Farmer's Cheese Tvorog Recipe

Step 1

Allow the milk gallon and buttermilk to come to room temperature on the counter (about 7 hours).

Step 2

Pour milk and buttermilk into a large soup pot. Cover and place in a warm (100˚ F) oven for 1 hour or until mixture feels luke warm.

Step 3

Remove from oven and place in a warm room and let it sit for 24 hours. When it's done, it should become the consistency of sweetened condensed milk. It pulls when you lift it up with a spoon and should not really stick to your spoon if you insert it vertically and remove it straight out. Do not stir.

Step 4

Place on the stove again over low heat, uncovered for 40 minutes or until it is warm. Do Not Stir. You have to heat it up slowly, since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein.

Step 5

Remove from stove and place in a warm room for another 24 hours (again, next to the heating vent on the floor).

Step 6

Place on the stove over medium/low heat for 40 minutes or until hot (do not boil). The cheese will separate from the whey. Turn off the heat and let it sit covered for an hour (this helps for the curds to separate as well).

Step 7

Place 4 layers of cheesecloth over a large colander inside a large bowl.

Step 8

Pour cheese mixture over the cheesecloth. Tie the top of the cheesecloth and hang it over your kitchen faucet for 8-10 hours OR place a cutting board either in a baking dish or in the sink. Put bag of cheese on top. Cover with another cutting board and place a heavy weight over the top.

Step 9

Remove cheese after 12 hours and make something tasty or refrigerate. You can let it sit longer if you want a drier cheese.