Have you ever tried making your own cheese? I've always want to but just never got around to it. This recipe for resh mozzarella from allrecipes.com mzakes it look so easy. If you make it, let us know how it turns out!—Margaret Battistelli Gardner, editor, Health System Heartbeat
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cool water, divided
- ¼ teaspoon liquid rennet
- 1 ½ teaspoons citric acid
- 1 gallon raw milk
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
Directions
- Combine 1/4 cup water and rennet in a small bowl; mix well.
- Combine remaining 1/2 cup water and citric acid in another small bowl; mix until dissolved.
- Pour milk into a large pot set over medium heat. Stir in citric acid mixture.
- Heat milk, stirring occasionally, until it registers 90 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Remove milk from heat and stir in rennet mixture in a figure-8 motion for 30 seconds. Stir counterclockwise for 30 seconds to still the milk. Let stand, covered, until milk sets into curd, 5 to 10 minutes. Press edge of curd gently with a palette knife or the back of a spoon to check for firmness.
- Slice vertically into the pot to cut curd into 3/4-inch cubes with a palette knife. Stir curds gently but leave cubes mostly intact.
- Return pot to the heat; cook over medium heat, stirring curds gently, until temperature reaches 109 degrees F, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Ladle curds into a colander set over a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Press curds gently to extract liquid whey. Pour drained whey back into the pot.
- Heat whey to 185 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
- Wearing gloves, tear off a piece of curd and place on a slotted spoon. Dip curd into hot whey for 5 to 10 seconds. Stretch, fold and knead curd. Repeat until mozzarella is smooth and elastic.
- Knead in salt and form curd into a ball. Repeat dipping and kneading process with remaining curd.
- Allow mozzarella to cool. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator.
Recipe Tips
- Do not use ultra-high temperature processed milk. Regular pasteurized milk will work, but raw milk is best.
- At the end of Step 8, you can place your curds into a plastic bag and store both the curds and the whey in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days before continuing the process.
- If you want a moist mozzarella with a softer texture, don't let the curd get as firm and work less when stretching and kneading.
- You can speed up the cooling process in Step 10 by placing mozzarella balls into an ice water bath.