How to make homemade Cheese

Easy step by step method

1.Diffuse the citric acid in water (room temperature). Gradually warm the milk, starting in low temperature. When it starts to bubble and puff, add the water and citric acid mixture, and stir with wooden ladle.

2.Almost immediately, the milk starts to thicken. Using a slotted spoon, gather the cheese curds and put them in cheesecloth. In the end, what will remain in the cooking pot is whey.

3.Fold the cheesecloth tight. Then, press gradually until all the liquids are strained. As soon as you have a solid mass in the cloth you are ready for the next step.

4.If you want, you can put the curd in a basket, in order to give it a more specific shape. Press with your fingers so that there won’t be any air-holes in the solid mass, and carefully flip the basket over. Alternatively, you can leave it in the cheesecloth in the shape of a ball. Leave your cheese rest for about 4-5 hours, so that all the moisture is gone.

5.You can enjoy your cheese immediately. Keep it refrigerated in wax paper-not in shrink wrap- so that it can “breathe”. If you want to let it mature, coat with coarse sea salt and let it dry, in a well-ventilated space and covered with tulle to protect it from insects. Also, in that case, it’s best to add more salt to the recipe. When the cheese is as mature as you like, keep it refrigerated in wax paper.

Tips
ALTERNATIVELY, you can keep it in a vase, covered in virgin olive oil and, if you like, add oregano or thyme, for deeper and more sophisticated taste.
YOU CAN USE THE CHEESE in many ways. Enjoy it as an all-day snack combined with Greek rusks, in salads or sandwiches. Use mature cheese in your recipes grated or fresh, cut in pieces.
* This soft cheese is called “tirozouli” in Crete.