Adyghe cheese has a lot of "relatives" in many countries: Mozzarella, Brynza, Ricotta, Feta, Panir and many other types of brine cheese, invented in the history of mankind.
Adyghe legend claims that the famous cheese existed in the 7-8 millennium BC. But the cheese with the name "Adygea" became really famous only after the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, where it was delivered in beautiful packages specially made in Finland.
The production technology of brine cheese "Adygea" for thousands of years has not changed.
The only difference between modern production is the use of raw materials.
If earlier goat and sheep milk were used to make Adyghe cheese, then, due to the widespread and significant reduction in the number of these domestic animals, cow milk was used in production.
True, after the introduction of this innovation, the cheese makers of Adygea began to actively spread rumors that they had special cows, and they produced milk that is not found anywhere else in the world. By the way, about milk: in pasteurized form, milk of an Adyghe cow does not have any significant differences from milk of an Indian or Swiss cow.
An interesting fact: Adyghe cheese is produced by many of the largest cheese producers in the CIS, but under a different name. The fact is that the name "Adygea cheese" was patented by manufacturers in the Republic of Adygea, therefore, exactly the same cheeses made outside Adygea, with an absolutely authentic taste, should be called somehow differently. But the matter is not in the name, but in taste. Therefore, such cheese can be completely cooked in any home kitchen.
Adyghe cheese at home - basic technological principles
The difference between the production technology of Adyghe cheese and other brine cheeses is that long-term pasteurization is used for its production.
The only difficulty in making Adyghe cheese at home is to provide long-term heating of milk to a temperature of 95º 95, which affects the consistency of the clot. At the indicated temperature, as well as during continuous stirring, the milk protein sticks together in threadlike clots, pushing out the whey mass.
To prevent milk from running away and getting burnt during pasteurization, there is a simple and effective way to solve the problem: before heating, the raw materials must be cooled as much as possible and then added to the pasteurization pan gradually, in small parts, with continuous stirring, pouring the cooled milk along the edge of the container and at the same time lowering temperature of the pan and raw materials.
To prevent milk from sticking, pour a little water on the bottom of the pan before making cheese dough, and after bringing it to a boil, start adding fresh milk first, and then whey, sour cream or yogurt. The use of dairy products in the preparation of homemade pickled cheeses is the best option. These products are naturally saturated with essential bacteria and enzymes and how every housewife knows how to handle them properly.
Special and rennet enzymes and starters that are used in production cheese making require a certain level of preparation from the beginning cheese maker, and, in addition, their use makes sense for impressive volumes of cheese production: special starter cultures in the amount of 1.5-2 g are added to 100 l of milk . At home, hardly anyone will need such an amount of cheese: from 100 liters of milk, you can get 13-16 kg of product, depending on the type of milk. With such a minimum amount of starter per 100 liters, it will be very difficult to measure its weight to prepare one head of cheese weighing 1.5 kg.
It should be noted that smaller heads can be prepared at home, but the following factor should be taken into account: whey separation in brine cheeses occurs naturally, without the use of presses, under the pressure of the product’s own weight. Therefore, based on the laws of physics, with a head weight of 0.5 kg, the serum extrusion process will be slower and less efficient.
The ratio of fresh milk and dairy products is 2: 1. It will be very convenient if, immediately before cooking, part of the fresh milk is diluted with sour cream or thick yogurt: this will allow the acid mass to be poured more evenly and to avoid the formation of lumps in cheese dough.
To start making Adyghe cheese at home, it remains to consider the quality requirements of the raw materials used and the standard requirements for the finished product. Of course, the best choice for making cheese is natural, whole milk, which can be purchased from farmers or in specialized agricultural markets. The fat content of Adyghe cheese is, according to standard requirements, 45%; humidity - up to 60%; the salt content is 2%.
In order to get cheese of exactly this quality, the raw milk used for its preparation must correspond to these indicators as much as possible. It is allowed to use dry concentrates, with the help of which it is possible to bring natural skim milk to the desired fat content. It is also possible to use a combination of skim milk with fat sour cream to obtain the necessary fat content.
In general, in their own kitchen, GOST rules do not have absolute power, but you can give free rein to your creative potential.
1. The original recipe for Adyghe cheese at home
Ingredients:
Goat milk, whole 4.5 l
Cow's milk, whole 5.5 l
Serum, natural (from cow, whole milk) 4 l
Salt
Cooking method:
Take two types of milk in equal parts and the same amount of whey. To prepare brine cheese according to the original recipe, you will need an enameled or stainless pan with a volume 2 times the amount of milk.
Pre-filter milk purchased on the market through gauze or a linen napkin.
Pour the milk into the pan by turning the stove on to the lowest temperature. Cook it for 50-60 minutes, pouring the serum in small portions every time the milk is about to boil. Stir the contents of the pan continuously. Filamentous clots that separate from the serum should form in the milk mass.
When the curdled milk protein has gathered in a spherical clot, turn off the heat or remove the pan from the stove. Prepare a container for folding cheese, and under it put other dishes in which the whey will drain. When the whey drains, and the cheese is compacted under its own weight, turn the form over and put the head on a wire rack (wire mesh).
Real Adyghe cheese is filtered through willow wicker baskets. But you can use other containers that are suitable for this purpose: a sieve or a colander is suitable. Sprinkle salt over the surface of the head. Cheese should ripen within 18-24 hours. Cheese can be stored in tightly closed packaging, no more than 72 hours.
Recipe 2. Adyghe cheese at home from dry concentrate
Ingredients:
Whole milk (3.2%) 6.5 L
Sour milk, home 3.3 L
Powdered milk (25%) 1.5 kg
Salt
Cooking:
Preheat natural milk to 40ºϹ, and dilute the dry concentrate in it, adding powder with continuous stirring. When the concentrate is completely dissolved, separate 2.5-3 liters of milk from the total volume and cool this part to 18-20ºϹ.
Heat the second part of the reconstituted milk to 90-95ºϹ and start pouring 200-300 ml of chilled milk into it, and then yogurt to lower the boiling point. Use yogurt with a temperature of + 5ºϹ to extend the process of cooking cheese for up to an hour.
Pour in the chilled milk and yogurt along the edge of the pan, in a circular motion, so that the clot collects in the center of the pan. Remove the pan from the stove when the milk has curdled and refrigerate again to room temperature. Collect and transfer the clot into a prepared form with holes for draining the serum. Place the mold on the dishes that will serve as a pallet. After the cheese has compacted, salt the surface and transfer to a grid or wire rack, and salt the cheese, on the other hand. Put the finished head in a plastic bag with a clasp or in a container with a tight-fitting lid.
Shelf life of cheese - 3 days, at a temperature of 0-5ºϹ.
3. Adyghe cheese at home from whole cottage cheese and milk
Ingredients:
Milk, whole 4,5 l
Cottage cheese, homemade (bold)
Cooking:
Wipe the home-made cottage cheese through a sieve and combine with half of the milk taken into a homogeneous mass, without lumps. Start the second half of cold milk in a saucepan, in 200-300 ml portions: one part is heated to 90ºϹ, pour in the next portion of milk. After all the milk has been pasteurized, start pouring the chilled mixture of milk and cottage cheese, also in parts: in circular movements, from the walls of the pan to the center. Remove curdled milk proteins from the stove for cooling. Next, shape the cheese heads as described in the recipes above.
4. Adyghe cheese at home from milk and sour cream
Ingredients:
Natural milk 7.5 l
Sour cream (25%) 2.5 kg
Cooking:
As in previous recipes, use chilled ingredients to make cheese. Combine 1/3 of the milk with sour cream to get a liquid homogeneous mass: it will be convenient to introduce sour cream into the pan.
Begin pasteurization of milk, pouring it in parts into a pan and heating, close to the boiling point. At the same time, milk should never boil. After all the milk has been poured, pour in the sour cream diluted with milk. During pasteurization, do not stop smoothly stirring the cheese mass. Leave curdled milk protein to cool; collect the curd mass in a sieve, colander or other round container with holes. After the separated whey drains onto a pallet and the cheese is compacted under its own weight, salt the surface and turn the mold over, putting the cheese in a prepared storage container.
Adyghe cheese at home - useful tips and tricks
For the convenience of making Adyghe cheese at home, use a thermometer to control the temperature of pasteurization of milk: if milk boils, then the cheese will not work out, and the pasteurization temperature is very close to the boiling point.
To make one kilogram of Adyghe cheese at home, at least 6.5 liters of milk are required.
Replace rennet in home-made cheese can be sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt and any sour-milk products.
If the farm has a home smokehouse, try smoked Adyghe cheese: after preparing the cheese head in any of the described ways, keep it in the smokehouse for 3-4 hours, in cold smoking mode (up to 25ºϹ). For smoking, grease the cheese head with butter. Smoking does not extend the shelf life of cheese, but allows you to get new, interesting shades of taste. To increase the shelf life of smoked Adyghe cheese, a longer exposure to the smokehouse is required, but the taste of the cheese changes significantly.
Try to cook Adyghe cheese with pepper, caraway seeds, cilantro or other spices and spices. Such cheese can be used to prepare original salads and other dishes.
