Cheese Making Recipes

Choosing the Right Milk Make sure the milk you use is not ultra pasteurized. You can use homogenized or non-homogenized milk. Farm fresh milk is a great option if you can find it locally. Low fat milk will work, but the cheese will be drier and...

A Recipe for Making a Sweeter Alpine CheeseWhen I make a cheese like this I normally make a larger cheese. These types of cheese would often weigh between 60-110lbs and more. These were traditionally done large because they were made on the...

A Guideline for Making Alpine Tomme I have made the cheese in both 2 and 4 gallon batches. The pictures below will show a 4 gallon batch (because I feel that they ripen a bit better in the larger format) but a 2 gallon batch is what I have outlined...

A Recipe for Appenzeller Style Cheese This cheese is for those that have a few cheeses already made, and want to explore the development of a very unique natural rind. I might suggest an advanced beginner willing to learn from doing, but likely...

Before you Start The batch size is 6 gallons but can be increased or decreased by altering the ingredients proportionately. The milk for this recipe can be from either a pasteurized whole milk or a rich fresh farm milk. I have used an unpasteurized...

Beaufort Cheese Making RecipeIn this recipe we're focusing on Beaufort style cheese that's produced in the Tarentaise mountains surrounding Mt. Blanc and the heart of the French Ski Country. This is one of my favorite cheeses and I have spent a bit...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the milk to 88°F (32°C). This is best done by placing the milk pot in another pot or in a sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot directly on the stove, make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it...

Guideline for Making Bel Paese Style Cheese Although this cheese is normally made with pasteurized milk, it can certainly be made with a high quality raw milk. The guide I provide below however, will be for pasteurized milk. If you would like to...

1Heat & Acidify Milk If using pasteurized milk, add about 1/8-1/4 tsp of Calcium Chloride at this point. Begin by heating the milk to 86°F (30°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the...

A Note on Batch SizeI would recommend that you not make this cheese until you have made a few other cheeses for the experience. It really needs to be a 4-5 lb. cheese or larger to increase the ratio of curd mass to surface area needed to develop a...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating 4 gallons of milk to 88°F (31°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove, make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats. Once...

Making Butter is Super EasyYou can make better butter at home in your kitchen than you can buy in the store these days. In this recipe we'll show you the how and why as well as a few options to add a little "culture" to your life.Essentially all...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the milk to 86°F (30°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats. Once the milk...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating three gallons of a fresh goat's milk to 95°F (35°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove, make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the milk to 92°F. You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove, make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats. Once the milk is at...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the milk to 98°F (37°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove, make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats. The higher...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the milk to 90°F (32°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove, make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats. Once the milk...

A Recipe for Making Camembert This recipe will make 4 Camembert cheeses from 2 gallons of milk but everything can be cut in half to make 2 cheeses or expanded proportionately for a larger volume of milk. 1Acidify & Heat Milk Calcium chloride, if...

A Recipe for Making CanestratoI have chosen to make this cheese with cows milk since ewes milk is so hard to come by in our area but the following recipe can easily be applied to ewe or goats milk. Even a blend would be great. You may need to...

A Recipe for Catamount GoldThis is a great guideline for intermedeate and advanced cheese makers. It offers a lot of information on the variation of the process and how different types of cheese can be made from the same milk. 1 Acidify & Heat Milk...

A Recipe for Cheddar CheeseI usually make this cheese with 6 gallons of raw milk because the larger size tends to ripen more effectively, while reducing the amount of moisture loss, due to a better ratio of mass to surface area. However, for the...

Cheese Curds, tasty little bits of fresh cheese perfect for a quick snack Cheese curds are the fresh curds of cheese, often cheddar. Their flavor is mild with about the same firmness as cheese, but has a springy or rubbery texture. Fresh curds...

1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the 4 gallons of milk to 86-88°F (30-31°C). Higher temp for higher fat milk. You can do this best by placing the pot of milk in a larger pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove,...

A Simple Recipe for Making 1 Gallon of Goats Milk into ChevreHere we will begin with the simplest Chevre recipe. We have developed a special Chevre culture pack available from our website that contains both the culture and powdered rennet to set 1...

How to Make Colby at HomeColby has unfortunately been lost in commercial translation over the years yet it's one of the few truly "Original" American cheeses. lets take a good look at its history and try to resurrect this great American cheese...

1Heat & Acidify Milk Begin by heating the milk to 86°F (30°C). I do this by placing the gallon of milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats Once...

Making Dry Curd Cottage Cheese at Home This is truly a cheese like your grandmother might have made on the back of the wood stove and just as easy to make in todays kitchens with very few ingredients required. This recipe will work well with store...

You will also find the process and instructions are a rough guide for ripening and draining time, but more importantly, I have provided descriptions and visual cues to: Accommodate the differences in milk quality as well as milk/cream content Allow...

1 The Right Cream & Culture Cream: Any type of raw or pasteurized dairy cream can be used with this recipe, although it's best to avoid ultra-pasteurized dairy cream due to unpredictable results (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't)....

1Heat Milk & Add Culture Add 1/4tsp calcium chloride solution to the milk and then warm to 70-80°F (I prefer to heat to 80°F and let it drop to room temp). You heat this by placing the pot of milk into another pot, or sink, of very warm water...

A Recipe for making Crescenza in your Kitchen The secret of this cheese is balancing the acid development with the correct moisture level in the cheese to have it ripen properly. You can choose to make it very moist and soft or a bit drier for...

Making Crottin Style Cheese with Goat's Milk The following is our recipe for making 4 nice cheeses from a gallon of goat milk. The guide can be easily doubled by increasing the ingredients proportionate to the milk volume. 1Acidify & Heat Milk...

A Recipe for Making a Danbo Danbo is a great cheese for the intermediate or advanced cheese maker. However, it's also a great recipe novice cheese makers to read and will hopefully inspire you to try some wonderful Danish cheese. This recipe isn't...

A Recipe for Making Sage Derby Cheese The following guidelines are ones that I have developed from info on the Derbyshire cheese made during the early 20th century, and is the way it continues to present times. This tends to be a moister, softer,...

A Recipe for Making Your Own Dry Jack at HomeThis recipe might not be for the start-up cheese maker, but anyone that has made a few hard cheeses is perhaps ready to take it on. I have chosen to do a 6 gallon recipe because using a larger mass for...

Dunlop, a True Scot Cheese Traditionally the milk butterfat content ranged from 3.9% to 4.4% which passes into the high fat content of the cheese. This high fat content was enabled by the smaller fat globules of the Ayrshire cows milk, which allow...

A Recipe for Making Esrom This is a cheese that's best suited for those who have already made a few cheeses and are familiar with the basics of cheese making. It will introduce the details of making a washed rind, where we build a biological...

A Recipe for Making Your Own Farmstead (or Homestead) Cheese I make this cheese on my stove top in a moderate 3-5 gallon size in keeping with the idea of a kitchen cheese. The photos shown below are of a 4 gallon batch but the written recipe is for...

Our Feta recipe is made with whole fat cow milk but ewe or goats milk can easily be used to achieve more traditional flavors. The recipe below is for 4.5 gallons of milk, if you would like to make a 2 gallon batch, simply reduce the culture and...

A Recipe for Bulgarian Feta (White Brined Cheese) The recipe below is for a white brined cheese made from cows milk "in the style of" what is produced in Bulgaria. Bulgarian style Feta if you will. 1Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the milk to...

A Recipe for making Fourme Ambert I managed to get Mark to order some of the traditional tall Fourme d' Ambert forms for me, so many of the pictures show the 7 gallon batch, but I have also made it in the 2 gallon size, which suits some of our...

1 Acidify & Heat Milk Heat 1 gallon of milk to 86°F while stirring slowly. You can use a thermometer, or since this is so close to our body temperature you can heat until the milk feels neither cool nor warm. Once the milk is heated, open one...

How to Make a Goat Milk Cheese Ripened With Ash The cheese we will be making in this recipe is a lactic type goat's milk cheese with a covering of salt and fine powdered charcoal. As it ripens, it will change from dark grey/black to a beautiful...

Recipe for a Medium Aged Goat Milk Tomme The recipe below is for a 2 gallon batch, but it can easily doubled by increasing the milk and ingredients proportionately. My pictures below show a double batch (4 gal) and using a patterned basket cheese...

1 Acidify & Heat Milk Begin with 6 gallons of whole full fat milk. This can either be pasteurized milk or raw milk. If using raw milk the milk must be of highest quality because The low acid of this cheese will not protect against late fermentation...

A Recipe for Making a Gouda with a Sweeter FlavorThe recipe details are for a 2 gallon batch but I really enjoy making a 4 gallon batch to be aged. You can make a larger cheese by increasing the ingredients in proportion to the amount of milk...

1Heat & Acidify Milk I usually begin this cheese with either 8 or 16 gallons of milk. The larger size making for a longer aging cheese. The recipe below is for 8 gallons of milk. Begin by warming the milk to 90°F. Once reached add either: 1/8 tsp...

A Recipe for Making Halloumi Although Halloumi is traditionally made with ewe's milk and added cow's milk, I will be making it in this recipe with 100% cow's milk. You can easily substitute your own mix of milk if you like. I will also be making...

Havarti Cheese Making Recipe Havarti has a buttery aroma, somewhat sharper in the stronger varieties, much like swiss cheese. The taste is buttery, from sweet to very sweet, and is slightly acidulous. It is typically aged three months, if aged...

1 Acidify & Heat Milk Heat 3 gallons of milk to 86°F (30°C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of 120-140°F water. As the milk reaches the target temperature, add cool water to the hot water until the water bath is about 2-3°F above...

Ricki 'The Cheese Queen' makes a very simple No Fuss No Muss Cheese in the kitchen This is about as simple a cheese as you, the home cheese maker can make in your very own kitchen. It requires no forms, no press, and about as little effort as a...

1 Heat Milk, Add Culture & Rennet Begin with a gallon of regular homogenized whole milk (about 3.25% fat) and add about 4-6 oz. of medium to heavy cream to make for a richer cheese. If using raw milk, most of it has a higher fat% than the store...

1 Acidify & Heat Milk Begin by heating the milk to 88-90F (32C). You do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove, make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it well as it heats. Once the...

A Guideline for Making Livarot Cheese To stay true to the original format for this cheese, which is somewhat higher and wider than a Camembert, I make a double batch from 3 gallons of milk. You can easily reduce it to a 2 gallon batch by reducing...

A Recipe for Making ManchegoThe recipe below is for a 4 gallon batch of 100% ewes milk even though some of the images are from a more recent make session of a larger batch. This could also be made from a mixed milk of goat and ewes milk as was...

Lets Make MascarponeHere are two great recipes for making Mascarpone, the first recipe is a little faster and uses Tartaric Acid, while the second recipe has a bit more flavor and uses a Starter Culture. In both of the Mascarpone recipes below we...

This is a very exciting cheese to make but requires some previous experience in making softer washed rind cheeses. For the newer cheese maker I hope it offers more insight into how exciting cheese making can be and a mark to set your sights on as...

Selecting Powdered Milk and Cream This recipe for Mozzarella involves adding cream to Non Fat Dry Milk Powder. We've had great luck using "Carnation" brand milk here so if you're having problems with other brands give this one a try. We've used...

First made in the vicinity of the Vosges Mountains of France near the western border of Germany. It is similar to Brick but has less surface smear and undergoes less surface ripening. This is a typical washed rind cheese that uses a regular brine...

A Recipe for NokkelostI make the cheese as a 4 Gallon batch at about 5 lbs but the following recipe is for a 2 Gallon batch. Feel free to 'up' the guideline proportionate to the milk you have. I do not recommend going smaller than 2 gallons though....

1 Heat Milk Buffalo milk was most traditionally used for this with its butterfat content of about 6%, but whole milk in the 3 - 4.5% range is commonly used today and much more readily available. A low fat version using skim milk has been produced...

A Recipe for Making Pont l' Eveque This cheese is a fun challenge for home cheese makers. If learning about making washed and bloomy ring cheese appeals to you, this is a great place to start. By combining a washed and bloomy rind, the flavor and...

Guideline for Making Port du Salut / Saint PaulinCreating this recipe was an interesting research project from its history to the process of making cheese. During my research, I managed to find no less than six different directions to take this...

The Essentials of Making Pouligny St Pierre Pouligny St Pierre is essentially a lactic cheese, meaning the curd forms primarily from lactose conversion and acid production. This cheese needs a long coagulation of 10-12 hours before being ladled to...

Culture Options for Making Quark To show how diverse home cheese making can be, I am going to lay out a range of cultures you can use, depending on the milk you are using and what you really prefer to make. For Quark, you will be best off using one...

Queso Fresco Cheese Making RecipeThis is a quick and easy cheese to make at home in your kitchen. Its fresh flavors go with so many things, both sweet and savory. This recipe is for 2 gallons of pasteurized whole milk. If using raw milk, the...

1 Acidify & Heat Milk Heat the milk to 94°F. Do this by placing a pot of milk into a larger pot of water or sink of very warm water. If you heat directly on the stove top make sure the milk heats slowly and is stirred while heating. Once heated to...

Guideline for Making Reblochon Cheese This is a cheese for those that want to move up to developing the natural washed rind cheese as it is considered to be the best place to start with a washed or smeared rind cheese. You may find it an easy...

A Recipe for Making Red LeicesterThis is a great cheese to make if you've already tried out a few others, like cheddar. I highly recommend making a large batch with 4-6 gallons of milk and bandage wrap for aging. This cheese can also be waxed but...

A Recipe for Making Saint Marcellin If you've made a few cheeses at home this recipe is a great way to venture into the realm of surface ripened cheese. It's great for both experienced beginner and Intermediate cheese makers. 1 Heat & Acidify Milk...

How to Make Shropshire Blue CheeseThe guide below is for a cheese from 2 gallons of milk, but the photos are from a doubled batch. I find that the cheese I make here in the larger size tends to be nicer, since the rind to cheese body ratio is so...

A Recipe for Baby Swiss Cheese We suggest making a 4+ pound cheese for this one so the curd mass will contain enough gas production to develop proper holes. If you would like to make a 2 gallon cheese with less "Swiss" type character, make the...

A Recipe for Making Taleggio at HomeThis recipe will be for a single cheese using pasteurized whole milk and our Tallegio mold. The recipe can be modified by changing milk and additions proportionately for larger or smaller cheese. If using raw...

A Recipe for Making TetillaThis cheese is easy to make but it does have several steps, including a cold water curd wash which is fun to try out. If you've already made a few different types of cheese this is a great cheese to make. We do suggest...

A Recipe for Making Tilsit Cheese in Your Kitchen My guide, as written here, is for a 2 gallon batch which will yield a little more than 2 lbs of finished cheese. I normally do a double batch as I show in the photographs below for a better...

A Recipe for Tomme au MarcThe basis for this cheese can be found in both France and Italy. A simple Tomme is made and then buried in the skins and seeds of wine making with a healthy splash of wine. From these same skins, a liquor by the name of...

A Recipe For Making Your Home Tomme The photos below are actually for a double batch using 8 gallons of milk, if you prefer to make an 8 gallon batch, just double my guide amounts below. With either batch size, this cheese has a somewhat open...

A recipe for making a triple creme cheese The cheese I make in the following guideline is made from a pasteurized milk right from the store plus heavy cream that has been ultra-pasteurized. Since the cream is mostly butterfat and water, the UP will...

A Recipe for Making Vacherin d'Abondance CheeseMaking of the curd and draining does not present much of a challenge other than getting the absolutely best and freshest milk you can find. However, The more difficult part is the aging of this cheese....

How to Make a Basic Vegan CheeseNo milk or rennet is needed for this cheese. The starter culture used is much like the starter for pickles or sauerkraut. In this recipe you will learn how to make your own "starter culture" for a basic vegan cheese....

Recipe for A Washed Rind Monks Cheese This guideline is my version of a wonderful age old process. I have added a washed curd phase early in the process, by removing enough whey to slow the acid development and to leave a slightly moister and...

A Recipe for making a cheese infused with wineThe cheese I made while taking the photos below was a 4 gallon batch, the recipe I have written is for 2 gallon batch which tends to be a good size for home cheese makers. When working with two gallons...

A Recipe for making a cheese in the style of the Yorkshire Dales This cheese has been on my radar here for some time now and in the end I have managed to make my own version of a cheese that to me seems to fit the profile. The research has come...