If you have been milking your sheep, you may have reached a point where you have more milk than you could use. As it would happen, sheep milk is the ideal milk for making cheese. Plus, it freezes wonderfully, so you can freeze small amounts of excess milk until you have enough to make a batch of cheese. Over the course of the next year we will be adding a variety of articles about the uses for sheep milk. Today however, we are going to teach you how to make one of our favorite sheep milk cheeses: Halloumi.
If you have just started to delve into the art of cheesemaking or have made some of the easy acid coagulated fresh cheeses, you might have realized how complicated and intimidating many cheese recipes are. There is a dizzying array of cheese types and recipes for variations on those cheese types, many of which you have likely never even heard of. On top of that a quick look at a cheesemaking supply catalog will reveal there are many different cultures and additives, and all sorts of special molds and tools for making cheese. Where to start?
Today we are going to look at a very easy to make rennet based cheese.
It requires no fancy molds or presses, and is the perfect cheese to introduce you to the various techniques used in more advanced recipes.
Not only that, but Halloumi is DELICIOUS! It is not a common cheese, and you may have never heard of it. Nonetheless we encourage you to give it a try. Halloumi is an ancient cheese that was traditionally made with sheep milk. It is a unique cheese in that it does not readily melt and is typically grilled or pan fried. It can make an excellent snacking cheese or can make a meat substitute. It is a mild salty cheese with a ‘squeaky’ texture. Traditionally this cheese was coated with dried mint in the last step. However that is completely optional, and we do not typically make the cheese with mint.
If you are new to making cheese, set aside an entire morning or afternoon to devote to the process.
That way you are not trying to rush. You can take the time to learn the techniques that will allow you to succeed at making more complex cheeses later. Making cheese is “a hurry up and wait” process. Halloumi takes several hours to make from start to finish.
Before you get started you will need to acquire a few items. You will need a single strength liquid rennet. We personally use animal rennet. You will also need cheese salt. You can buy a special cheese salt or use a salt like pickling salt for this purpose. Whatever salt you use needs to be fine textured, NOT Iodized, and without any sort of anticaking agents added—just plain salt. If you are using raw sheep milk no culture is required. If you are using pasteurized milk, you will need either a buttermilk culture or MA 4002 (or equivalent). MA 4002 is a mixture of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria.
As far as required tools go, you will need a large pot, a thermometer, long knife, and a colander. If you have a cheese basket mold it will make a prettier finished cheese, but it is not required.
It is always a good idea to sanitize all your tools before you begin. This can be done by steaming them over a boiling pot of water.
We will be making this recipe with 100% sheep milk, however you can also make it with cow or goat’s milk.
If using cow or goat milk the yield will be less than with sheep’s milk. The photos in this article are of a 5 gallon batch we made, but this recipe will be for a 1 gallon batch.
*A note about milk: Cheese cannot be made from ultra high temperature pasteurized milk. The process damages the milk proteins and prevents them from coagulating properly, so if you are purchasing pasteurized milk to use, be sure to check that it is not ultra-pasteurized.
Ingredients:
1 Gallon Sheep Milk (If you are using raw milk be sure to handle it carefully and properly from milking through to making the cheese so that you do not contaminate it with harmful bacteria. Pasteurized milk can also be used however, see note above.)
1/8th tsp single strength liquid rennet (you will need ¼ tsp for pasteurized milk)
3 tsp salt
¼ tsp of MA 4002 culture (optional, not needed for raw milk)
Step 1: Heat your milk to between 86 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit and then add rennet.
You need to heat your milk slowly and carefully. For a small batch it is probably best to place your pot of milk in a sink full of very warm water as small batches are easy to overheat or scald on the stove. If you choose to heat your milk on the stove, do so very carefully. Monitor the temperature closely and stir it often. Once your milk has reached the target temperature, turn off the heat. You can now add the optional culture. Stir thoroughly to incorporate the culture.
Once the milk is at temperature, add your 1/8th (or ¼ tsp for pasteurized milk) of rennet to ¼ cup of cold water, and mix well. Pour your rennet mixture into the pot of milk and stir it thoroughly using an up and down motion for about a minute to make sure the rennet is well incorporated into your milk.
Now you will need to let the milk sit quietly without stirring for 30-40 minutes. You will likely see it start to thicken in about 15 minutes, but it needs the full 30-40 minutes to finish the process. You want it to produce a nice solid curd as that is essential to your success in the rest of the process. The milk will coagulate long before the 30-40 minutes has passed. However, it is not ready yet.
Step 2: Cutting the curds.
When you have reached 30-40 minutes and the milk looks firmly coagulated, take your long knife and cut the curd. If when you make your first cut, the whey appears very cloudy, or the curds collapsed allow it to sit a little bit longer. You want a nice clean cut as seen in the below pictures. Cut your curd into 3/4-1” pieces vertically, and allow them to rest for about 5 minutes. At the end of 5 minutes, take your spoon and stir and cut the curds horizontally until you have uniformly sized 3/4-1″ pieces. Do this gently so that you do not shatter the curds into tiny bits.
Step 3: Cook the curds to remove the whey.
Once you have your curds broken up into about ¾” cubes, you can start to heat them. You want to very slowly heat the curds up to about 105 degrees. It should take 20-30 minutes to raise the temperature. Then the curds should be held at that temperature for another 30 minutes. When raising the temperature, you should stir the curds gently. Once you have reached 105 degrees stir them every few minutes to prevent them from matting together. As you do this the curds will release whey and shrink. After holding them at that temperature for 30 minutes, you can allow the curds to settle under the whey for a few minutes while you prepare for the next step.
I’d also like to note here, it is important to try to heat your curds as slowly as the recipe states. A large part of what gives various different cheeses their unique characteristics is how the curds are handled in the process. Changing the handling and heating the curds differently than stated in the recipe can drastically alter your end product.
Step 4: Separate the whey from the curds.
Scoop out the whey (the liquid) down to just above the level of the curds. Retain this whey as it will be needed in a future step. Once you have most of the whey removed, you can pour the curds and remaining whey through the colander. I usually do this over a large bowl to catch the remaining whey. If you are using a cheese mold, the curds can be transferred to the mold at this time.
Return the whey to your pot.
Side Note: If you wish you can make ricotta cheese with the whey. To do so, add ½ cup of distilled vinegar or lemon juice to the whey while you are heating it to 190 degrees, but before you cook the halloumi. Once you have reached 190 degrees, stop stirring and you should see the ricotta float to the surface. You can either skim these curds off the surface, or can strain it through some cheesecloth/butter muslin, and then continue with the recipe above.
Step 5: Consolidate and form the curds.
What you want to accomplish here is consolidating your curds into a solid mass rather than a million little pieces. You can use some light hand pressure, or 1-2lbs of weight to help press the curds. If you are using basket molds and have 2 of them, you can alternate placing one on top of the other to press the curds. If you are using a colander, you can place something like a plate with some canned goods on top of it to press the curds. While they are pressing you want to carefully turn them over every 15 minutes or so. That way you will end up with a uniformly consolidate mass of curds.
While you are consolidating your curds, begin heating the whey you returned to the pot. It needs to be heated to between 185 and 195 degrees though it shouldn’t be allowed to boil. Stir it regularly so that it does not burn. When your whey is hot and your curds are sufficiently consolidated move on to the next step.
Step 7: Cooking your halloumi.
We are almost done! This cooking step is integral to making your curds halloumi rather than a different cheese.
Once your whey has reached 190 degrees, and your curds are compressed into nice well formed blocks, gently place them in the pot of hot whey. Be careful as you are setting it in so that they don’t get stuck to the bottom of the pot. We usually carefully lift up our halloumi periodically to make sure it isn’t sticking. Keep your whey hot during this time. The cheese will need to cook in the 190-195 degree whey for 30-40 minutes. When it is done cooking it will float, and instead of being stiff when you scoop it up, it will droop off the sides of your spoon.
Step 8: Drain and flatten your cheese.
When your cheese floats, remove it from the pot and place it on a flat surface that can drain. I typically use an upside down dinner plate placed on a cookie sheet (to catch the whey running off). Allow the cheese to cool slightly, and dip your fingers in cold water. Flatten the cheese into a larger disk. I usually flatten mine to 1/2-3/4” thick as I feel that pan fries well. How much you flatten the cheese is up to you. Once it is flattened, sprinkle it with the salt (and the optional mint if you wish to do so). Then fold the cheese in half and allow it to cool.
At this point your cheese is done. It is best left to sit for a day or two to allow the salt to disperse uniformly throughout it, and it should stored in the refrigerator as soon as it cools.
To cook this cheese
You can place it on the grill, or cook in in a frying pan with a small amount of oil until it is golden brown. It will form a caramelized crispy outer surface and have a soft interior texture.
We hope this helps you to dip your toes into the world of cheesemaking, and we hope that you get the opportunity to try this wonderful cheese that is not part of the American diet.
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