Classic ricotta cheese is made from a combination of Whey and Milk (see Traditional Ricotta recipe), but the challenge is finding whey. One way, and excuse the pun, is to make whey, which is a by-product of making cheese; you see the circular irony right? Whey is a great source of protein when exercising and can be substituted for water in baking. I give it to myself and Zar (my Labrador), after a long hike for recovery. Be warned though, whey can rip through dogs and humans like grapefruit on steroids….
This recipe makes Ricotta cheese from milk and yields around a pound of cheese and three liters of whey. Important note – do not use ultra high temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk, it’s biologically dead and the fat (i.e, cheese) won’t separate from the protein (i.e., whey). If the milk has UHT on the label don’t buy it, not just because of the cheese thing, but who wants to drink biologically dead milk devoid of milk’s gut health benefits. Another note for my European friends, if you’re buying milk warm off the shelf in the bottled water section of the store, it’s UHT pasteurized.
Ingredients
- 1 gal. Whole Milk – can’t use UHT pasteurized milk
- 6 oz Lemon juice, ~1.5 squeezed lemons
- 2 tsp Kosher salt (optional)
Process
- Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
- Slowly heat milk to 220 F.
- Tip: if you rinse the pot with water prior to adding the milk it’s less likely to stick to the pot.
- Remove from heat.
- Dissolve the salt into the lemon juice and add to hot milk.
- Stir until mixed and let rest covered for 10 mins covered.
- Line a strainer with cheese cloth and place over a bowl to catch the whey*.
- Gently pour cheese/whey mixture into cheese cloth.
- Let drain for 10 mins.
- Gently stir the cheese to allow more whey to drain.
- Let cheese rest in the cloth for 1 hour to further drain.
- If the cheese has your desired level of moistness, place in air tight container in fridge until used.
- If you want it more dry, gather the cloth top and twist until the cheese forms a tight ball and drains to your desired dryness.
- If you want crumbly ricotta, break up the pressed cheese before refrigerating.
*Note 1: You can drink whey for the protein, or use it in baking. I use it in bread and pancakes. My dog loves drinking whey and I give him small amounts to recover after a long hike or a day hunting birds and/or gophers.
Note 2: To use vinegar instead of lemon juice, see my other ricotta cheese recipe.
