Making fresh Gbejniet

Here’s the recipe for Gbejniet using Junket Rennet Tables or Liquid Animal Rennet. I have tried them both myself and obtained excellent results. (Revised 08/20/2013 - foolproof method)

What you'll need :

A non-reactive pot (stainless steel is the best)
Thermometer
Whisk
1 US gallon 2% Milk (3.78 litres) - 2% coagulates much better than full fat.
2 Junket Rennet Pills or 1 table-spoon liquid rennet
Sea Salt
Gbejniet Molds (Qwieleb)
Dripping Trays
Insect Screen Cover

Step 1
Heat the milk to 98 degrees fahrenheit. Take off the stove as the stove remains hot and your milk will get warmer.

Step 2
In a bowl, crush 2 junket rennet tablets  in around 4 tablespoons of cold water (or pour 1 tbl liquid rennet directly). If using tablets, make sure they are fully dissolved.

Step 3

Pour the rennet into the milk, mix gently, cover pot and let stand for 30 minutes. This will make the milk coagulate.

Step 4
Using a knife, make vertical lines into the curd, making sure not to disturb the curd too much. Cover with lid, wrap the pot in a blanket (this is a very important step) and let the milk coagulate further for another 2.5 hours.

Step 5

Pour out as much of the whey as you can. Scoop the curd mixtures into the cheese molds and place on a dripping tray. Grab a handful of sea salt and sprinkle it on top (if you're concerned about the amount of salt, remember that most of it will drain out with the whey and that salt is needed to preserve the cheeselets.) Cover with insect screen cover.

Step 6
After 6-8 hours, flip the cheeselets on the other side (to obtain the mold imprint on both sides). Sprinkle with sea salt again and let drip for 6 hours. Do not forget to cover with insect screen.

Step 7
This results in fresh gbejniet. They can be stored in a saline solution (1 litre of water with 150 grams of salt) and placed in an air tight container and refrigerated.

Gbejniet can also be aged outside and consumed as “Dried White Gbejniet” or “Dried Peppered gbejniet”. Click here to learn how gbejniet are aged and pickled.