Raejuusto

Raejuusto (Finnish Fresh Curd Cheese)

Raejuusto, often called 'squeaky cheese' or 'bread cheese,' is a fresh Finnish cheese traditionally made by curdling high-fat milk with rennet and baking or pan-frying the curd slab until it squeaks against the teeth. It is most associated with the Ostrobothnia and North Karelia regions, where it is eaten warm with cloudberry jam, or cooled and sliced into salads.

Prep

15 min

Cook

25 min

Total

40 min

Serves

Makes about 600 g (roughly 4 servings as a side)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •2000 ml (8½ cups) whole milk, high-fat, non-homogenized is traditional if available; otherwise whole pasteurized
• •250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, to mimic the richness of non-homogenized Finnish milk
• •5 g (1¼ tsp) salt
• •1.5 ml (¼ tsp) liquid rennet, animal rennet is traditional; dilute in 30 ml (2 tbsp) cool water before adding
• •1 g (¼ tsp) mesophilic starter culture (MA011 or Flora Danica), optional; traditional bakery-cheese methods often skip it, but a small amount gives a milder tang
• •60 g (¼ cup) cloudberry jam (lakkahillo), for serving; sea buckthorn or lingonberry jam is the closest substitute if cloudberries are unavailable
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, for pan-frying the finished cheese

Steps

1. 1 Heat the milk and cream together in a heavy saucepan to 38°C (100°F). If using starter culture, sprinkle it on the surface and let it rehydrate for 2 minutes, then stir in gently.
2. 2 Add the salt and stir to dissolve. Hold the temperature at 38°C (100°F) for 20 minutes if using starter culture, to allow mild acidification.
3. 3 Stir the diluted rennet into the milk with a gentle up-and-down motion for about 10 seconds, then stop stirring. Cover and let sit undisturbed at 38°C (100°F) for 35-45 minutes, until the curd gives a clean break and the whey is clear greenish-yellow.
4. 4 Cut the curd into roughly 2 cm (¾ in) cubes with a long knife and let rest 5 minutes.
5. 5 Line a colander with a large piece of butter muslin. Ladle the curds and whey into the muslin, then gather the corners and hang the bundle over a bowl, or tie to a wooden spoon resting across a pot, to drain for 30 minutes. Do not press; you want a moist, tender curd, not a dry one.
6. 6 Tie the muslin into a tight ball and place it in a cold water bath for 10 minutes to 'squeak' (this chilling step develops the signature rubbery, elastic texture called juustoleipä-style springiness).
7. 7 Remove the curd ball from the cloth. It should feel like a firm, springy disc of fresh cheese, about 600 g. Wrap it in a clean towel and refrigerate 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
8. 8 To finish in the traditional baked style: preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the unwrapped cheese slab on a parchment-lined sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, until the surface is pale gold and a knife inserted into the center comes out hot. Internal temperature should reach 70°C (160°F).
9. 9 To finish in the pan-fried style (also very common): slice the chilled cheese into 1.5 cm (½ in) thick slabs, pat dry, and pan-fry in butter over medium heat 2-3 minutes per side, until a light golden crust forms.
10. 10 Serve warm, immediately, with a generous spoonful of cloudberry jam on the side. The cheese should squeak audibly against the fork or teeth.