Homemade Oscypek.docx

“Oscypek” A simple way to make a version of this traditional cheese at home! Ingredients: 4L whole milk (this recipe was made with pasteurized, store bought cow’s milk; raw sheep milk is traditional) 20 drops of rennet mixed into 50ml water (ratio is 5 drops rennet to 1L of milk) 32 drops of calcium chloride mixed into 50ml of water (ratio of 8 drops to 1L of milk) For brine: 1.5L water ¾ tsp calcium chloride 3oz kosher salt 1) gently mix calcium chloride into milk and let sit at room temperature for 30 mins 2) heat milk to 37˚celcius at medium heat, stirring occasionally 3) turn off the heat and add rennet through a slotted spoon, to shower into the milk. Stir gently a few times. 4) let sit until solidifies. I closed the pot in the oven for one hour. 5) cut the curd into 1cmx1cm squares and let sit for a few minutes until it separates from the whey. 6) put back on stove, and heat to 50˚celcius, just until the curd becomes sticky. 7) strain the curd through a sieve, but make sure to keep the whey. 8) form into a ball or cylinder and put back into the warm whey. 9) take out and squeeze out excess whey, until it stops leaking. You can do this by hand, or by putting into a wooden form, or oscypiorka. 10) leave on a rack or cheese mat to cool off and dry 11) prepare the brine: mix calcium chloride, salt with hot water until salt is dissolved. Let sit until room temperature (should be same temperature as cheese) 12) once cooled, put cheese into bring and let sit for 24 hours. 13) pull out of brine, rinse, and let sit on a rack in a cool, dry place for 12 hours to dry the cheese out. Cheese is ready to be smoked! Depending on your smoker, smoke between 38˚ celsius to 45˚celcius, for 4-5 hours, until you’ve reached your desired level or smokiness. I believe pine or spruce is traditional for smoking; I used mesquite and it turned out really nice. Happy cheese-making! Anna S.