Feta Cheese Recipe

Prepare milk

Pour 8 liters of fresh whole milk into a large stainless-steel pot. Slowly heat the milk to 32°C (90°F) over low-medium heat, stirring gently to prevent scorching.

Add calcium chloride (if used)

If you used pasteurized milk, dilute 1 tablespoon calcium chloride in 60 ml cool, non-chlorinated water and stir it into the milk evenly once it reaches 32°C (90°F).

Inoculate with starter

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon mesophilic starter culture over the surface of the milk and allow it to rehydrate for 1–2 minutes. Gently stir the culture into the milk for about 1 minute, ensuring even distribution. Let the milk rest undisturbed for 30 minutes at 32°C (90°F) to allow acidification to begin.

Add rennet

Dilute 1 teaspoon liquid rennet in 60 ml cool, non-chlorinated water. Stir the diluted rennet into the milk for 1 minute using an up-and-down motion, then stop stirring and cover the pot. Let the milk set undisturbed for 45–60 minutes at 30–32°C (86–90°F) until a clean break is achieved (curd should firm and separate when cut).

Cut the curd

Using a long knife or curd cutter, cut the curd into 1–1.5 cm (3/8–1/2 in) cubes. Make vertical cuts across the pot and then perpendicular cuts to make a grid.

Rest and gently stir

Let the cut curds rest for 5 minutes to firm slightly. Then, gently stir the curds for 10–15 minutes to prevent matting and to encourage whey expulsion, keeping the temperature steady around 32°C (90°F).

Cook curds (optional for firmer feta)

Over 20–30 minutes, slowly raise the temperature to 36–38°C (97–100°F) while gently stirring. Maintain this temperature until curds reach desired firmness (this produces a firmer, drier feta).

Drain curds

Line a colander with cheesecloth and ladle the curds into it. Allow whey to drain for 2–4 hours at room temperature. Gather the cheesecloth and tie to form a bundle; hang the bundle to drain further for 6–12 hours or overnight, depending on desired moisture. For traditional crumbly feta, drain longer to remove more whey.

Mold and press

Transfer drained curd into a feta cheese mold or loaf pan lined with cheesecloth. Fold cloth over the top and place a light weight (1–2 kg) to press for 2–4 hours at cool room temperature, turning once if desired to produce even texture. Pressing time controls final density—shorter press yields softer feta.

Cut and salt

Remove cheese from mold and unwrap. Cut into blocks (approx. 2.5–5 cm thick). Weigh each block and either dry-salt by rubbing non-iodized salt on all sides (use roughly 2% of each block’s weight) or place into pre-made brine. For dry-salting, let the salted blocks rest on a rack refrigerated for 24 hours, turning occasionally so salt distributes evenly.

Make brine

Dissolve 200 g non-iodized salt in 2 liters cool, filtered water to make a ~10% brine. Chill brine to 8–12°C (46–54°F).

Brine the cheese

Place salted or un-salted (if you used dry-salting already, reduce brine time) feta blocks into a sanitized container and cover completely with brine. Weigh down the cheese if necessary so it remains submerged. Refrigerate at 4–10°C (39–50°F).

Age

Allow feta to age in brine for at least 5–7 days for a mild flavor. For classic tang and crumbly texture, age 2–6 weeks. Taste periodically. Optional: after aging, transfer to jars with brine and cover with olive oil and oregano for marinated feta.

Keep feta submerged in brine in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Properly brined feta can last 4–6 weeks refrigerated. Marinated feta in oil will keep for 1–2 weeks once opened. Serve chilled or at room temperature; crumble over salads, bake in pastries, or enjoy with bread and olives.