Homemade Colonial Cheese Recipe

Have you ever heard of colonial cheese? It is for the gauchos what Minas cheese is for the miners: it is not lacking on the table and is consumed straight, in snacks or in culinary preparations. Here at TudoReceitas we share the recipe for colonial cheese, also called cologne cheese.

The colonial cheese is very typical of the mountainous region of Rio Grande do Sul. It arrived in Brazil around 1875, brought by Italian immigrants, who were fleeing the war. It has a creamy, buttery texture, because it is made from high-fat milk, and a mild flavor, but not enough to go unnoticed.

Want to know how to make homemade colonial cheese? Below we share the step-by-step photos, follow it and see how easy it is!

Ingredients for making homemade colonial cheese:

 5 liters of whole milk or cattle milk

 45 grams of salt

 5 milliliters of liquid rennet or liquid coagulant

 ½ cup of warm filtered water

How to make homemade colonial cheese:

Put all the milk in a large pot and cook. Leave it until it reaches a temperature of 35°C, which should take about 10 minutes. When this happens, remove the pan from the heat.

Tip: It is best to use an appropriate thermometer to measure the temperature in milk. However, you'll know it's at this temperature when you dip one of your fingers into the milk and manage to count 10 seconds without feeling burning.

In half a glass of warm water dissolve 5 ml of liquid rennet and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add to the milk, mix and set aside for 40 minutes - during this time the milk will thicken.

Tip: You can use the rennet lid itself to measure, it contains 5 ml of liquid rennet.

After the rest time, cut this mass of milk into cubes, as in the photo, making horizontal and vertical cuts. Return the pan to the heat, this time until it reaches 43°C. Remove from heat and continue stirring for another 15 minutes to cool.

Tip: With the help of the foaming machine, stir the mixture so as not to burn the bottom of the pan.

Strain this mass of milk with the help of a large and resistant sieve, leaving only some (little) liquid in the mass (called whey). Add the remaining salt and mix with your hands. Wrap the dough in a cloth and place it, still wrapped in the cloth, in a mold with cheese holes or large sieve, to drain the rest of the liquid.

Tip: Preferably use a clean, dry, odor-free linen cloth or muslin cloth (not even detergent or fabric softener).

Knead the cloth well and place a press or a weight of about 5 kg on the dough, squeezing well, to drain as much liquid as possible. Set aside this way for 2 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator, turning the dough every 30 minutes.

Tip: At each turn, use a board to make it easier to turn the cheese over and make it straight.

Finally, transfer the cheese to another cloth and wrap it well. Keep it in the fridge for 1 week before cutting or serving, to complete the maturation process and obtain a homemade cured colonial cheese with a hard rind, as shown in the photo.

Tip: During this time you can turn your cheese every 12 hours to facilitate the maturation process.

After this week your wonderful homemade colonial cheese is ready! Do not hesitate to prepare it at home and enjoy this homemade cheese made by yourself. Bon appetit and let us know in the comments what you think.

Looking for more homemade cheese recipes? See how to do it:

homemade fresh Minas cheese

Homemade and easy kefir cheese

Fresh Homemade Cheese

If you liked the homemade colonial cheese recipe, we suggest you enter our Cheese Recipes category. You can also visit a list of the best Brazilian recipes. You may be interested to read about the covered rice blogpost/ rice with chicken recipe/ shrimp chupe recipe/ shrimp and tilapia recipe/ squid chicharron recipe.