Homemade Fresh Ġbejniet (Traditional Maltese Cheese)
Traditional small rich and creamy Maltese cheese made with only three ingredients: milk, salt and rennet. This recipe of Homemade Fresh Ġbejniet is a guaranteed success!
Ingredients
- 2 ltrs fresh full fat cow/sheep/goat milk
- 1/4 tsp rennet powder
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add about 1/3 cup (80ml) of milk and dissolve in the rennet powder. Set aside.
- In a large heavy bottom pot, add all the remaining milk and warm it to 38°C/100°F. As soon as it reaches this temperature, remove from the heat, add the milk mixed with the rennet powder and salt.
- Mix everything quickly and let coagulate for at least 1 hour, covered at room temperature.
- Prepare the baskets and a tray, if possible with a rack on top of it, so that the ġbejniet can drain the extra whey.
- After an hour, lacerate the coagulated milk in vertical and horizontal lines, basically creating square of curds, this will help to scoop the curds from the whey. If the curdles are already quite thick you can start pouring in the baskets, if not let the mixture rest more (up to 4 hours).
- Ladle the curds in the baskets and place them on the rack in the tray. Repeat until you have used all the curds.
- Leave draining in the fridge overnight, there is no need to cover them. In the morning, I like to flip the cheese and re-salt, as needed.
- Keep in the fridge, for at least another 12 hourse, and then you can start enjoying your fresh ġbejniet!