How to Make Fresh Goat Cheese at Home

Goat cheese can easily be made at home. Goat cheese is easier to digest than cow's milk making it a good choice for people who are lactose intolerant. Goat cheese can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

How to Make Fresh Goat Cheese the Easy Way at Home

Ingredients

8 cups pasteurized goat’s milk

1/8 teaspoon direct-set mesophilic starter culture

1/8 teaspoon liquid animal rennet

1 tablespoon cold water

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions
Slowly heat goat milk in large saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until the temperature is 90 degrees, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle culture over surface of milk and gently stir until combined.

Dilute rennet in water, then stir into goat milk until well combined. Cover and let sit, undisturbed, at room temperature until mixture fully separates into solid curds and translucent whey, 12- 24 hours. Line a colander with cheesecloth and ladle curds into prepared colander and let drain 2-4 hours, until whey no longer runs freely from colander, and curds are thickened but still moist.

Transfer drained cheese to medium bowl, stir in salt, and divide cheese in half. Working with one-half at a time, bundle cheese in cheesecloth, then tie to secure. Tie cheese bundles to a wooden dowel or spoon and place over a deep large container to drain upside down. 

Make sure the cheese bundles do not touch bottom of the container, Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours and enjoy. Take your goat cheese making a step further and roll your homemade goat cheese into your choice herbs such as dried chives, red pepper or basil.

Did you know? 
Rennet is used to separate milk into solid curds for cheese making and Mesophilic is a non-heat loving culture and is used for making cheeses that are not heated.