CheeseXML 1.00
Suluguni (stretched curd)
Ingredients
| Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized | 4 l |
| Cultured buttermilk / clabber from the overnight mother | 5 ml |
| Liquid rennet | 1.6 ml |
| Non-iodized cheese salt | 8 g |
Process
| # | Steps | Plan | Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat the milk to 37.5 °C Warm 4 litres of whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized, to 37.5 °C. The published vat is held at that temperature through set and the first stir. | Heat · Milk preparation · Temperature: 37.5 °C | |
| 2 | Add the buttermilk mother Stir in 5 ml of the overnight mother (or cultured buttermilk). Ripen about 30–40 minutes at 37.5 °C. Original dose is 50–70 ml starter per 50 litres. | Step code · Ripening · Temperature: 37.5 °C · Time: 35 min (30–40 min) · Addition: Amount: 5 ml | |
| 3 | Rennet and wait for a clean break Add 1.6 ml vegetarian liquid rennet (0.4 ml per litre) diluted in cool non-chlorinated water. Hold 37.5 °C until a clean break, typically 30–40 minutes. | Step code · Coagulation · Temperature: 37.5 °C · Time: 35 min (30–40 min) · Until: Clean break · Addition: Amount: 1.6 ml; Dilute in: 30 ml | |
| 4 | Cut 2–3 mm Cut the curd into 2–3 mm pieces. Rest 5 minutes so the surfaces heal, then stir 15–20 minutes while holding 37.5 °C. | Cut · Cutting · Temperature: 37.5 °C · Time: 5 min · Size: 2.5 mm (2–3 mm) · Stir: Duration: 18 min · Curd cuts: Cut: Size: 2.5 mm (2–3 mm); Wait: 5 min; Cut: Size: 2.5 mm (2–3 mm) · Settle: Duration: 5 min | |
| 5 | Drain and keep the curd at 30–35 °C Draw the whey. Keep the curd mass at 30–35 °C — not fridge-cold — so acid continues. Cut into slabs, stack and turn every 15 minutes (a light cheddar-style cheddaring) until a piece stretches in hot water. Target about pH 5.2–5.4. | Drain · Draining · Temperature: 32 °C (30–35 °C) · pH: 5.3 · Turn: Every 15 min · Until: pH; pH: 5.3 · Drain: Duration: 60 min | |
| 6 | Stretch in 75 °C water Cut the acidified curd into strips. Work in water at 75 °C (Kandelaki: not below 65 °C). Stretch until smooth, form a ball or a flattened boat. Wear heat-proof gloves. Salt about 2 teaspoons per 500 g — for this 400 g make, about 8 g — in the curd or in a light brine. | Step code · Stretching · Temperature: 75 °C · Until: Ready to stretch · Stretching water: Temperature: 75 °C |
Suluguni (stretched curd)
Pasta filata · Difficulty: 3
Batch scale
Scale factor:
Description
Home-scale of Nina Kandelaki’s Sulguni as published by New England Cheesemaking Supply (via Maria Schumann / Cate Hill Orchard). Original vat is 50 litres at 37.5 °C with an overnight buttermilk mother (200 ml milk + 20 ml buttermilk) and 50–70 ml of that starter per 50 litres; vegetarian rennet 0.4 ml per litre; cut 2–3 mm; stretch in water at 75 °C (not below 65 °C); salt about 2 tsp per 500 g. This sheet is 4 litres (factor 0.08): 5 ml clabber, 1.6 ml rennet.
Recipe details
- Style
- Pasta filata
- Country
- Georgia
- Region
- Samegrelo / Imereti (home method)
- PDO
- No
- Schema version
- 1.00
- Type
- Home recipe
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Created
- 2026-09-09
- License
- CC-BY-4.0
- Author
- CheeseXML 1.00 reference set
- Units
- Metric
- Milk
- Cow milk, Pasteurized, Not homogenized
- Milk volume
- 4 l
- Expected yield
- 400 g
- Yield ratio
- 0.1 ratio
- Active time
- 180 min
- Total time
- 5 h
- Scale
- For milk volume: 4 l
Ingredients
- Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized — 4 l
Role: Base milk · Kind: Whole milk
- Cultured buttermilk / clabber from the overnight mother — 5 ml
Role: Culture · Kind: Culture
Original mother: 200 ml milk + 20 ml buttermilk, held overnight, then 50–70 ml of that starter per 50 L. For 4 L use 5 ml of the mother (or 5 ml fresh unsalted cultured buttermilk).
- Liquid rennet — 1.6 ml
Role: Coagulant · Kind: Rennet
Preparation: Dilute in: 30 ml; Instruction: 0.4 ml vegetarian liquid rennet per litre, diluted in cool non-chlorinated water.
- Non-iodized cheese salt — 8 g (Details: Salt: Salting in curd; Iodized: No)
Role: Salt · Kind: Salt
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot
- Dairy thermometer
- Curd knife
- Slotted ladle
- Colander
- Heat-proof gloves
- Heat-safe stretching bowl
- Brine container
Process
Heat the milk to 37.5 °C
Heat · Milk preparation
Warm 4 litres of whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized, to 37.5 °C. The published vat is held at that temperature through set and the first stir.
Temperature: 37.5 °C
Add the buttermilk mother
Step code · Ripening
Stir in 5 ml of the overnight mother (or cultured buttermilk). Ripen about 30–40 minutes at 37.5 °C. Original dose is 50–70 ml starter per 50 litres.
Temperature: 37.5 °C · Time: 35 min (30–40 min) · Addition: Amount: 5 ml
Rennet and wait for a clean break
Step code · Coagulation
Add 1.6 ml vegetarian liquid rennet (0.4 ml per litre) diluted in cool non-chlorinated water. Hold 37.5 °C until a clean break, typically 30–40 minutes.
Temperature: 37.5 °C · Time: 35 min (30–40 min) · Until: Clean break · Addition: Amount: 1.6 ml; Dilute in: 30 ml
Cut 2–3 mm
Cut · Cutting
Cut the curd into 2–3 mm pieces. Rest 5 minutes so the surfaces heal, then stir 15–20 minutes while holding 37.5 °C.
Temperature: 37.5 °C · Time: 5 min · Size: 2.5 mm (2–3 mm) · Stir: Duration: 18 min · Curd cuts: Cut: Size: 2.5 mm (2–3 mm); Wait: 5 min; Cut: Size: 2.5 mm (2–3 mm) · Settle: Duration: 5 min
Drain and keep the curd at 30–35 °C
Drain · Draining
Draw the whey. Keep the curd mass at 30–35 °C — not fridge-cold — so acid continues. Cut into slabs, stack and turn every 15 minutes (a light cheddar-style cheddaring) until a piece stretches in hot water. Target about pH 5.2–5.4.
Temperature: 32 °C (30–35 °C) · pH: 5.3 · Turn: Every 15 min · Until: pH; pH: 5.3 · Drain: Duration: 60 min
Stretch in 75 °C water
Step code · Stretching
Cut the acidified curd into strips. Work in water at 75 °C (Kandelaki: not below 65 °C). Stretch until smooth, form a ball or a flattened boat. Wear heat-proof gloves. Salt about 2 teaspoons per 500 g — for this 400 g make, about 8 g — in the curd or in a light brine.
Temperature: 75 °C · Until: Ready to stretch · Stretching water: Temperature: 75 °C
Also known as
Sulguni
Also known as
Georgian stretched cheese
Storage
Temperature: 4 °C; Shelf life: 7 d
Packaging
No packaging
Allergens
Allergen: Milk
Safety
Use milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. Pasteurize unknown raw milk. Sanitize equipment.
Source
Title: Sulguni — A Stretched Curd Cheese; Creator: Nina Kandelaki (Colchis Ltd) via Maria Schumann / New England Cheesemaking Supply; Year: 2016; URL: https://cheesemaking.com/blogs/make-cheese/sulguni-a-stretched-curd-cheese
Tags
Tag: Vegetarian; Tag: Ready the same day