There is something primal and satisfying about making your own mozzarella. Maybe it’s the patience it requires as you sit and let your milk rest in a citric acid solution, knowing that the longer the curds sit, the more flavorful the cheese will become. Maybe it’s the satisfaction as you knead the cheese, knowing that just a short while ago it was just milk. Certainly it’s the incredible flavor you experience as you bite into your fresh cheese, knowing that at no point in history has a human ever eaten cheese fresher than the very instant you place your handiwork on your tongue. Regardless of the reason, it’s an amazing culinary experience. Be sure to look below for a handy way to take your culinary adventure and REALLY turn up the flavor.
The challenge with most recipes for homemade mozzarella is they don’t give the curd enough time to rest, resulting in a weakly flavored, rubbery version of this cheese. Although the total recipe can take upwards of 3 hours, take comfort in the fact that it only takes about 30 minutes of actual cooking time.
Ingredients:
1 gallon milk
1 teaspoon citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup bottled water (bottled is important as it normally doesn’t contain chlorine). Citric acid can be found at most health food stores or pharmacies. It’s sometimes also called “Sour Salt.”
1 teaspoon citric acid left in crystal form
1 tablet of rennet crushed into powder and dissolved in 1/4 cup bottled water. (Look for rennet in the same aisle as pudding and jello mixes).
3/4 cup salt
Gear
6+ quart non reactive stock pot (stainless steel or non-stick)
Accurate thermometer
Cheese cloth/strainer
4 quart saucepan
Pour milk into stockpot and bring to a minimum temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add dissolved citric acid to milk and stir.
Add crystalized citric acid to milk and stir. At this point, small curds will start to form.
Put the stockpot over low heat and SLOWLY bring the milk to a temperature range of 88 – 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover and let it rest for one hour, checking occasionally to make sure the milk is within temperature range, adding heat as necessary.
Add dissolved rennet and stir. Let it rest for another hour. At this point the curd should be completely separated from the whey, and will be apparent if you stick your finger into the mix. In the event you don’t get a clean break, wait another 30 minutes and try again.
Using a long knife, cut a grid in the curds, with 1/2″ spacing.
Apply low heat and gently stir the curds. Pay attention to your thermometer and make sure it stays below 110 degrees. The more heat you apply, the more dense your curds will become.
Pour the curd/whey mixture through a cheese cloth lined strainer, saving the whey if you want to make ricotta.
Gently lift the cheese cloth out of the strainer, wrap it completely around the curd and squeeze as much whey out of the curds as possible.
Mold the curd into 3 parts, and set aside in a non-reactive bowl. The tighter you can pack the curd, the more cheese you’ll retain.
Add 3 quarts water and 3/4 cup salt to a saucepan, and bring to 160 degree fahrenheit.
In a separate bowl, place one of your 3 parts curd and pour hot/salty water over the curd. Wearing rubber kitchen gloves (not latex), grab your curd ball and knead it until it develops a shiny/stringy texture. You may have to put the cheese back into the hot water to help melt the curd. Once the cheese has formed, place it in a bowl filled with ice and water to cool. Repeat process on the remaining two balls of curd.
Cheese will keep refrigerated in a water bath for up to 1 week.
Things to look out for when making your own Mozzarella cheese:
-Keep your pot, bowls, and stirring tools sterile. Bacteria from non-sterile tools can ruin the batch.
-using older milk. As milk ages, it becomes naturally acidic. Adding citric acid makes it even MORE acidic. Rennet won’t properly work if there is too much acid in your milk.
-Once you add the rennet, don’t disturb the curd other then to test for a clean break after one hour, and then every half hour after that.
-Don’t use UHT milk. Because it’s treated at a higher temperature than standard pasteurization processes, the proteins in UHT milk react in a manner that doesn’t promote cheese making.
-It may take longer than an hour for the curds to properly separate from the whey. Don’t fret, you may need to wait as long as 3 hours before the curds separate.
What is UHT milk?
Hey Raini,
UHT means “Ultra Heat Treated” and it is the type of milk that does not require refrigeration.
So you can use regular milk from the store… it doesn’t have to be raw milk?
Correct Heather, regular pasteurized milk works.