This recipe uses a simple method to make farmer’s cheese (tvorog), which turns out very soft! This makes THE BEST cheese for syrniki!
Growing up, we always had farmer’s cheese (tvorog) in our household! My mom used this simple cheese in many different recipes. My favorite is syrniki, which is a cheese pancake that we eat with honey and sour cream!
Farmers cheese is the easiest cheese to make! It only requires one ingredient, which is milk! I use sour cream to help sour the milk quicker. You can definitely make tvorog without it, but it will take a few days for the milk to sour at room temperature.
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Tool you will need
- Large pot
- flour sack towel – or a cheesecloth
- fine strainer
Ingredients:
- 1-gallon whole milk at room temperature (get the best quality you can; organic milk is best)
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
About two years ago, I started purchasing raw milk from a local Amish family. I have been really enjoying learning new recipes and skills using raw milk. I know that raw milk is a taboo subject, but my family and I enjoy its positive benefits.
Homemade farmer’s cheese (tvorog) is a great way to use up raw milk, and it makes a great breakfast prep that the whole family will enjoy! My kids love it with honey, sour cream, and fresh fruit! It makes an easy breakfast that will nourish your body, and you won’t feel guilty giving it to your kids! My kids love it, and it’s a great way to sneak in good bacteria that have live cultures into my children’s tummies!
You can skim the cream from the raw milk and then make heavy cream, butter, or sour cream!
This recipe has become a part of my weekly rotation in my kitchen, along with my sourdough and water kefir. There is always something fermenting and growing at this farmhouse!
How to make farmer’s cheese (tvorog)
Allow the milk to come to room temperature on the counter (it should take a few hours)
Add 1 heaping tablespoon of sour cream to the milk and mix to incorporate it. The cultures in the sour cream will help the milk become sour and thicken it, which essentially turns into buttermilk.
(I like to use these glass gallon jars because it is easy to work with, and when the buttermilk is ready, you will see it through the jar. I also use these jars for raw unpasteurized milk)
Once you mix the sour cream with the milk, cover the jar loosely with the lid and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. The milk will begin to sour and form clumps; this is the natural fermentation process.
It is supposed to do that. You will notice that the buttermilk will begin to separate from the whey. The whey is a greyish color, and the buttermilk will be white. Do not mix or stir it.
Gently heat the buttermilk
Gently pour the buttermilk into a large pot and place it on the lowest heat on your stove. Heat the buttermilk for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is slightly more than lukewarm. The heat will slowly heat the cheese, and the cheese will begin to thicken. Do Not Stir. You must heat it up slowly since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein.
My mom has taught me a simple test to see if the stove is too hot. Place your finger into the pot after 20 minutes of the cheese heating. If it still feels cold, let it continue to warm up and check again in 5-10 minutes. If the cheese feels too hot and you can’t put your finger into the pot, you have overheated it! But please be careful not to burn yourself.
Proceed with caution! (If you overheat the cheese, you can still use it! It might have a slightly chewier texture, but it will still work) I’m sure there are other ways to check if it is ready, but this is my mom’s method that doesn’t use any additional tools.
The cheese will float up and form one big clump of farmers cheese
Turn the heat off, cover the pot with a lid, and let it cool completely—this may take up to 6 hours.
Place a cheesecloth or a flour sack towel over a large colander set inside a bowl (if you want to keep the whey, you can use it in sourdough bread instead of water)
Line all four corners of the cheesecloth, tie a knot on top and hang it over your kitchen faucet for 8-10 hours. Alternatively, twist the cheesecloth around the farmer’s cheese (tvorog) and tighten the twist every few hours to ensure most of the whey is out.
Remove it from the cheesecloth and make something delicious with it!
Make sure to try homemade yogurt in the instant pot as well!
Is farmer’s cheese (tvorog) healthy?
It is one of the healthiest foods on this planet! farmer’s cheese (tvorog) has tons of beneficial bacteria that are good for your gut health. It;s rich in probiotics, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Tvorog may be one of the earth’s most perfect foods. The probiotics in tvorog can benefit the gut microflora and help boost the immune system.
How long can homemade farmer’s cheese last in the fridge?
If you keep it in an airtight container, it can last up to 14 days in the fridge. That’s if it’s not all gone by then! Our household has homemade tvorog for breakfast and as a snack in between meals!
Farmers cheese ( Tvorog)
Equipment
- large pot
- flour sack towel – or a cheesecloth
- fine strainer
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk at room temperature (get the best quality you can; organic milk is best)
- 1 tbl sour cream
Instructions
- Allow the milk to come to room temperature on the counter (it should take a few hours)
- Add 1 heaping tablespoon of sour cream to the milk and mix to incorporate it. The cultures in the sour cream will help the milk become sour and thicken it, which essentially turns into buttermilk.
- Once you mix the sour cream with the milk, cover the jar loosely with the lid and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. The milk will begin to sour and form clumps; this is the natural fermentation process. It is supposed to do that. You will notice that the buttermilk will begin to separate from the whey. The whey is a greyish color, and the buttermilk will be white. Do not mix or stir it.
- Gently pour the buttermilk into a large pot and place it on the lowest heat on your stove. Heat the buttermilk for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is slightly more than lukewarm. The heat will slowly heat the cheese, and the cheese will begin to thicken. Do Not Stir. You must heat it up slowly since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein.
- My mom has taught me a simple test to see if the stove is too hot. Place your finger into the pot after 20 minutes of the cheese heating. If it still feels cold, let it continue to warm up and check again in 5-10 minutes. If the cheese feels too hot and you can’t put your finger into the pot, you have overheated it! But please be careful not to burn yourself. Proceed with caution! (If you overheat the cheese, that’s. You can still use it! It might have a slightly chewier texture, but it will still work)
- Turn the heat off, cover the pot with a lid, and let it cool completely—this may take up to 6 hours. Place a cheesecloth or a flour sack towel over a large colander set inside a bowl (if you want to keep the whey, you can use it in sourdough bread instead of water)Line all four corners of the cheesecloth, tie a knot on top and hang it over your kitchen faucet for 8-10 hours. Alternatively, twist the cheesecloth around the farmer’s cheese (tvorog) and tighten the twist every few hours to ensure most of the whey is out. Remove from the cheesecloth and make something delicious with it!
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