Harzer

Ingredients

Curd

• 3 litresskimmed milk
• 3 tbspbuttermilk, as starter

To shape and ripen

• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspcaraway seed, optional
• a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
• a rack and a warm humid box or a covered container

To serve

• raw onion, vinegar and oil
• dark bread

Directions

1. Warm the skimmed milk to 22°C (72°F), stir in the buttermilk, cover and leave at room temperature for about 48 hours until it has set firm and tastes sharply sour.
2. Warm the set curd gently to 40°C (104°F) so the whey separates, then ladle it into a muslin-lined sieve and drain for six hours until it is dry and crumbly.
3. Work the salt, the caraway and the pinch of bicarbonate through the dry curd. The bicarbonate is not optional: it raises the pH just enough for the surface bacteria to take hold, and without it the cheese stays chalky and never ripens.
4. Shape into small flat rounds about 5 cm across and 1.5 cm thick, pressing firmly so they hold together, and set them on a rack.
5. Put the rack in a covered box at 15 to 18°C (59 to 64°F) with high humidity — a lidded container with a damp cloth inside works. Turn the rounds daily.
6. Over one to two weeks they will go from white and chalky to yellow and translucent, working from the outside in, and the smell will become considerable. That is the ripening and it is the point.
7. Eat when the centre is still slightly white for a milder cheese, or fully translucent for a fierce one.
8. Serve with raw onion, vinegar, oil and dark bread.

Technique

• Skimmed milk, genuinely. Harzer is almost fat-free and that is what gives it its texture and its sharpness.
• The bicarbonate step is the one people skip and the one that makes it work.
• The smell in the ripening box is strong. Keep it somewhere that does not matter.

Substitutions

• Bought quark, well drained, in place of making the curd — much quicker and works well.
• Skip the caraway for the plain style.

Variations

• Handkäse is the same cheese under a Hessian name, hand-shaped rather than moulded.
• Baked on bread until it melts, which is a Harz breakfast.

History

Made from soured skimmed milk in the Harz region and eaten with onions, vinegar and caraway.

Frequently asked questions

What is Harzer?

Harzer is a cheese & dairy from Germany: fat-free sour-milk cheese in small rounds, sharp and pungent. Made from soured skimmed milk in the Harz region and eaten with onions, vinegar and caraway.

How long does Harzer take to make?

Harzer takes 30 min plus 2 days souring and 1 to 2 weeks ripening of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 400 g, 8 small rounds. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Harzer?

Yes, within limits. Bought quark, well drained, in place of making the curd — much quicker and works well. Skip the caraway for the plain style.

What is the most important thing to get right in Harzer?

Work the salt, the caraway and the pinch of bicarbonate through the dry curd. The bicarbonate is not optional: it raises the pH just enough for the surface bacteria to take hold, and without it the cheese stays chalky and never ripens.