Homemade Cream Cheese

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This was my first attempt at making cream cheese. I felt like it was a good success but want to make a few changes the next time I make it. I'll share what I did and my thoughts on the final product and what changes I'll make next time.


I started out with a half gallon (2 quarts) of whole cream...



It is super easy to make.. I let the cream come to room temp on its own. I then added the cheese culture. It is the same culture used in making feta cheese, Mesophilic Culture and that is it. Stir in the culture and let is sit on the counter top for 8 to 12 hours.



When it's ready it will be thick when you take a spoon and move some of it aside...



Now it's time to hang it. Grab a colander and line it with a clean, washed and bleached piece of an old sheet. Set it in a bowl to catch the whey...





Pour the cream cheese into it and hang it for a while. 12 hours is good, longer may be needed. The longer it hangs and drips the firmer your cream cheese will be..





When it's done take it out of the sheet and put it in a bowl. If you want add a little salt you can. I added 1 teaspoon of pink salt. Stir it in...





And it is done. If you want to do something a little more fancy pull some out and add a spoonful of jam. I had strawberry jam to add. This was really yummy on bagels.




My thoughts about it all...

1) it did not taste exactly like the cream cheese I buy in the store. But as my daughter said to me.. do we really know what 'real' cream cheese even tastes like? Good point. But it was very good.
2) I will make it again but next time I think I will use half n half instead of full cream.
3) It was more crumbly than the cream cheese I normally buy.

All in all.. it was good and my family had no problem eating it up!!


The recipe..

Homemade Cream Cheese

2 quarts whole cream
¼ teaspoon Mesophilic Culture
salt, optional

Bring cream cheese to room temp (about 72 degrees). Add culture and stir well. Let sit on counter for 8 to 12 hours until the cheese is thick. Pour into a colander lined with a clean, bleached sheet. Hang for 12 or more hours. Add salt if you want in the end.
Enjoy!

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Comments

  1. Amanda FiskMay 5, 2016 at 5:29 AM

    I can not wait to make this! Love your recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BrittanyAugust 4, 2016 at 9:54 AM

    Do you think you could make a cheesecake with this cream cheese?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CrystalAugust 13, 2016 at 8:40 PM

      This cream cheese is soft.. very soft. I'm not sure it would work well with cheesecake..

      Delete

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