Ingredients
Curd
- 5 litreswhole milk, sheep’s or cow’s
- ¼ tspcalcium chloride dissolved in 2 tbsp water, if using shop milk
- ¼ tspmesophilic starter culture, or 4 tbsp live yoghurt
- ½ tspliquid rennet in 50 ml cool water
Brine
- 1 litrewater
- 120 gcoarse non-iodised salt — a 12% brine
- 2 tbspwhey from the cheese
Directions
- Warm the milk to 32°C (90°F). Stir in the calcium chloride if you are using pasteurised shop milk — without it the curd sets weak and the yield drops sharply.
- Stir in the starter, cover, and leave 45 minutes for the milk to acidify slightly.
- Stir in the diluted rennet with a few slow strokes, then stop the milk moving entirely and leave it undisturbed for an hour. It is ready when a clean finger pushed in at an angle and lifted gives a clean break rather than a ragged one.
- Cut the curd into 2 cm cubes and leave for 10 minutes, then stir gently for 20 minutes while raising the temperature to 35°C (95°F). The cubes will shrink and firm.
- Ladle the curd into a muslin-lined mould or colander, fold the cloth over, and press under a light weight — a 1 kg tin is plenty — for 12 hours at room temperature, then another 12 in the fridge.
- Cut the pressed cheese into blocks and pack them into a jar. Dissolve the salt in the water, stir in a little whey, cool it completely and pour it over so the blocks are submerged.
- Leave in the fridge for at least two weeks before eating. It goes on improving for two or three months, growing saltier and more crumbly.
Technique
- The brine must be cold when it goes over the cheese. Warm brine softens the surface and the blocks slump into each other.
- Whey in the brine matters more than it sounds: brine made with plain salted water pulls calcium out of the cheese and leaves a slimy, softening rind.
- Twelve percent is not a suggestion. A weaker brine will not hold the cheese for months in the fridge.
Substitutions
- Live yoghurt in place of a packet starter, which is what a village kitchen would use.
- Buffalo or goat milk, both made into sirene in Bulgaria.
- Vegetarian microbial rennet, which sets a slightly softer curd but works.
Variations
- Eaten fresh after the pressing, before the brine, it is mild and squeaky — good but a different cheese.
- Baked whole in foil with tomato, pepper and an egg, it becomes sirene po shopski.
History
Bulgaria’s brined white cheese, made from sheep, cow or buffalo milk and matured in tins of brine for months.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sirene?
Sirene is a cheese & dairy from Bulgaria: white brined cheese crumbled over salads and baked into pastries. Bulgaria’s brined white cheese, made from sheep, cow or buffalo milk and matured in tins of brine for months.
How long does Sirene take to make?
Sirene takes 45 min plus 24 hours draining and 2 weeks in brine of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 700 g. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Sirene?
Yes, within limits. Live yoghurt in place of a packet starter, which is what a village kitchen would use. Buffalo or goat milk, both made into sirene in Bulgaria. Vegetarian microbial rennet, which sets a slightly softer curd but works.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sirene?
Stir in the diluted rennet with a few slow strokes, then stop the milk moving entirely and leave it undisturbed for an hour. It is ready when a clean finger pushed in at an angle and lifted gives a clean break rather than a ragged one.
