How to make cream cheese from pasteurized milk when fresh is unavailable that far surpasses store bought commercial brands in nutrition and digestibility.
Over low heat, slowly heat the milk in a medium sized pot to 86 °F/ 30 °C. This will take about 20 minutes. Do not heat the milk faster than this.
Remove pot from heat and add cream cheese starter. Mix thoroughly for 15 seconds only. Use an up-and-down motion rather than a stirring motion.
Cover the pot with a lid and leave in a warm spot in the kitchen for 12 hours at 72-77°F. Do not set on top of the refrigerator.
After the cream cheese has set for 12 hours, place a colander in a bowl and line the colander with a tight-weave dishtowel or double layer of cheesecloth.
Carefully spoon in the cream cheese into the middle of the cloth, gather up the corners and tie the ends together.
Hang the cloth filled with cream cheese over a bowl to drain the liquid whey for a few hours.
Once drained, carefully spoon the finished cream cheese from the bag into a container, seal and refrigerate for up to a week. The cream cheese remains fresh best in glass.
If you intend to freeze some of the cream cheese, add sea salt at a rate of 1 tsp per half pound. This will help preserve the texture by tightly packing the cream cheese curds.