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You are here: Home / Recipes / Whole Milk Ricotta

Whole Milk Ricotta

27/10/2012 By Gavin Webber 14 Comments

Whole Milk Ricotta is very easy to make.  However I used a recipe during my latest cheese making workshop that simply amazed me.

Normally, I find that Ricotta made with Whole milk and white vinegar is quite tasteless.  So I looked for a better recipe, which I believe I have found.  When drained this now becomes Ricotta Salata.

whole milk ricotta

The finished Ricotta is creamy, sweet and easy to make.  You only need three ingredients.  Whole milk (obviously), citric acid, and cheese salt.

Here is the method;

Easy Whole Milk Ricotta

 Yield: 4 cups or around 700 gm
Preparation Time: about 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 4 litres (1 gallon) full cream milk
  • 2 tspns Citric Acid
  • 1 tspn Cheese Salt

Procedure:

1. Add milk to a large stainless steel pot

2.  Add 2 tspn of citric acid per 4 litres of milk (dissolved in 1 cup cool water). Add 1/2 of this Citric Acid solution to the milk (save the rest of the citric acid). Stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.

3. Add 1 tspn salt

4.  Heat the milk slowly on low to medium stirring well to prevent scorching.

5.  At 70-75°C watch for small flakes forming in the milk and the separation of small curds.  If after a few minutes you do not see the flakes forming, add more of the Citric acid until they form (do this in small 1 Tbsp increments to avoid over acid milk).  You will use less for raw milk, and more for pasteurised/homogenised milk.

6.  Continue heating to 90-93°C then turn the heat off. The thermal mass of the whey will hold at this temperature for quite some time.

7.  As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the centre of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.  Let the curds rest for 10-15 min.

8.  Ladle the curds gently into draining moulds lined with butter muslin (fine weave cloth). Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.

For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 10°C. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours), before chilling overnight. Move to a refrigerator. Consume within 10 days
I had to use all of the Citric Acid solution for it to work, however it was fine.
I was simply amazed at the quality of this Ricotta.  I chose to drain it for about an hour, and it formed a solid block of cheese in my Ricotta hoop which when salted and aged for a few weeks becomes Ricotta Salata.  It could even be cut into wedges and lifted, but crumbled easily with a smooth texture.  If you press this cheese with light weights for an hour or two it becomes much firmer.
I could eat it by the spoonful, but it definitely cannot stand alone.  This cheese needs to be added to recipes to get the full benefit from it.  It’s just too bland otherwise.

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Related

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Ricotta, Ricotta Salata

← Mozzarella and Ricotta Workshop – October Cheese from Manitoba Canada →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber is passionate about home cheese making. He loves to make cheese in his spare time and shares the techniques, videos, podcasts, and recipes with his fellow curd nerds!

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. coulwoody says

    01/03/2014 at 04:24

    Hi Gavin, really like this recipe, but sometimes have problems with the curds and whey separating fully – my whey is still milky and of course the yield is then low. I use the full 2 tspns citric acid (and have sometimes tried even a little more), follow all the Green Living suggestions about using different batches of whole milk etc, and follow your recipe above to the letter – and sometimes it separates and sometimes it doesn't. If I add more citric acid… how much citric acid is too much?! Thanks for any help you can offer, Leanne

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      01/03/2014 at 22:42

      Hi Leanne. If I am using milk of a dubious quality i.e. store bought milk, I add about 2ml of Calcium Chloride in quarter cup of water to help the curds develop better. That will negate having to add more citric acid.

      Gav

      Reply
    • coulwoody says

      08/03/2014 at 03:04

      thanks Gavin, will give that a try!

      Reply
  2. AL TAN says

    27/12/2013 at 08:09

    Beside citric acid, some blogger use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      01/03/2014 at 22:43

      Yes, vinegar or lemon juice will work as well, but does not produce the creamy consistency that this recipe does.

      Reply
  3. Edgie says

    02/11/2012 at 22:27

    Thanks for the great blog Gavin I'm keen to start making cheese and I'm wondering where you buy your supplies from in Australia

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      02/11/2012 at 22:53

      Cheers Edgie. I get most of my supplies from Green Living Australia.

      Gav

      Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    27/10/2012 at 19:45

    Very instructional as usual Gavin and very clear. Are you going to do a video?

    Many years ago when I was in hospital the person in the next bed was supposed to be on a low fat diet and when they brought his dinner loaded with cheese I, being the know-it-all I was, said, hey cheese is full of fat, whereupon I was told to mind my own business. In the intervening years I learnt that Ricotta cheese was made from whey being an otherwise waste product from making regular cheese, and that it was FAT FREE. I naturally assumed therefore that my hospital neighbour was being given Ricotta. Now I see I have to change my thinking yet again as your latest Ricotta is made with full cream milk. I wonder, can it truly be called Ricotta if it is made with anything other than whey? and should a full cream milk Ricotta be given another name?

    David

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      28/10/2012 at 23:03

      Hi David, I have a free weekend coming up, so good idea about the video.

      You are probably right about this version of Ricotta. It is not fat free at all! The resulting whey was crystal clear when drained so there was not much left in it.

      Gav

      Reply
  5. narf7 says

    27/10/2012 at 19:44

    What is cheese salt Gavin and where can I get it? I live in Tasmania so I would imagine I would have to buy it online?

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      27/10/2012 at 19:51

      Hi narf. Cheese salt is course non-iodised salt. You may be able to pick it up at a specialty store, and definitely on-line. Try Green living Australia and tell them Gavin sent you!

      Reply
  6. becky3086 says

    27/10/2012 at 11:24

    So I could make this with store bought milk?

    Reply
    • Cheeseadmin says

      27/10/2012 at 12:16

      Yes Becky. No problem at all. That is exactly what I used. As long as the milk is not ultra pasteurized or UHT, it should be fine.

      Gav

      Reply

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