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authentic Finnish Bread Cheese (Leipäjuusto), Baked the Old Ostrobothnian Way

Bread Cheese

This is the squeaky, golden-spotted farmhouse cheese of northern Finland, set with rennet, pressed into a flat disk, and baked until the surface blisters dark and the inside stays mild and chewy. It takes only three ingredients and an afternoon, and it gives you that famous squeak against the teeth that no store-bought cheese can match.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 People
Course: Appetizer
Calories: 180
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 gallon fresh whole cow's milk not ultra-pasteurized; raw or low-temperature pasteurized works best
  • 0.5 tsp liquid animal rennet single strength
  • 0.25 cup cool unchlorinated water for diluting the rennet
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt

Equipment

  • 1 heavy-bottomed stockpot 8 quart capacity
  • 1 instant-read thermometer
  • 1 long slotted spoon
  • 1 fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth
  • 1 9 inch round cake pan to act as the cheese mold
  • 1 rimmed sheet pan
  • 1 broiler or oven with broil setting

Method
 

  1. Pour the milk into the stockpot and warm it slowly over low heat, stirring often with the slotted spoon, until it reaches exactly 100 F. Do not rush this step or scorch the bottom.
  2. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir the rennet into the cool water, then pour the diluted rennet into the warm milk in a slow stream while gently stirring in a figure-eight motion for about 30 seconds.
  3. Stop stirring. Cover the pot and let it sit completely undisturbed in a warm spot for 45 minutes, until the milk has set into a firm, custard-like curd that gives a clean break when you slice into it with a knife.
  4. Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes by slicing straight down in a grid, then angling the knife to cut horizontally through the layers. Let the cubes rest for 10 minutes so they release whey.
  5. Return the pot to very low heat and gently stir the curds for 15 minutes, slowly raising the temperature to 105 F. The curds will firm up and shrink slightly.
  6. Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Pour the curds into the strainer and let the whey drain for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the salt over the curds and toss gently with your hands.
  7. Transfer the warm curds into the 9 inch round cake pan, pressing them down firmly with the back of a spoon and your knuckles to form a compact, even disk about 1 inch thick. Smooth the top.
  8. Place the pan on the rimmed sheet pan to catch any drips. Position the oven rack about 4 inches below the broiler element and preheat the broiler on high.
  9. Slide the cheese under the broiler and broil for 4 to 6 minutes, watching carefully, until the surface blisters and develops large dark brown and nearly black spots across the top.
  10. Carefully flip the disk out of the pan onto the sheet pan, browned-side down, and broil the second side for another 3 to 5 minutes until it too is spotted dark brown.
  11. Let the cheese rest on the sheet pan for 10 minutes to firm up, then slide it onto a wooden board. Cut into wedges or cubes and serve warm, while the squeak is at its best.

Notes

  • Serve warm with a spoonful of cloudberry jam, lingonberry preserves, or fresh berries on the side — the traditional Finnish accompaniment.
  • For the kaffeost ritual, cut the cooled cheese into cubes, drop them into a coffee cup, and pour hot black coffee over the top.
  • Use the freshest whole milk you can find. Avoid ultra-pasteurized milk — it will not set properly with rennet.
  • If your milk is store-bought and pasteurized, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of calcium chloride dissolved in 2 tablespoons of cool water before adding rennet to help the curd firm up.
  • Wrapped tightly, the baked cheese keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week. Reheat slices in a dry skillet to revive the squeak.