I want to make semi-hard, unripened brined cheese, kind of like Nabulsi or Halloumi.
I already know how to make "fresh" cheese from cow milk, rennet and salt.
But, in my attempts, the resulting curds is far from being hard or semi-hard, unless I strain the curds many hours, but in the process I loose the freshness and fresh milk taste, and the cheese develop other more complex flavours, wich is usually good for a cheese, but not for the kind of cheese I want to make 🙂
I think I read somewhere that the curds in this kinds of semi-hard, unripened cheeses, just like mozzarella, needed to be cooked?
Is it possible to do this cheese with cow milk instead of goat milk?
For the brine, can I use the (in process produced) whey, in wich I add salt?
Can someone post a complete step by step procedure, or direct me to a web site with this procedure?
Thank you!
Best Answer
I've made halloumi with goat's milk (and cow's milk), and I found the goat's milk version to be preferable. Halloumi is traditionally made with a large percentage of goat's milk anyway. It's definitely one of those cheeses that needs the curds cooked - it helps the texture & helps it achieve that "resistant to melting" consistency it's famous for. It helps to be sure your milk is VERY fresh (and unpasteurized, if possible), to help achieve the firm curd you're looking for. Also, I wouldn't use the whey for a brine - make your brine fresh. here's help: cheesemaking.com/Halloumi.html