recipe goodness :: how to make mama proud & homemade fresh mozzarella (2024)

FAQs

What are the steps in making fresh mozzarella? ›

Steps in Making Homemade Fresh Mozzarella

You warm the milk with some citric acid (not as scary as it sounds), add the rennet to separate the milk into curds and whey, heat it again, knead stretch knead, and then you have mozzarella. It's basically magic. Don't be scared off by the citric acid and the rennet.

One gallon of milk will make 1-1.25 lbs. of mozzarella. The following recipe is for one gallon (3.78 liters) of milk. Follow the usage rates for any ingredient you place into the milk listed on the ingredient.

There are two possible causes for rubbery cheese. First, this can happen when an excess amount of rennet is used. Use a bit less rennet next time. It can also happen if cheese is overworked or overcooked, and all the butterfat runs down the drain.

Homemade mozzarella cheese is fresher and more flavorful than the stuff you buy in the store. It requires a few special materials and a bit of patience, but the end result is worth it. We use a technique taught to us by homesteading provisioner and cheese making educator Nicole Easterday of FARMcurious.

Whereas fresh mozzarella is packaged as balls in liquid for near-term consumption, traditional mozzarella (also known as aged, block or processed mozzarella) is packaged dry in blocks—or in cubes, chunks, sticks, slices or shreds that have been cut from blocks—for less immediate consumption.

A quick Google search for homemade mozzarella will give you an emphatic yes: There are countless recipes for fresh mozzarella and dozens of different DIY kits for sale, all of which promise better-than-store-bought results.

In order to make this simple homemade mozzarella cheese recipe you need just the following ingredients: Raw Milk or Pasteurized Whole Milk – Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk or hom*ogenized, the cheese won't turn out correctly, it will wind up kind of like cottage cheese.

With proper storage in a refrigerator, mozzarella cheese can last for up to one to two weeks. In a freezer, mozzarella cheese can last longer, up to approximately three months. If you find any change of shape, color, taste, and aroma of any part of the cheese, cut and throw away that part.

Keep Refrigerated Best if used by date stamped on package. For Maximum Freshness Use Entire Contents Within 3 To 5 Days After Opening.

Milky Whey

However, there may have been some loss of butterfat due to an incomplete, soft curd set or excessive curd handling. The next time you make Mozzarella, try to get a firmer curd by setting the milk at a temperature 3-5 degrees higher. Then, stir a few minutes longer when you heat it to 105F.

Why does my homemade mozzarella taste bland? ›

Cheese that is bland or tasteless may have not expelled enough whey during the cooking process, causing the flavor to be diluted.

For Mozzarella to stretch well it needs two things: The right amount of heat to soften the curd. The right acidity (pH of approximately 5.2)

Ricotta is an Italian curd cheese made from whey left over from the production of other cheese. Compared to most cheeses, ricotta is a healthier choice because it contains less salt and fat - 10 per cent fat, of which 6 per cent is saturated.

Fresh mozzarella does not melt well because it is stored in brine. Because of the high moisture content, fresh mozzarella releases water when it melts. This can ruin your pizza and make it watery. You can use processed mozzarella in your pizza, or you can use a mix of milk, half-and-half, or cream.

What is vegetable rennet? Vegetable rennet is made from plant enzymes that have coagulating properties. Vegetable rennet may be produced with plants such as thistle, artichokes, and nettles, but other plants like ground ivy, dried caper leaves, and fig juice have also been known to serve as coagulants.

The whey is drained and the curd is allowed to ripen. At this stage the curd is immersed into the hot water, kneaded, stretched and moulded. The moulded cheese is dipped into chilled water and then transferred to brine. After the cheese attains the desired level of salt it is taken out and packaged for disposal.

Mozzarella Manufacturing

Traditional mozzarella production uses standardized and pasteurized milk that is cultured, coagulated, cut and cooked. After whey drainage, the curd is matted whilst acid develops and the curd then milled prior to being conveyed to the cooker.

The short answer is that no, you do not need rennet tablets, but you do need some form of rennet. To get the stretchiness in the curd required to form mozzarella, the milk must be coagulated using rennet in an acidic environment - usually citric acid, but not enough to make the milk coagulate on its own.