Not many things can beat authentic homemade Farmers Cheese. I’ve been making my own for over 15 years now. It’s fresh, sweet, and soft enough that you can just eat it plain.
There are many things that can be done with farmers cheese like vareniki, bulochki, nalisniki, to name a few. The next couple of posted recipes are going to be made with farmers cheese. Stay tuned! 🙂
Ingredients you will need:
1 gallon – whole milk room temperature
½ gallon – butter milk room temperature
1 tbsp. – vinegar
Instructions:
Day 1
Pour room temperature milk, butter milk and vinegar into a large pot.
Heating Instructions:
Place the pot onto a stove top burner. Heat combined milk and vinegar on low (3.5 if your cook stove is digital) temperature for 30 minutes or just before boiling. Remove from the stove and let it stand on the counter top overnight.
Day 2
1. Repeat Day 1 heating instructions again (that means the milk needs to be heated twice in order for the milk to form cheese curds). Set aside and let it stand until evening (at least 10 hours).
2. In the evening pour the milk into the cheesecloth.
3. Tie the end of the cheesecloth. Flip the pot upside down into the sink, and then place cheese onto the pot, place cutting board onto the cheese and place heavy object onto the cutting board and let it sit overnight.
I collect whey by pouring into an empty gallon and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I make many things out of whey: pancakes, muffins, vareniki and pelmeni dough…etc.
Remove the cheese from under the press.
Remove the cheese from cheesecloth, place it onto a plate and cover it with plastic food wrap. You can eat the cheese plain or make many delicious recipes too. Next post will be something made out of this delicious cheese.
Enjoy!
- 1 gallon – whole milk room temptemperature
- ½ gallon – butter milk room temperature
- 1 tbsp. – vinegar
- Day 1
- Pour room temperature milk, butter milk and vinegar into a large pot. Place the pot onto a cooktop stove. Heat combined milk and vinegar on low (3.5 if your stovetop is digital) temperature for 30 minutes or just before boiling. Remove from the stove and let it stand on the counter top overnight.
- Day 2
- Repeat day one instructions. Set aside and let it stand until evening.
- In the evening pour the milk into the cheesecloth.
- Tie the end of the cheesecloth. Place the pot upside down into the sink. Place cheese onto the pot. Place the cheese under the press by placing cutting board onto the cheese and place heavy object onto the cutting board and let it sit overnight.
- I collect whey by pouring into an empty gallon and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I make many things out of whey: pancaked, muffins, vareniki and pelmeni dough...etc.
- Remove the cheese from under the press.
- Remove the cheese from cheesecloth, place it onto a plate and cover it with plastic food wrap. You can eat the cheese plain or make many delicious recipes too. Next post will be out of this delicious cheese. Enjoy!
If you make this Farmers Cheese Recipe, please share a picture with me on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Tag with #valyastasteofhome. I’d love to see your creations! ?
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Valya,
Thank you for sharing and posting your tvorog recipe. I do it the same except I didn’t add vinegar, and maybe that is why my “buttermilk-milk” mixture took a long time to become tvorog. Also, I wondered if vinegar is detected when eating it? Thank you again.
Not at all. It actually kills that extreme sour taste in tvorog. 🙂
Oh, that is really neat! Thank you for your super quick reply, I started making the tvorog as I write and excited about the whey and tvorog series!!!!! Thank you for your time and expertise!
You are very welcome! 😉
What kind of cheesecloth are you using? Thanks
I’ve made my own. I had some material left from white see through curtain that I was making for my window. I like it better than regular cheesecloth, because it doesn’t let the cheese come through.
How big is it? Can you give the dimensions? Thank you
Mine is 12″ by 18″. It’s a little to thin and it’s harder to pour cheese into it. If you are making your own 24″ by 24″ will be better, and easier to pour the cheese into it.
wow! we have never made cheese at home but now we are quite tempted! looks authentic!
Thank you! I’ve just made another batch and used 3.25% fat Kefir instead of 1% butter milk. It’s much more softer and taste even better. You have a choice now how you want to make. Let me know how it turns out and how you guys like it. 🙂
Hi Valya,
When you use kefir do you add vinegar too?
Thank you.
Yes, I do. Vinegar removes the bitter taste. I hope this helps.
This is a great post, I will try this method next time, but I got a question, if I buy natural raw milk would I have to do anything different? I know if I let it sit out then I get a very yummy kefir, would I still need to add buttermilk to it or no?
I have not done it with raw milk. I remember that my mom used raw milk and not adding anything into it. I will have to give it a try sometime. If you make it, I would love to know the results. Thank you Nataliya. 🙂
Today is my day 2. It doesn’t look anything like the photos you show. It’s yellowish and watery looking. What did I do wrong? And can I fix it? Was I not supposed to stir it?
It will be very watery. What you see on my picture is the cheese that floated to the top of the pot. You do not see the whey that got collected under the cheese. It sound right. Send me a picture to my email valyastasteofhome@mail.com, I want to see how it looks. Thanks 😉
Valya, thank you for the recipe. Just one question. The first time I hear up the mixture, where you write to let it stand over night… Can I hear it up in 12 hours or 24 hours?
Thank you for your question. After I heat up the mixed milk for the first time, I let it stand on the counter for approximately for 20 – 24 hours. During this time the milk sours. I hope that helps Marina.
After 1 time heated, need wait overnight or 20,24 hours? Thanks.
Overnight or 12 hours. I hope this helps.
Thank you.
You are very welcome!
My grandma doesn’t use cheese cloth she just puts it in drainer thing and put a it over big pot and let the water drip down and it’s turns out great. Less work 🙂 .. I also heard it’s easier to make tvorog in slow cooker but I never tried it..
Great idea. Thank you.
I always make tvorog by just adding 3tbsp. Homemade kefir to 1 gallon of milk (doesn’t matter what fat content) let it sit in room temp. For 20+/- hrs then heat until whey seperates, leave for another day, then strain in cheesecloth over a bowl:) turns out every time:))
Could you please post some recipes where you use the whey? I’m always at a loss with what to do with it :/
Great recipe. That’s another way of making farmers cheese. Yes…, I’m posting a recipe tomorrow where I use whey as one of the ingredient. Stay tuned and thanks for your comment. 😉
Hi, I would like to try it but didn’t understand the second step. You say “repeat step one and set it aside” , does that means i heat up the milk again , add vinegar and put it aside?
Thanks
Hello Zaneera! I see the confusion you have. You need to reheat the milk only, no need to add vinegar on Day 2. I will go back and reword that so it’s more easier to understand. Thank you so much for your question and for making my recipes! 🙂
Very delicious recipe for farmers cheese. Thank you.
You are very welcome! I’m glad you liked it, enjoy 🙂