a knot. If a less sour cottage cheese is desired, wash the curds by dipping the bag several times into a bowl of cool water.
- Let the bag drain for several minutes.
- Rinse the bag in a bowl of ice water to cool and place the bag in a colander to drain for 5 minutes.
- Untie the bag and place the curds in a bowl. Break up any pieces that have matted. If desired, add the heavy cream to produce a creamier texture. (I always add the cream, but the cream free cheese will be lower in lactose.)
- Add the salt and herbs to taste, if desired.
- Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.