As if having a newborn and 4 other blessings was not enough, we decided to become proud Jersey milking cow owners.
Month after month, we were spending more than we liked on pastured milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, butter, etc. So, we prayed, scoured Craigslist as well as Tennessee Jersey registries, and put the bug in many of our friends’ ears regarding obtaining a milk cow.
4 weeks after baby Amos was born, a local family called us regarding a registered Jersey they had for sale. And the rest is history.
We love our wonderful Blossom! My husband and kids milk her, and I reap the fruit of Blossom’s good pasture grazing by being creative with our many gallons of milk. One of my experiments has been in making various flavors of yogurt cheese and other cheese balls.
Since I am nursing a little one and homeschooling, time is not on my side. I needed a simple way to make cheese and add some variety to it as well.
So here you are: the easiest cheese to make, requiring little working time and effort.
Easy Yogurt Cheese Ball
This is the easiest cheese to make, requiring little working time and effort. The biggest requirement; about 1 to 2 days of patiently waiting 🙂 Once the basic cheese ball is done, flavor as desired. Be sure to check below for two of my favorite variations.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts yogurt or kefir*, homemade
Instructions
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Tuck 90 count cheesecloth into a 1/2 gallon-sized mason jar, so it's making a net inside that reaches about 1/4 to 1/3 the way down.
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Rubber band the cheesecloth at the rim of the jar to hold it in place.
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Slowly pour as much yogurt as you can in the cheesecloth so that the whey will drip into the bottom of the mason jar.
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Check the yogurt in about an hour or so (by then it will have descended a bit into the jar).
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Add more yogurt and keep doing so until all the yogurt is in the cheesecloth.
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Flip the loose ends of cheesecloth up and over the top -- to keep the dust and bugs off while it continues to drip out.
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Patiently wait 1 to 2 days for the whey to be extracted and a pliable yogurt cheeseball to form.
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To avoid the yogurt cheese getting more sour than you prefer, you can move it to the fridge.
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When it's done, put the cheeseball in the fridge, and then think about your additions!
Recipe Notes
*Make your own kefir, directions here.
Here are two variations of the yogurt cheese that we cannot get enough of. Both can be made in advance and are so easy!
Honey Hazelnut Yogurt Cheese Ball
Place in the center of a serving platter with sourdough bread, crackers, and/or fruit around it. Lovely and delicious!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts preferably soaked*
- 2 to 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter
- sea salt to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey
- easy yogurt cheese ball recipe above
Instructions
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Chop the hazelnuts finely.
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Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
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Fry the hazelnuts in the butter (don't let them burn!).
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Remove from heat.
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Salt to taste.
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Let cool a bit, then add honey and mix.
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Refrigerate until cool.
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Spread nut mixture on a plate, then roll the cold yogurt cheese ball all over so it will get a good coating of nuts.
Recipe Notes
*Learn how to soak nuts, instructions here.
Onion and Garlic Yogurt Cheese
A wonderful savory cheese ball! Serve with sourdough bread, crackers, and/or veggies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 small onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
- easy yogurt cheese ball recipe above
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
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Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
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Fry onions and garlic until soft, a few minutes.
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Remove from heat and let cool. Gently mix onions and garlic into cheese.
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Add sea salt, to taste, and mix in.
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Form cheese into a ball.
Do you love a good cheese ball? What are your favorite easy things to do with excess milk?
Love homemade cultured dairy? Check out Traditional Cooking School and our Cultured Dairy eCourse — make your own yogurt, sour cream, cultured butter, easy cheeses, and more!
This post was featured in 50 Fermented Salsas, Dips, and Spreads and 15 Easy Raw Cheese Recipes.
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This sounds wonderful! Question about it, though. I make my own yogurt and have a “wave” strainer (company’s name I think) that does a great job of straining the whey to give me a yogurt cheese which is much the consistency of cream cheese, and is how I typically use it. Do you know if using your method of the cheesecloth makes for a firmer cheese than what I am obtaining? Also, I have something called “butter muslin”, would that be similar to the cheesecloth you recommend? Thanks for the help!
Hello Sharon,
I am not familiar with the strainer you use, however, the consistency of the yogurt cheese I make is similar to cream cheese – if that is any help. In addition, butter muslin would be fine to use. : ) Sounds like you are already enjoying yogurt cheese. : )))
Tracy!! My mom recently taught me how to make my own cheese. I do not have access to fresh milk but I do buy organic. My moms process involves waiting and then baking, however it is sooo simple. I’m really excited to try your flavorings on my cheese. I currently flavor with finely chopped radishes, green onions, dill and salt and pepper to taste. I just chop all ingredients and mix into the cheese. So yummy.
Sounds wonderful, Natalia. Is this AZ Natalia? If so, I know of a connection for raw milk there if you are interested. : ) Your cheese sounds delicious by the way! Can you explain your mom’s process- what exactly are you baking?
Blessings!
I don’t know how to make homemade yogurt …. can you help me?
Hi Janice! There are many wonderful recipes out there. What works for our family is the following:
1. Warm a gallon of milk (we use raw milk from our cow, but you can probably use organic milk- not ultra pasteurized though) in a stock pot on the stove, on low-medium heat, until a shiny gloss on the top just begins to appear.
2. Once you see the faint glimpses of the shiny gloss, remove from heat, stir a bit, and wait for it to cool down to room temperature.
3. Then incorporate two cups of high quality organic yogurt into the cooled milk (make sure it is mixed in well).
4. Pour the mixture into 4, quart sized mason jars, and also fill a one pint mason jar to the top (this will be your yogurt culture to use next time so that you do not have to buy more).
5. Turn on the light in your oven and place jars in there. Leave overnight and in the morning, depending on your oven temp, you should have some yogurt.
6. Refrigerate for a few hours before eating.
I hope this helps. : ) Let me know if you have any questions.
God bless!
Tracey
Hi Tracey,
This looks so lush!
It’s great to find another home cheese maker and see some of the enthusiastic respnses you’ve already had to this post.
I started making cheese at home a couple of years ago and loved it so much that I set up http://www.HomemadeCheese.org specifcally to help the newbie cheese maker learn more about the art.
Honey hazelnut sounds gorgeous, I have got to give that a try.
Adam.
Thanks, Adam. We feel so blessed to have an abundant supply of milk so that I do not have to feel bad experimenting. I will have to check out your sight and now learn a bit from you! : )
God bless!
Tracey
YES!!! AZ NAT 🙂 I would love the raw milk connection…miss you by the way!! I so wish I could visit your beautiful family. I’m not really sure what happens to my mom’s cheese, but I’ll explain the steps. Take 1 gallon of whole milk and 1 cup of butter milk and whip them together for 30 secs…I think the bm has the necessary cultures to turn the milk into cheese. I whip this up in a big bakable dish with a lid, and let it sit on my counter for 3 days covered, not touching it at all. On the 3rd day I uncover and place in the oven @ 250. I bake this for about 3 to 4 hours, I check it after 2.5…what I’m looking for is a rim of water on the edge of the dish and the “cheese” in the center…it kind of looks like it shrinks into itself…and it will have little cuts throughout the body. I know Tracey, It’s kind of hard to explain…I’ll take pics of the process next time. 🙂 When I feel like its ready, I place a large mesh colander in the sink and place a cheese cloth over it…I pour the whole “cheese” bake into it…It looks like a soft white cloud followed by a bunch of greasy water. I carefully tie the cheesecloth, It’s very HOT, and I hang it up overnight, so all the water can drain out. I have been making so many batches that I have it down and actually just use one container, even to drain…less dishes 🙂 In the morning when you open up the cheesecloth you have a cloth full of soft cheese…It is so delicious!!! My mom said this is the Polish way to make cheese…ha-ha…she’s been doing it for years. I tried with goat’s milk, but I did not like the flavor, it was very bitter. I don’t have a lot of free time, but this is something that hardly takes any time at all. I make it once a week now, it’s a staple. I hope you try it out, I’m pretty sure its foolproof, If I can make it. 😉 BTW, you inspired me with the honey hazelnut recipe. I added pine nuts, flax, chia, almonds and mixed it all together with the honey…OH MY!!!! It was divine!!
Natalia- hi!!!! You make cheese too. : ))) Thank you for sharing with me your mom’s recipe. I love authentic, traditional dishes from various cultures. I might have to try it once our cow calves and the milk is flowing again. : ) Here’s the website for our raw milk connection in AZ: http://saveyourdairy.com/. It is expensive, however we always thought it better to have a little of what was good than a lot of not so good. : ) You will cry over spilled milk though. Come for a visit ANYTIME. It is wonderful here- wish I could’ve saw you and your family when we were in AZ last summer. God be with you young lady!
Just finishing up the Honey Hazelnut version. I had a little sample and it is divine! Thanks, Tracey!
Hello.
I make yogurt cheese often for various recipes. (like Chocolate Cream Pie) I was wondering what you do with they whey that drips out… Do you drink it? Use it to make the next batch of yogurt…
I poured it back into my yogurt and stirred it up.
Thanks!
Hello Sondra,
I save the whey for fermenting, or soak chicken feed in it. You can also make fizzy drinks by adding a little juice to whey.
Someone around our home- people or animals, eventually end up consuming it. : ))
Would this be gaps legal for someone with candida? If I’m already making my own yogurt with raw milk? Please say yes! I miss cheese!
Hello Nickie!
I have not done GAPS, so am not familiar with the specifics, only generals of the diet. However, I would assume if you are making your own yogurt that is GAPS legal- this cheese is essentially the same yogurt, minus the whey- so I would think the cheese would work. : )
Blessings!