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From milk and sour cream - just like home

Real tvorog (farmer cheese) is easy to make at home from regular milk and a spoonful of sour cream. All you need are two ingredients, a pot and a little patience.

Groceries in the U.S. Use regular whole milk. Important: “ultra-pasteurized” / UHT milk curdles less well - it is better to take plain “pasteurized”. Any sour cream will do.

Ingredients

  • Whole milk - 1 liter (about 1 quart / 4 cups)
  • Sour cream - 4 tablespoons
  • Cheesecloth - for straining

What to buy in the U.S.

One batch using 1 L of milk. Product names are in English, as on the shelf.

For the recipe

  • Great Value Whole Vitamin D Milk

    Whole milk

    Great Value Whole Vitamin D Milk

    64 fl oz / 1.89 L

    Buy
    1 half-gallon jug (1.89 L)
    In the recipe
    1 L for one batch of tvorog
    In the store
    Milk refrigerator

    Choose regular whole milk marked pasteurized. For this recipe, avoid milk marked ultra-pasteurized / UHT.

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  • Daisy Pure & Natural Sour Cream

    Sour cream

    Daisy Pure & Natural Sour Cream

    16 oz / 454 g

    Buy
    1 tub, 16 oz (454 g)
    In the recipe
    4 tbsp for tvorog; the rest can accompany zapekanka
    In the store
    Dairy aisle, near yogurt

    Regular full-fat Daisy Pure & Natural. The listed ingredient is cultured cream.

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  • Mainstays 100% Cotton Cheesecloth

    Cheesecloth for straining

    Mainstays 100% Cotton Cheesecloth

    4 sq yd / 3.34 m²

    Buy
    1 pack, 4 square yards (about 3.34 m²)
    In the recipe
    Enough to line the sieve in several layers
    In the store
    Kitchen tools / canning

    Cotton cheesecloth intended for food preparation. This is equipment, not an ingredient.

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For milk, look for pasteurized. One batch yields about 200-250 g of tvorog; a 1 kg zapekanka takes roughly 4-5 batches - weigh what you have.

Method

  1. Warm the milk to about 40 °C - it should feel warm, like body temperature. Do not boil.
    A stainless-steel pot of milk on a black induction cooktop.
  2. Add the sour cream and stir well, until it has fully dissolved in the milk.
    A spoon adding sour cream to warm milk in a stainless-steel pot.
  3. Cover with a lid and leave at room temperature for 1-3 days, until the milk sours and thickens. How long it takes depends on how warm your home is.
    A covered stainless-steel pot resting on a cork trivet.
  4. Once the mixture has set, cut it with a knife into large squares right in the pot.
    A knife cutting the soft set curd into a grid of large squares.
  5. Put the pot over low heat and warm it for 10-20 minutes without stirring, until the whey starts to separate. Do not let it boil.
    White curds surrounded by pale yellow whey in a pot on the cooktop.
  6. Remove from the heat and let it cool a little.
    A pot of curds and whey cooling on a cork trivet beside the cooktop.
  7. Pour the curds into the cheesecloth and let the whey drain. For a drier tvorog, hang the cheesecloth or put a light weight on top.
    Fresh curds draining in a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a glass bowl of whey.
  8. Done! Eat the tvorog right away or use it for syrniki and baking.
    Finished homemade tvorog in a ceramic bowl with a wooden spoon.

Tips

  • Regular pasteurized whole milk gives the best result; ultra-pasteurized (UHT) milk curdles less well.
  • 1 liter of milk makes about 200-250 g of tvorog.
  • Don't pour out the whey - it makes delicious blini and oladyi (small pancakes).
  • Keep the finished tvorog in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Recipe source

This recipe is based on a video by @kassia.usa on Instagram. The steps are in my own words; thank you to the author for the idea.

Link: instagram.com/reel/C_OL-GVJcMA