Got goat milk? Make goat cheese!

**This recipe will work with any kind of milk and is actually traditionally made with buffalo milk or cow's milk

If you have an abundance of milk from your goats that you don’t know what to do with it, goat cheese is your answer!

Many people get discouraged and overwhelmed by the prospect of cheesemaking. This is because many cheese recipes call for special cultures and equipment. The process can take multiple days or even months in total.

However, the recipe I will share with you today is quick and easy, and requires no special equipment at all!

I've made this recipe with milk from my Nigerian Dwarf Goats and my Nubian Goats with great results.

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know to make a delicious cheese: paneer!

A little background on paneer:

Paneer is a soft cheese from Indian cuisine. It has a texture similar to extra firm tofu, but is perhaps a bit denser. It does not melt, but stays together when added to curries and stir fries. It’s also delicious when drizzled with olive oil and some spices and eaten as a snack.

Paneer is traditionally made with buffalo milk, but you may also see it in stores made with cow’s milk (Cheese).

I think it works well with goat’s milk as well.

Shahi paneer and Saag paneer are two Indian dishes you may have eaten before - the cheese in those meals are the same as what we’ll make today.

How to make Paneer: Easy Recipe

I learned how to make paneer from the amazing book, Mastering Basic Cheesemaking by Gianaclis Caldwell. All of her books are must-haves if you keep goats, and her two cheesemaking books are suitable for any kind of milk that you may have on hand.

Equipment Needed:

• Large stainless steel pot, the biggest size you have
• Spoon for stirring
• Ladle (optional)
• Vinegar (I like to use apple cider vinegar, but white vinegar also works)
• 1/2 gallon or more of milk, raw and unpasturized if from your own animals, non-UHT milk if you're buying it from the store
• Clean dishtowel (or cheesecloth, if you have it)
• Strainer
• Large bowl

Paneer Goat Cheese Recipe:

1.Add your milk to the large stainless steel pot. Keep note of how much milk you’re adding in. Leave at least a few inches between the milk line and the edge of the pot.

2. Turn your burner on medium heat. Stay close by to listen for when the milk starts to make tiny bubbles.

3. Just when the milk reaches a true boil, turn off heat and move the pot to the cool side of the stove.

4. Add in your vinegar and stir. The quantity of vinegar you need will vary depending on how much milk you started out with.
1/2 gallon milk: 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar
1 gallon milk: 3/4 cup to 1 cup of vinegar
2 gallons milk: 1.5 to 2 cups of vinegar

5. Keep stirring and watch as the white creamy milk starts to separate. It will start to look watery in some parts, and perhaps even a little beige or yellow. You’ll start to see solids forming.

6. Stop stirring once you notice this change, and cover the pot with a lid.

7. Wait 10-15 minutes while the curds start to form.

8. Place your dishtowel or cheesecloth over your strainer. Set the strainer on top of your bowl.

9. Carefully ladle the solids into the towel. It will still be hot. You can place the ladle on the edge of the pot and drain out the liquid, keeping the solids in the ladle as you go.

10. When you’ve removed all that you cain with the ladle, carefully pour the whey into the sink. Some of the cheese will stay in the pot, and you can add them to your cheesecloth.

11. Gather up your cheesecloth corners or dishtowel corners, and twist them until the twist reaches the cheese solids.

12. Place the cheesecloth back in the strainer, and wait 1-2 hours before adding it to a meal or removing it from the cloth and storing it in your fridge.

13. Optionally, while the cheese is draining you can place a small plate on top of it, and place a heavy object over that to get a more solid texture to your paneer. I like to use a large container of salt to weigh down my paneer while it’s draining.

14. Slice it up and add some salt, if desired. Add to curries, eat raw as a snack, or add it to stir-fries

Delicious goat cheese from sustainable goats

Learn all about how to raise livestock sustainably, or check out my article specifically on reducing the carbon footprint of goats.

This goat gestation calculator may also be helpful, too!

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