I’ve recently discovered how much fun it is to make my own ricotta cheese. On this quest to return back to a homestead-y kinda life, learning a new skill in the kitchen brings me sooo much joy!
It’s also great because I often cook for my mom, and she can’t have any salt. Making cheese at home allows me to skip out on the salt, which is a HUGE deal!
Making homemade ricotta is fairly simple, so it’s great for beginner cheesemakers…like myself. :)
You can play around with these measurements based on the amount of milk you have available. The general ratio is 2 tbls of vinegar for every 4 cups of milk. In this recipe we use 1 gallon of milk, so we add 8 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
What you’ll need:
Ingredients
— 1 gallon Milk (preferably raw)
— 8 tbls Apple cider vinegar (or white) you can also use lemon juice, but I haven't tried this yet so I'm not sure if it's the same measurements
— 2-4 tsp Sea salt (to taste)
— Cream (optional)
Kitchen equipment
— Tall pot (I used a 6 quart)
— Cheese cloth or muslin bag
— Cooking thermometer
— Large bowl (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel) don't use plastic, you'll be pouring hot fluid into it
— Storage container
Directions:
— Add milk to your pot and turn it on medium low heat until it reaches 175-180 degrees fahrenheit
— Once it reaches that temperature, turn off the heat, keeping the pot on the burner
— Add in the vinegar and briefly stir. You’ll see the curds start to form right away
— Put a lid on the pot and leave it to develop for 20 minutes. This is an important step, as it helps the ricotta develop flavor. If you want a very mild ricotta, opt for 10 minutes instead. Make sure the temperature stays around 170 degrees during this process. If it dips below, turn the heat back on low until it reaches 170 again
— Once the curds are all formed, drain off the whey water using a cheese cloth or muslin bag. Save whey water for later
— Squeeze out excess whey water, or if you have time, allow the cheese to hang over a bowl for a couple of hours or until it stops dripping
— Stir in some cream or extra whey water, and sea salt until it has the desired taste and consistency
— Store in an airtight container for 5-7 days in the fridge
You can use the leftover whey water for many things like adding it to shakes for extra protein, using it to soak grains, giving to your livestock or plants as extra nourishment, or adding to your baking in place of water.
Keep playing around with this recipe until you have the ricotta of your dreams.
If you make it, please let me know by tagging me on Instagram at @MountainsDaughter.
I can’t wait to hear about your cheesemaking adventures! 🧀✨