Mild Feta Cheese Makes 1 1/2 pounds
Feta cheese is a tangy, crumbly cheese used most often in Greek cooking. It is traditionally made from sheep or goats milk which results in a sharper flavor, but cow's milk will work too.
1 gallon milk
1/4 cup cultured buttermilk (Or you can use clabbered raw milk)
1/4 tsp. rennet dissolved in cool water
3-4 Tablespoons coarse salt (You can use table salt, but use less)
* Warm milk in a pot to 86 degrees F and stir in cultured buttermilk. Cover pot. Let sit one hour to ripen.
* Stir dissolved rennet into milk. Cover pot and allow to sit one hour more to coagulate. Don't stir or disturb. The milk will become a solid mass. You can check to see if it is ready by sticking the tip of a knife into the curd. If you get a clean break, the milk has set up. If the curd is yogurt consistency, you should wait longer.
* Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes. Allow to rest 5 minutes to expel the whey. Stir gently every few minutes for 15 minutes keeping the curd at 86 degrees.
* Line a colander with butter muslin (I use plyban cloth) and set inside a big bowl if you want to save the whey. Drain the curds. Tie the four corners of the cloth together and hang to drain for 4-6 hours. The curds will form a ball.
* Slice the ball in half and lay the slabs of cheese in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle all the surfaces with 3-4 Tablespoons of coarse salt. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temp for 24 hours.
* After 24 hours pour off the whey, salt all the surfaces and let sit 2 more hours. Place cheese in a covered dish and refrigerate. Use immediately or allow to age 5-7 days to sharpen the flavor. Use within two weeks or freeze for future use.