Making Goat Cheese

30-Minute Mozzarella

Making cheese is fun and easy! Mozzarella is one of the first cheeses people experiment with. It’s fast, fun, and easy to make. And, best of all, it’s really good!

Makes about 8 ounces (10 to 11 with nubian milk)

1 gallon cold goat milk

(you can use cow milk for this also!)

1 1/2 level teaspoons citric acid

dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water. (I use powdered citric acid, but you can use pure lemon juice.)

1/4 teaspoon rennet

dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water

1/8 teaspoon lipase powder

dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water (optional)

kosher salt

Check the temperature of your milk before starting this recipe. If it’s already 55 degrees, skip the first step.

Heat the milk very slowly until it reaches 55 degrees.

When it reaches 55 degrees, add the citric acid, and the lipase if desired. Mix thoroughly and heat to 88 degrees. It should be just starting to curdle. When the milk reaches 88 degrees, add the rennet.

Stir gently and continue to heat to just over 100 degrees; remove from heat.

The curds should be pulling away from the sides of the pot and the whey should be just about clear. If it still looks a little milky, wait a few minutes before proceeding.

Remove the curds with a slotted spoon and place in a 2-quart microwaveable bowl. Press the curds gently with your hands to remove as much liquid as possible and pour it off.

Microwave for 1 minute on high. (Rubber gloves will help at this point.) Remove, knead a bit, and pour off any remaining liquid. Return once more to the microwave for another 35 seconds, squeeze, and drain.

Sprinkle with salt and start playing with it. Stretch, roll into a ball, stretch, and continue until the cheese is shiny. Salt to taste.

Roll into small balls to eat now, or store in the refrigerator for up to ten days.

I always use lipase in my mozzarella to enhance its flavor. It really makes a difference.

DO NOT use table salt when making cheese. Always use either kosher salt or cheese salt. The table salt will not only taste very strong, but it can also turn your cheese an odd color.

Goat Buttermilk

Making your own buttermilk is much like making the first batch of yogurt. You must use a good starter, then keep it going!

Makes 1 quart

1 quart fresh goat milk

2 tablespoons store-bought buttermilk

In a quart jar, add the milk and buttermilk, cover, and shake well. Set the jar on the counter top at room temperature for 10 to 12 hours. No touching, no peeking! Refrigerate. It’s done. When you need more buttermilk, start another quart jar with fresh goat milk and add 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk from the previous batch. You should never have to buy buttermilk again!

Feta Cheese

I make this cheese with fresh milk while it’s still warm. It’s the right temperature and saves a step!

Makes 8 to 10 ounces

1 gallon goat milk

1/4 cup goat buttermilk

1/8 teaspoon lipase powder

dissolved in 1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet

dissolved in 1/4 cup water

kosher salt

If you are using cold milk, warm the milk to 86 degrees.

Add the goat buttermilk and the dissolved lipase to the milk and stir well. Let set to ripen for one hour.

Stir the diluted rennet into the milk for 1 minute. Allow the milk to coagulate for 40 minutes. Cut the curds into 1” cubes with a long knife and let them rest about 10 minutes.

Stir the cubed curds gently and pour into a cheesecloth-lined colander. Let the curds drain, then tie up the cheesecloth and let the liquid completely drain off. The cheese should feel dry.

Slice, then salt each piece on both sides and place in a covered container for 2 days at room temperature.

The cheese can now either be put in a salt-brine solution of 1 gallon of water with 14 ounces of salt added, or marinated. If you choose to use the salt brine, the cheese must be refrigerated.

To marinate the feta you will be covering the cheese with oil. By doing this, it will keep indefinitely as long as it is completely covered with the oil.

Use olive oil (although this will turn the cheese a strange color, and olive oil will congeal in the refrigerator after opening), canola oil, or soybean oil. I have found canola oil to be the best!

Add any herbs and flavorings such as: basil, bay leaves, fennel, garlic, hot peppers, marjoram, onion, oregano, peppercorns (any color), rosemary, sundried tomato, thyme, or any combination of the above.

We use a combination of basil, garlic, and rosemary in ours.

Goat Whole-Milk Ricotta

I have to say, at this point, the freshly made ricotta rarely reaches the refrigerator!

makes 1 pound

1 gallon goat milk

1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons butter, melted

(never use margarine in this recipe!)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a double boiler, heat the goat milk to 195 degrees. Slowly stir in the vinegar. Do not add more vinegar than what the recipe calls for. If at this point the whey is still milky, heat the milk a bit more, to 205 degrees.

Gently place the hot curds in a cheesecloth-lined colander and let them drain for a minute or two. Then place the hot curds in a bowl and add the butter and baking soda and mix until the butter is all combined.

It’s ready to use or eat! You can store it in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 week.

Queso Fresco

This cheese is fantastic in stir fry because it holds its shape!

Makes 1 pound

2 gallons goat milk

1/2 cup goat buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet

diluted in 1/4 cup cool water

kosher salt

Heat the milk to 90 degrees and add the buttermilk, stirring gently, then let it set for a minute. Add the diluted rennet and stir gently again. Allow this mixture to set for 30 to 45 minutes.

Slice the curds into cubes and let them set for 25 minutes. Pour into a cheesecloth-lined colander and gently stir in the salt.

Line a cheese mold with cheesecloth and place the curds into it. Press at 35 pounds for 6 hours.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Stony Knolls Farm Chevre

Everyone's favorite goat cheese! This can be substituted for cream cheese in many recipes — and it’s so good on burgers and baked potatoes.

makes 40 to 50 ounces

three drops of rennet

1/3 cup cool water

5 quarts goat milk

1/2 cup goat buttermilk

set aside at room temperature to take off the chill

First things first! Mix the three drops of rennet into the cool water and set aside. You will only be using 3 tablespoons of this mixture, the balance will lose its potency, so it must be disposed of.

Place the goat milk in a double boiler.

Heat the goat milk to 160 degrees. A little warmer won’t matter, but no cooler than 160 degrees.

Take the pot of warmed milk and put it into a sink of very cold water. I put ice in the water. Bring the milk back down to 80 degrees as quickly as you can.

Add the buttermilk and stir gently. Then add 3 tablespoons of the diluted rennet. Stir gently again.

Cover the pot and wrap it in towels or blankets so that it can maintain its temperature for as long as possible. Keep this covered and don’t touch, don’t peek, don’t do anything to this for 24 hours!

After 24 hours, unwrap, uncover, and gently pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Make sure you are doing this in the sink! After an hour or so, you can close up the cheesecloth and either hang the cheese to drain or leave it in the colander and place it in a baking pan. The whey will continue to run out from the curd. It should drain for another 24 hours.

After 24 hours the cheese is done! You can salt it and use it in place of cream cheese, or you can flavor it and use it as spread or dip!

Because you have “heat treated” the milk, the cheese will stay good for up to 2 weeks, and we’ve used it way longer than that.

Hard Cheese or Brick Cheese

A great cheddar-like cheese.

1 gallon goat milk

1/2 cup Goat buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon liquid rennet

mixed with 1/2 cup cool water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the goat milk in a double boiler and heat to 160 degrees. Put the heated milk in a sink of cold water and bring the temperature down to 86 degrees. Use ice in the cold water to bring the temperature down quickly.

Add the buttermilk and let stand for 2 hours to ripen.

Add the rennet mixture and stir gently for 1 minute. Cover and allow curds to start forming. This takes about 45 minutes. You can peek after 45 minutes!

The curd is ready when you can stick your finger into it and it leaves a hole that fills up with whey.

Take a long knife and cut the curds into 1-inch pieces.

Cover the curds and allow to set for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, put the pan of curds into a sinkful of hot water and bring their temperature up to 102 degrees. Hold at 102 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir the curds every 5 minutes to keep them from matting together. When ready, the curds will look like scrambled eggs and will hold their shape. If they don’t, let them stay at 102 degrees a little longer.

Remove from the sink and allow to set for about 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Line a colander with cheesecloth, and lift the curds out of the whey with a slotted spoon.

Rinse the curds with warm water and then let drain for 25 minutes. Work in the salt.

Fold a clean dishtowel lengthwise several times until it is only about 3 inches wide and pin it together. Leave the curds in the cheesecloth and place them in the dishtowel band.

Using two small bricks, press between two boards for 12 hours.

Remove the cheese from the folded dishcloth and remove the cheesecloth. Put the cheese on a cake rack to air dry.

Turn occasionally, and allow to dry until all surfaces are dry to the touch. Lightly salt outside surfaces to help draw moisture out.

Turn daily for 6 or 7 days and salt lightly if needed. When completely dry, apply melted cheese wax and then age 1 to 6 months.

Store cheese in a dry place of 50 to 60 degrees. Turn occasionally to make sure the moisture inside the cheese is distributed evenly.