Tvorog (more known in America as farmers cheese) is a very popular Russian soft cheese. A lot of folks regularly make it at home. It’s prepared by separating curds from whey through natural fermentation process with the help of heat. There are actually several techniques. Some use salt, lemon juice or vinegar, and heat the milk to temperatures that kill all the probiotic bacteria; but I’m more interested in cheese that still has live probiotic cultures.
HOW TO MAKE PROBIOTIC TVOROG
There are two basic methods to making tvorog with lactobacilli intact: allow raw milk (which has lactobacilli in it) sour naturally at room temperature until curds and whey separate, then strain and squeeze the curds (along the same lines – ferment raw milk with kefir culture until it results in separation). This method produces very soft and moist cheese, and is very simple. Or the method I’m going to describe below – make kefir using raw milk, gently heat it in order not to exceed temperature of 130ºF (55ºC), then strain and squeeze. This makes tvorog that’s a bit drier and closer to the traditional Russian cheese that I grew up on so maybe that’s why I prefer this technique.
HOW TO EAT PROBIOTIC TVOROG
People often use tvorog for cooking, as a filling for blinys, base for pancakes, and coffee cakes. Some folks might say that having live cultures is not that big of deal. But one of the things I like about probiotic tvorog is that I can eat it uncooked, as a snack, with sour cream, or kefir, and honey on top, and I definitely prefer having lactobacilli in my meals.
NOTE TO TVOROG NEWBIES
If you are new to tvorog, you should know that its taste is somewhat of an acquired one. Even though it’s often compared to ricotta or cottage cheese, their flavors are different from that of tvorog. It has some sourness to it, a bit of dryness and is grainy in texture that might not hit an instant jackpot with sugar addicted American palates.
The other thing to remember is that it takes a lot of milk to make a little cheese. I get a quart of cheese from half a gallon of milk. So it’s most economical to make at home if you are able to get discounted raw milk that’s going sour. I get mine at an Amish store that gets fresh milk delivered once a week so by day 5-6 after their delivery I can buy it very affordably. My kefir method works well with pasteurized milk also since kefir culture is powerful enough to get the fermentation going very quickly.
WHEY IS A BY-PRODUCT OF MAKING PROBIOTIC TVOROG
One of the things I love about making tvorog at home is that I get to keep all the delicious whey. I don’t use it to add to vegetable ferments, as I see a lot of people doing here (dairy and vegetable bacteria feed on different sugars), but I love adding it to homemade baked goodies, and cold soups, and even better – drink it straight up. I love the mild, slightly sour flavor, especially during the warmer weather..
HOW TO MAKE PROBIOTIC TVOROG
Ingredients
1/2 gallon milk, preferably raw (raw souring milk is even better)
1 teaspoon of kefir grains, or 1 cup of homemade kefir (how to make kefir)
Equipment
Half a gallon mason jar
Small piece of paper towel
Rubber band
Two pots, medium and large, so that one fits into the other (or water bath that would fit half a gallon)
Food thermometer
Fine strainer
Lint free kitchen towel (I love these from Target), or any flour sack towels. I don’t care for cheese cloth, it makes everything messy.
Large bowl
Instructions
Pour milk into half gallon mason jar, add kefir grains or kefir, and swirl.
Cover the jar with a small piece of paper towel, and secure with a rubber band.
Leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours, until the milk thickens:
Put a little water in a larger stockpot.
If you used kefir grains, strain the milk through a sieve and save the grains for next use. Pour fermented milk into a medium pot that fits the large one; place the smaller pot into the large one to make a water bath:
Start heating the pots on very low flame.
You will see milk curds separating from the yellowish liquid (whey) very quickly, within just a few minutes. Keep an eye on the temperature, it should not get over 130ºF (55ºC), if you are looking to have live cultures in your cheese. Once you see curds separating from whey, remove the pots from heat, and put some ice water into the large one to cool down the cheese:
Put a fine strainer into a large bowl:
Line the strainer with a lint free kitchen towel:
Carefully pour curds/whey into the lined strainer. The curds will stay in the strainer. Whey will drain into the bowl:
I just let it drip for 10-15 minutes to keep my tvorog nice and moist, but if you are trying to reduce/eliminate lactose from the cheese, allow it to drip longer, or even give it a good squeeze, like this:
- 1/2 gallon milk, preferably raw (raw souring milk is even better)
- 1 teaspoon of kefir grains, or 1 cup of homemade kefir (how to make kefir)
- Pour milk into half gallon mason jar, add kefir grains or kefir, and swirl.
- Cover the jar with a small piece of paper towel, and secure with a rubber band.
- Leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours, until the milk thickens.
- Put a little water in a larger stockpot.
- If you used kefir grains, strain the milk through a sieve and save the grains for next use. Pour fermented milk into a medium pot that fits the large one; place the smaller pot into the large one to make a water bath.
- Start heating the pots on very low flame.
- You will see milk curds separating from the yellowish liquid (whey) very quickly, within just a few minutes. Keep an eye on the temperature, it should not get over 130ºF (55ºC), if you are looking to have live cultures in your cheese. Once you see curds separating from whey, remove the pots from heat, and put some ice water into the large one to cool down the cheese.
- Put a [url href=”http://amzn.to/2mga9Lr” target=”_blank”]fine strainer[/url] into a large bowl.
- Line the strainer with a lint free kitchen towel.
- Carefully pour curds/whey into the lined strainer. The curds will stay in the strainer. Whey will drain into the bowl.
- I just let it drip for 10-15 minutes to keep my tvorog nice and moist, but if you are trying to reduce/eliminate lactose from the cheese, allow it to drip longer, or even give it a good squeeze.
12 comments
I do the same! Sometimes, I also use raw goat milk to make tvorog.. It comes out a bit more tangy. Very delicious. I also make quark – a more liquid form of the fresh white cheese. We eat it for breakfast with drizzled honey and some raw sour cream :-).
Now, what I really want to make is vatrushki. Any chance you have a recipe? 🙂
LOVE your website 🙂
Fellow ex-soviet traditional foodie, Julia.
Hi Julia 🙂 Thank you so much!! Love goat cheese, it comes out so creamy, the Amish store where I get my milk also sells raw goat milk and I go through stages of making kefir with it. I haven’t made quark yet, keep meaning to try. It sounds delicious with honey!
I make vatrushki regularly, I leaven the dough with a sourdough starter instead of using bakers yeast, otherwise pretty basic (aka delicious, lol) recipe. I will definitely post it soon!
And thank you again! 🙂
So glad to have found your blog!
Just so you know, “sugar addicted American palates” is a stereotype that does not apply to many Americans. I was sad when a local Polish family had that same misconception and so decided that they would not offer their family’s homemade apple strudel in their restaurant because it would not be sweet enough for Americans. 🙁
Thank you, Valerie!
I agree that it doesn’t apply to all Americans, but it does to a lot and that’s why it became a stereotype. The difference between different cultures’ prospective on sweetness and flavor is pretty incredible, typical American frosting would have 3-4 cups of sugar not counting the sugar in cakes themselves. That’s a lot, my friend! When I first started cooking for my husband, he’d tease me that what I was making wasn’t sweet enough, although I completely disagreed 🙂 That’s a tiny sample to draw conclusions from, of course, but I see the same trend everywhere.. kids are given sweet yogurt all the time because it’s assumed they wouldn’t like it plain..
Finally have some time to sit and browse your posts. Lovely blog, lovely recipes – well done!
I suppose the sweetness issue depends on who you socialize with and is probably also heavily influenced by region. I’m a West-Coaster, and perhaps we have larger pockets of healthier eating trends than one might find in, say, the mid-West. Or at least that is the impression I got from a cousin that traveled there and asked for a salad while at a restaurant… you know, the fresh green lettuce type of salad? They didn’t know what she was talking about! Hard to believe, but there you have it. 🙂
Anyway, love your blog! Thank you for offering us such amazing looking recipes and info!
HI I have a question about making Tvorog. I want it to turn out right. In your recipe you used the kefir you got with the refir grains to create Tvorog through a heating and draining process you lay out. What if I used home made yogurt instead of Kefit that I get from Kefir grains…would I still get Tvorog if I follow the recipe but use homemade yogurt instead of Kefir?
I make my home made yogurt by adding probiotic sour cream to milk after I have raised the temperature of it to 80 degrees celcius and brought it down about room temperature. Then I stir the sour cream into the milk. Then I put a lid on the pot with the milk/sourcream and wrap in a wool coat. I leave it 24 hours and then when its done it usually has some yellow on top which I was told is fat. I then blend it in a blender and it gets pretty uniform though separates out in the fridge leaving liquid on top and solid on the bottom. I wonder if that top water part is called whey?
Thanks. Please reply ASAP because I am on the GAPS diet. You can send me an email or reply on your website. I hope I get a notification though that you replied to my comment if you do.
Marianna
Hi Marianna, yes, you can absolutely use yogurt (or any other form of cultured mill) for making tvorog. The goal is to have soured milk, so it can curdle easily.
And yes, the yellow liquid is whey.
Hi, raw milk is so expensive here in Austin.
I usually hit the milk and add the kefir (I have kefir grain) and let is sour the milk. Then strain it and let it hang for 8 hours, I like the drier tvorog.
Do you always make it with raw milk?
Hi! I’m finding myself using more Kalona milk for tvorog, and sometimes I would get discounted raw milk, which is sold at my local Amish store, and it’s actually a pretty good deal. Fresh raw milk has gotten pricier here, and as you know it takes a lot of milk.
Hi again Valeria! I have been making tvorog method the whole summer, it’s a lot faster than other methods I have previously used. I usually strain my kefir through a fine mesh sieve so my kefir gets really thick, personal preference. I now realize that with all of that liquid separated initially (I make tvorog after straining) separated the curds probably wont get as big. I have a thermometer that I use so that I don’t go over 130F but I noticed that the curds don’t get as solidified, its still very delicious and creamy which I prefer over the much drier tvorog. Do you think I should cook it for longer?
Hi again Valeria! I am not sure what happened to my previous comment but I guess it didn’t go through.
I have been making your tvorog recipe all summer. I wanted to ask you a question about your process, which I absolutely love, it is so much easier than other methods I have used before.
I usually strain my kefir right after it’s done. I separate the kefir grain from the kefir using a fine mesh sieve. I don’t usually keep a lot of the whey. My tvorog has been extra creamy, my curds aren’t very big. I was wondering if you had any insight if this is because I don’t use kefir with whey or I was thinking that I don’t cook it long enough. The thing is that I don’t want it to go over 130F and I use an internal thermometer to check the temperature. How long to you usually heat it for? I do love for my tvorog to be nice and creamy instead of the dry stuff but I kind of wanna play up the texture of it up a bit more. Any ideas for how to achieve larger curds? I strain mine for much longer than 15 minutes. Maybe I should leave it overnight…I have done that with other tvorog recipes.
I’m American but make a lot of Indian food and this is very similar to paneer. Paneer is made the same way then the curds are bound together so that it forms a block. It’s very tasty!