![\"best](\"https:\/\/fromscratchfarmstead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/best-homemade-cream-cheese-recipe-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nHome Dairy<\/h2>\n
One of my favorite things about this homesteading life is that we now regularly make things from scratch that previously I had only ever experienced from a package!<\/p>\n
When we got our family milk cow<\/a>, Thimble, all of the sudden a whole new world of homemade dairy-based recipes became everyday staples. From hard <\/a>and soft cheeses<\/a> to butter<\/a>, yogurt<\/a>, sour cream<\/a>, and now cream cheese. But, don\u2019t worry, family milk cow or not, homemade cream cheese is very doable for anyone!<\/p>\n Cream cheese has its roots in Normandy, France where it was recorded as far back as 1583 but may go back significantly earlier than that. It was called Neufchatel Cheese. This cheese was aged making it different than the standard American counterpart. It had a semi-soft and crumblier texture.<\/p>\n Cream cheese first came on the scene in America in the 1870\u2019s. A New York farmer named William Lawrence was making traditional Neufchatel to sell to an upscale New York store when they requested an even richer cheese.<\/p>\n Lawrence began adding cream to his Neufchatel and started calling it Neufchatel & cream. At the time, this first version of American cream cheese was very expensive and could only be found in high end restaurants. But after other farmers learned the recipe, it became more commonplace.<\/p>\n After some time, cheese broker Alvah Reynolds suggested that Lawrence rebrand his cream cheese under the name Philadelphia Cream Cheese since Philadelphia was known for making high quality cheeses. Demand rose, so Lawrence began selling cream cheese from other farmers. In 1928, his company (The Phenix Company) merged with Kraft and the rest is history.<\/p>\n When it comes to making cream cheese, you are likely to come across two ways to do so. <\/p>\n The first is a cultured cream cheese <\/strong>method. It is made by culturing cream and milk together for 12-14 hours with a culturing agent (we\u2019ll go more into that below) and rennet. This method is our personal favorite. <\/p>\n Raw milk is not a necessity in this recipe. But we do appreciate that if you are using raw milk, you do not need to heat the milk above 100\u00b0F keeping all the beneficial bacteria and organisms intact. <\/p>\n Also, the act of culturing with the addition of rennet not only provides increased nutritional and health benefits but it also yields more cream cheese and provides that distinct, rich cream cheese flavor.<\/p>\n The second is a quick cream cheese<\/strong> that can be made in just a few minutes and only requires milk, an acid, and heat to come together. <\/p>\n This quick recipe is great if you need cream cheese fast! Instead of culturing for several hours, this recipe can be made in about 15 minutes. <\/p>\n Another advantage to this method is that only 2 ingredients are necessary (milk and an acid). And because this cream cheese recipe will be heated to boiling, any kind of milk is fine to use (other than UHT \u2013 ultra high temperature milk).<\/p>\n While the idea of culturing something or adding rennet may sound intimidating, I promise this recipe is not! All that is needed to make cultured cream cheese is:<\/p>\n![\"hand](\"https:\/\/fromscratchfarmstead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/hand-milking-family-milk-cow.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThe History of Cream Cheese<\/h2>\n
![\"spreadable](\"https:\/\/fromscratchfarmstead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/spreadable-homemade-cream-cheese-on-bagel.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n2 Methods for Homemade Cream Cheese<\/h2>\n
![\"homemade](\"https:\/\/fromscratchfarmstead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/homemade-cream-cheese-made-2-ways.jpg\")
Homemade Cultured Cream Cheese Recipe<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Yield: Roughly 2 cups cream cheese<\/h4>\n