I have to digress here. I just made Feta cheese the other day and I have to say is is AMAZING.....I dried it half the amount of time required so it held a creamy texture with an amazing flavor. That is definitely a redo........This recipe is fro a creamier Mozz and uses no Citric Acid. The thermopelic or mesophilic culture makes the acid required for the curd to set. Also add no Calcium Chloride .Yes it takes longer 3 hours or more but you can adust the firmness of the finished product by making the adjustments listed in the recipe...Have fun.. Read the entire recipe for you will not follow it per exact instructions if you want the creamier mozz. Take note temp is lowered to 86 instead of 100 and also note NO MICROWAVE is used......
Mozzarella with culture
First a few notes on making Mozzarella
In making Mozzarella with a lactic bacteria starter
culture, this “cultured” mozzarella is much more
flavorful because the bacteria produce their own flavor
as they convert the lactose in the milk.
Cultured mozzarella can be made using either
thermophilic cultures (used for high temperature
cheeses) or mesophilic cultures (for low temperature
cheeses).
The cheese can be made from full fat milk as well as low
fat milk-the difference will be less flavor in the
latter.
If a soft moist cheese is made, it is best eaten within
a day or so (in Italy this would be considered fresh for
only a few hours).
The drier cheese however can be aged for longer
depending on final moisture and will actually improve
with a few days aging because of the live bacteria that
are still working after the cheese cools and changes the
protein structure.
A recipe for making Mozzarella with an acidifying
culture
The recipe will be for a normal
pasteurized milk.
I have included a chart here to guide you in using
various milk resources:
Changes for Milk Quality
*Normally Pasteurized Milk
161F for 16 secondsAs per recipe below
High Temp Pasteurization
168F+ for 20+ secondsIncrease rennet 50-100%
plus increase the coagulation time by 2-3 times
that of the recipe below.
Raw milkReduce culture by 30-40% and rennet by
20-30% of the recipe below.
Also cook temperatures after cutting the curd
may be reduced by 6-10 degrees for a softer
final cheese.
Note also that raw milk is not homogenized and
the fat % is usually greater than can be held by
the curd so you may see a much cloudier whey.
This cream can be recovered by allowing it to
rise and then skimming it off. It is good for
butter or making sour cream since it also
contains the bacteria.
No Ultra-Pasteurized Milk It just will not work
due to protein damage and calcium changes
Before you begin:
You will need:
2 gallons of milk (Not Ultra-Pasteurized)
1 packet of thermophilic culture
Rennet 1/2 tsp or 2.5 ml liquid rennet (single
strength) or 1/2 rennet tablet
A good thermometer
A knife to cut the curds, and a spoon or ladle to
stir the curds with.
A colander and butter muslin, I use disposable, to drain the curds
A sturdy bowl or pot to hold the curds for heating
and stretching to save your hands from the hot
curds and water.
A wooden spoon
Another pot for heating water. This does not need
to be stainless steel.
As much salt as you would like in your cheese.
Normally I like about 1/2 tsp but it is not
essential to the process as in other cheeses and
Yes, you can make this salt free.
Everything needs to be clean and sanitized.
You can make a larger or smaller amount of
Mozzarella by increasing or decreasing the
ingredients above.
I will also include several control variables
through the recipe to provide an option for a
drier or moister cheese.
Acidifying and heating the milk:
Begin by heating the milk to 100F (38C). You do
this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very
warm water. If you do this in a pot on the stove
make sure you heat the milk slowly and stir it
well as it heats
Once the milk is at this target temperature, the
culture can be added (from list above). To prevent
the powder from caking and sinking in clumps,
sprinkle the powder over the surface of the milk
and then allow about 2 minutes for the powder to
re-hydrate before stirring it in. The milk will
need to ripen for 60 minutes before adding the
rennet.
Coagulation with rennet:
Then add the rennet indicated in the list above
and stir slowly top to bottom for about 30
The milk now needs to set undisturbed for 45
minutes while the culture works and the rennet
helps form the curd. Keep the milk at the 100F
during this period, preferably using a sink or
water bath of warm water. It can not be heated on
a stove top because of the curd formation.
Cutting curds and releasing the whey:
During the next 20 minutes cut the curd at 2 inch
intervals and then make the same cut spacing at
right angles to the first cut. Allow this to rest
5 minutes then break the rest of the curd into
walnut or hazelnut sized pieces (1" - 1/2" ). The
smaller the pieces the more whey will be released
and the drier the cheese. This is your first
control point in determining the final result.
Cooking the curds :
After cutting and a brief stir, allow the curds to
settle to the bottom of the pot for 1 hour. A
brief stir every 5-10 minutes just to keep the
curds separate will retain the most moisture. For
a drier cheese, a more frequent-constant stir will
cause more whey to be released. The temperature
may even be increased to 106-108F for more
moisture removal.
Removing the whey:
The dry curds and whey can now be transferred to a
colander or cheese mold to form into a
consolidated curd mass. The whey is allowed to run
off and may be collected for other uses. This whey
is sweet enough to make into Ricotta since the
acid has not been fully produced yet.
Ripening the curds:
At this point it is essential to keep the curds
warm because the bacteria is now producing the
acid that is so important for a good stretching
Mozzarella. The easiest way is to place both curd
and the colander or form back into the empty pot
and keep this in a sink of warm water to keep the
curd at 96-100F.
Once the curd is resting quietly, fill the extra
pot with water (about a gallon or so) and bring it
to a simmer to be used for the hot water stretch.
Traditionally this was done with the whey already
heated from the Ricotta making process but water
works fine.
Allow the curds to ripen in the warmth for about
another 2 hours then begin testing for the
stretch. Cut a small piece of curd from the large
curd mass and place it in a cup of the hot water
tempered to about 180F. Allow this to sit for a
few minutes and remove from the hot water. If it
stretches, then you are ready for the final hot
water stretching phase. If not, continue the warm
rest for another 15-20 minutes and repeat the test
until you see a good stretch. The stretch should
be about 2-3 times the original length of the
sample without breaking.
The stretch:
Once the curds show that they are stretching,
the curd mass is placed on a cutting board and
chopped into 1/2-1" cubes and placed in the bowl
or pot for heating and stretching.
The hot water is then added. Initially, about
2-3 cups are added by pouring at the edge of the
curds (not directly on them) and the wooden
spoon is used to gently move them around for
heating. Gradually they will begin losing their
shape and melding (not melting) into a smooth
mass. If this is not happening after 3-5 minutes
add another 2 -3 cups of hot water until you see
the curd mass forming into a stretching mass.
With the wooden spoon you can begin the stretch
by lifting this curd mass and allowing it to
stretch from its own weight. If the curd mass
begins to cool and the stretch becomes less, add
more hot water. After doing this a few times and
the curd begins to look like taffy, you can lift
the curds while turning the spoon and winding
into a smooth mass.
At this point you can dump the water and give
the stretching curd a few of long pulls, folding
it back on itself and the finally rolling it all
into a ball. Be careful to not get too carried
away with this because it is a lot of fun but
you could dry out the cheese excessively if
overdone.
During this stretch is a good time to add the
salt as per your preferences or any other
additions to your Mozzarella.
For the final form I find it easiest to break
the mass into 2 smaller balls (about 1 lb. each)
because they are easier to handle. Now, hold the
warm Mozzarella with thumb and forefinger of one
hand using the other hand from underneath to
push the curd up inside itself. Continue working
the curd in this manner until the ball of cheese
becomes smooth and shiny.
Chilling and finishing:
Now it is just about finished. Drop the curd into
a small draining mold to hold the shape and place
the form and cheese into a very cold pot of water
to chill and hold its shape.
An hour or so of this
and it is ready to be eaten or wrapped and kept in
the fridge for a day or so.
Storing
There is not much to say on this because it should
not be kept that long unless you are making a
drier style Mozzarella. I simply wrap mine in a
breathable Saran Wrap and keep it in the fridge
for a day or so.
Now, this might just be the best tip on this page.
For those who really love Mozzarella, you can make
a huge batch of the curd mass, cut it into single
use (1 lb) portions and freeze it. When ready for
more fresh Mozzarella, just place the frozen
portion in the fridge to thaw overnight and the
next day heat up the water for stretching and
Voila .. Fresh Mozzarella.
You should know that most of those shops that sell
the fresh Mozzarella do exactly that. They buy the
frozen curds in bulk then thaw and heat for the
finished fresh Mozzarella every day.
Changes for varying Mozzarella styles
I have included this guide below to help you in
changing the process to get just the right type of
Mozzarella for you.
Very Soft as in Deli Style MozzarellaTemperature
can be reduced to 86-90F and a mixed meso/thermo
culture such as MA4002 can be used , curds cut
larger to 1-1.5 inches
*Medium for slicing etcAs per recipe above
Firm for pizza .. a great cooking/melting cheese
Curds can be cut smaller to 1/2 inch and the
temperature can be increased to 104-106F.
Stirring can be extended to increase whey
removal
I have included a
little trick to speed up your cheesemaking.
Before setting up and heating the milk, take about 2
cups of the milk and heat to 108F (optimum for the
thermophilic) then add your culture to this and stir it
in well. Note the time you do this and allow this to set
at this ripening temp for the indicated time.
Then carry on with your set up and milk heating which
should take the better part of the hour and when the
full milk is heated to your working temp and the
ripening time for the mini starter has elapsed, just add
it to the full batch and you have saved about an hour in
time. **You can move right into the rennet addition.
You can do this with any cheese, just make sure the
culture and milk stay proportionate.
45 minutes to 1 hour after the rennet is added the curd
is tested for a good curd formation and the cut is made
to break the curd mass into smaller pieces to encourage
the whey release. Smaller pieces make for a drier cheese
in the end.
The curd is stirred just enough to keep the pieces from
consolidating while being kept warm, providing a good
home for the bacteria culture to do its work.
The curd is allowed to settle to the bottom of the pot
and whey is removed down to just above the curd level.
The curd is kept warm in a sink of warm water a few
degrees above the 100F target temperature for the
cheese.
After about 1 hour for the curd resting in the whey, the
whey is drained from the curd in a colander or cheese
form and this will then be kept warm (100F) for another
2 or more hours while the final acid is produced to
guarantee a good stretching Mozzarella.
During the final rest, a pot of water is heated for the
stretch. After the 2 hours of acid development a small
piece of curd is cut and tested for stretching in the
hot water. Once this test is satisfactory the bowl and
curd mass are prepared for the final stretch.
The curd mass is cut into smaller pieces to prepare for
an even heating with the hot water
Hot water is carefully poured around the curds to begin
the heating. The water taken right from the simmering
pot quickly drops to 175-180F and then as the cooler
curds heat up the water and curds stabilize at about
135F.
It is important to give the curd mass the time to heat
up and for the curd structure to change as seen in the
consolidation of the curd mass.
More hot water is added as the curds continue to change
and the stretch begins to develop.
The curds now come together in a consolidated mass and
the beginning of the stretch is seen. I first lift the
curds using the wooden spoon and allow them to stretch
under their own weight. I do this several times and then
allow the curds to stretch around the wooden spoon as I
turn it.
Finally as the stretching curds smooth out, I dump the
hot water and do the final stretch by hand to get the
smooth shiny texture of Mozzarella. It is simply a long
stretch and the folding back on itself several times.
This stretch is also what gives the Mozzarella that nice
texture when you bite into it. Here is where I add the
salt as well, just before the final stretch.
For the final form, the curd is then rolled into a ball
and then working from underneath, the curd is pushed
inside itself and the top surface stretches smoothly
forming a nice smooth ball of cheese. If you have ever
seen a good pizza dough prep, this is much the same way,
the curd is pushed in from below and at the same time
the top surface is stretched over this. Finally the
opening at the bottom is pinched off with the resulting
perfect shiny globe of Mozzarella.
Once I have the form I am happy with, I drop it into a
small bowl or a cheese draining mold (this helps keep
the nice shape while cooling) and drop this into a pan
of very cold water
.
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