{"id":1048,"date":"2022-07-17T19:31:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T19:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/easy-farmhouse-cheddar-hard-cheese-recipe\/"},"modified":"2022-07-17T19:31:51","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T19:31:51","slug":"easy-farmhouse-cheddar-hard-cheese-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/easy-farmhouse-cheddar-hard-cheese-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy Farmhouse Cheddar Hard Cheese Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making hard cheese at home does not need to be intimidating. In fact, you might have everything you need on hand already! This yogurt-cultured farmhouse cheddar recipe is a tasty and versatile hard cheese that you\u2019ll come back to time and time again.<\/p>\n

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Jump To Recipe<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Make Your Own Cheddar Cheese at Home!<\/h2>\n

Our family started in cheesemaking several years ago. Our real food journey led us to source the highest quality, locally produced farm goods \u2013 including milk!<\/p>\n

Living in the suburbs at the time, raw milk was a luxury. But we\u2019d go out of our way to buy it and enjoyed making homemade mozzarella occasionally.<\/p>\n

Then we got a family milk cow on our homestead and milk was no longer in short supply! Cheesemaking became a weekly activity and venturing into the world of hard cheeses was inevitable. <\/p>\n

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But where to start? All the recipes I came across involved special cultures, expensive cheese presses, long aging times and techniques, and unnatural-seeming ingredients.<\/p>\n

At the time we were living in the middle of Amish country, and these simple and resourceful people gave us the inspiration we needed!<\/p>\n

Farmhouse, or farmstead, cheddar originated with the Amish. I was thrilled to find, 1) it only needed a basic starter culture like yogurt or kefir, 2) I was actually able to rig up an easy homemade cheese press with items I already had in the kitchen, and 3) this cheese has a very short and uncomplicated aging process.<\/p>\n

Natural Cheesemaking<\/h2>\n

I can\u2019t talk about cheesemaking without mentioning David Asher and his book, The Art of Natural Cheesemaking<\/a>. Every cheesemaker needs this book on their shelf!<\/p>\n

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Modern cheesemaking techniques have strayed far from their traditional forms. Cheddar is a perfect example. In fact, the bright orange coloring of cheddar we are used to seeing is a byproduct of industrial farming practices and the addition of annatto: A coloring agent used to cover up the vitamin deficiencies of non-pastured cows milk. <\/p>\n

Asher explains, <\/p>\n

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\u201cCows make colorful cheese when they feed on fresh green grass. Carotene, an essential vitamin as well as pigment in grass, colors the milk and the cheeses of pastured cows. But confined cows do not get their daily dose of carotene in their hay, haylage, or grains, and their milk shows its vitamin deficiencies when made into cheese: A cheddar made with pastured cows\u2019 milk has a beautifully creamy color because of its carotene content; cheese made with milk from confined cattle is unnaturally white.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

While this farmhouse cheddar recipe is not found in Ashers book, his philosophies and techniques have influenced how I view the cheesemaking process and the type of natural cheese I want to make to feed and nourish my family.<\/p>\n

How To Use Farmhouse Cheddar<\/h2>\n

Farmhouse cheddar has a mildly sharp taste. It\u2019s texture is hard, but it will melt when shredded or sliced thin and is still smooth and creamy enough to enjoy fresh.<\/p>\n

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We use this cheese for about everything! You can dice it to top a creamy soup, savory porridge, or even a fresh salad. Thin slices go perfectly on any sandwich, or better yet, melted on a grilled cheese or toasted sandwich. And our absolute favorite is combining it with our homemade mozzarella<\/a><\/strong> on our deep-dish sourdough cast iron pizza<\/a><\/strong>!<\/p>\n

This cheese also grates well and has hints of a parmesan. Farmhouse cheddar is truly versatile!<\/p>\n

How Long Does It Take to Make Farmhouse Cheddar?<\/h2>\n

Traditional cheddar ages between 6 months to 1 year. This farmhouse cheddar recipe is ready in 3-5 weeks.<\/p>\n

The cheese itself is made in just a couple hours. Then it undergoes a drying process for a few days. Once dried, the outside of the cheese is coated in butter to form a rind and preserve the cheese for aging.<\/p>\n

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We age ours for about 4 weeks. The longer the cheese ages, the sharper the taste will get. The rind will also continue to dry out and get harder the longer you wait. We\u2019ve found 4 weeks of aging to typically be the right amount.<\/p>\n

Sourcing Ingredients<\/h2>\n

Both from David Ashers book and from experience, we\u2019ve learned a lot about how to source the highest quality and most natural cheesemaking ingredients.<\/p>\n

Milk – <\/strong>Cheesemaking pairs best with fresh milk that is as close to its natural form as possible. Finding raw milk from a local farm with cows raised on pasture is your best bet. Or, looking for milk that is not ultra-pasteurized and\/or non-homogenized is an alternative. The beauty of this farmhouse cheddar recipe is that the milk never gets above 90\u00b0 F. This preserves the native bacteria inside raw milk making a truly raw cheese.<\/p>\n

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Yogurt\/Kefir – <\/strong>Any plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt will work to culture this farmhouse cheddar recipe. For best results, look for options without added thickeners or artificial ingredients. Culturing with kefir also works. Kefir will actually contain a higher quantity of the bacteria needed to culture your cheese.<\/p>\n

Rennet – <\/strong>Rennet contains the enzyme from the fourth stomach of a calf that naturally coagulates milk to set it into a firm curd. Coagulated milk is easier to digest making nutrients more bioavailable. Nearly all cheesemaking requires rennet. We use WalcoRen tablets<\/a>. They offer a pure and natural form of dried chymosin (enzyme from calf stomachs) with minimal additives. Many liquid rennet options are plant based and can contain genetically modified ingredients and other preservatives.<\/p>\n

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Butter<\/strong> – Farmhouse cheddar ages with a thorough coating of butter. Raw milk butter will age best with the cheese. Lard can also be used to coat your cheese. If your sourcing of butter or lard is questionable, you may want to scrape off or cut off the rind once the cheese is aged before you eat it. We use homemade butter with milk from our cow and don\u2019t remove the rind.<\/p>\n

Salt – <\/strong>There are special cheesemaking salts that are more course. But any granulated salt will work. We recommend an unprocessed sea salt option and use Redmond Real Sea Salt as our salt of choice.<\/p>\n

Do I need to buy cheesemaking equipment?<\/h2>\n

As I was thrilled to find out, you may not need to buy anything to make this farmhouse cheddar recipe! If you have a large stock pot, wooden spoon, slotted spoon, food thermometer, colander, strainer, drying rack, cookie sheet, and some other basic kitchen items, you likely have what you need!<\/p>\n

Here are some equipment considerations:<\/p>\n

Cheese Press<\/strong> – If you have a cheese press \u2013 great! If not, they can range from $50 up to hundreds of dollars to purchase. I don\u2019t own a cheese press and have been making this cheese for years without one. We have a stainless-steel colander that came with our stock pot. I found a pot we had lying around that fits snuggly within that colander that acts as a follower. To apply weight, I simply add three (kombucha) filled quart sized mason jars to the follower pot. As more weight is needed, I stack heavy books on top of that. There are many ways to rig up a homemade cheese press and this system has worked perfectly so far!<\/p>\n

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Cheese Cave – <\/strong>Because of the low aging time of this cheese, your aging conditions are very forgiving. Typically, cheeses are aged in a cheese cave that maintains a temperature of 50\u00b0 with high humidity. However, a cool basement will work for farmhouse cheddar, or even just a spot on your countertop. We have found it easy to forget about your cheese in the basement and have had fine results on the countertop. Aging in your fridge is also an option.<\/p>\n

Thermometer – <\/strong>Any kitchen thermometer should work \u2013 especially considering that traditionally cheesemakers just used their finger to gauge temperatures! However, we did purchase this thermometer <\/a>that works very well with cheesemaking.<\/p>\n

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Curd Spoon<\/strong> – For years I used a standard large slotted spoon to scoop curd out of the pot. It works! But recently I did upgrade to this curd spoon<\/a> which, I\u2019ll admit, makes the process go much smoother and quicker!<\/p>\n

Cheese Cloth –<\/strong> Picking up some cheese cloth is helpful for squeezing or straining out some whey from your curd. Butter muslin also works, or even a smooth thin cotton towel.<\/p>\n

A Note on How To Use Whey and Why<\/h2>\n

Whey is the natural byproduct of cheesemaking. Milk contains curd plus whey; making cheese separates the two. Whey is a nutrient rich food that contains protein along with vitamins and minerals.<\/p>\n

Because of this, don\u2019t just discard your whey! Pouring it down the drain is a missed opportunity to use this amazing food.<\/p>\n

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Here are some ways we use leftover whey:<\/p>\n

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  • As a stock for soups, stews, or porridge.<\/li>\n
  • To cook things like rice, beans, and oats in.<\/li>\n
  • As a water replacement in breadmaking or baking.<\/li>\n
  • Pour in garden or landscape areas for fertilizer.<\/li>\n
  • Feed to animals like pigs or chickens. (Dogs or cats will appreciate it too \u2013 just in small quantities to not upset their stomach!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Best Hard Cheese Recipe for Beginners<\/h2>\n

    In my opinion, this is the best hard cheese recipe out there for the beginning cheesemaker.<\/p>\n

    The steps and techniques are remarkably forgiving and entry level. Over time you\u2019ll dial in the process to end up with just the right flavor and consistency for your liking. And, regardless of how your cheese ends up looking, your family and friends will be blown away that you made your own hard cheese at home.<\/p>\n

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    Farmhouse Cheddar Recipe<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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