Kaffeost 
Bread cheese, called kaffeost in Swedish, is a Finnish fresh cheese from Southern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland, and Kainuu, traditionally made from cow's colostrum. It is baked or grilled until marked brown, tastes mild, squeaks against the teeth, and is served with coffee.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Sweden |
| Specific Origin | Southern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland, and Kainuu, Finland |
| Protection | PDO (2023) |
| Milk Type | Cow, traditionally colostrum; sometimes goat |
| Milk Treatment | Whole milk, non-homogenized |
| Fat Content | 25–50% (varies by milk type) |
| Moisture Content | 40–70% |
| Rind | Dry, smoked, or baked crust (color varies by treatment) |
| Texture | Fresh, Rubbery when cold, melty or smooth when warm |
| Flavor | Mild, round, boiled milk flavor |
| Aroma | Mild, smoky, milky, or slightly acidic |
| Colors | White to yellowish, sometimes with dark spots from baking or smoking |
| Forms | Flat, variable shape and size (typically 150–500 g) |
| Age | Dried a few days; keeps for years when dried |
| Also Known As | bread cheese, leipäjuusto, juustoleipä, kahvijuusto, brödost, narskujuusto, Finnish squeaky cheese |
What is Kaffeost Cheese?
Bread cheese comes from Southern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland, and Kainuu, and was traditionally made from cow's colostrum. In Ostrobothnia and Lapland it has been called leipäjuusto, in Kainuu juustoleipä. The two words are now used interchangeably, with leipäjuusto the more common spelling. The Swedish name kaffeost means coffee cheese. In the United States it is sometimes sold as Finnish squeaky cheese, usually made from cow's milk, sometimes goat.
The milk is curdled and set to form a round disk two to three centimeters thick. That disk is then baked, grilled, or flambéed, which leaves the brown or charred marks the cheese is known for. Older practice was to dry it so it would keep for several years. Dried cheese went almost rock hard, and it was heated on a fire to soften it, which also brought out a strong appetizing smell. Drying is still done by leaving the cheese in a well ventilated place for a few days.
The flavour is mild. Bitten into, the fresh cheese squeaks against the teeth, and several dialect names, such as narskujuusto, point straight at that sound.
It is eaten warm or cold. Sliced, it goes alongside coffee, or a few pieces are dropped in a cup and hot coffee is poured over them. Cut into diamonds roughly 5 to 7 cm long, it is served with cloudberry jelly or fresh cloudberries. Another version soaks slices in a little cream, gets a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, goes briefly under the oven grill and arrives with cloudberry jelly. Cooks dice it into salads as a mild stand-in for feta, and as a dessert it can be fried in butter like Camembert and served with jam, traditionally cloudberry.
How Does Kaffeost Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Kaffeost against.
