Recipe: Homemade Mozzarella

So yesterday my mom & I made mozzarella from scratch.  A while back my mom had picked up a "DIY Cheese Kit"to make mozzarella & ricotta from Williams-Sonoma, we've been dying to do it, but haven't had the chance until yesterday.  Being home for October break is the perfect time to do all this fun stuff & get some mother/daughter bonding time in, which I love.  Making the mozz was super fun & it's so yummy!  While the kit is great you could easily get the ingredients at the grocery store that the kit provides.

Supplies 2 small bowls Large pot (at least 5 quarts) Large slotted spoon Cooking thermometer (included in kit) Large microwavable bowl Rubber gloves

1 large mixing spoon 
Ingredients 1 1/2 cups cool water 1/4 rennet tablet (included in kit) 1 1/2 tsp. citric acid (included in kit) 1 gallon whole milk 1 1/2 tsp. cheese salt (included in kit)
Instructions Step 1- Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a small bowl & dissolve the 1/4 rennet tablet in the water.  (Wrap the remaining pieces of the tablet & store in freezer.) Step 2- Pour the remaining 1 cup water into another bowl & stir in the citric acid. Step 3- Pour the milk into the large pot, add the citric acid solution & stir well.  Set the pot over low to medium heat & heat, stirring occasionally with the slotted spoon to prevent scorching, until the milk reaches 90 degreesF.

Step 4- Slowly stir in the rennet solution using a gentle up & down motion for about 30 seconds.  Continue heating to 105 degreesF. Step 5- The curds could already show clear signs of coagulation:  -They will look like shiny yogurt, you will see a separation between curds (white & "solid") & whey (yellowish liquid), & the curds will pull away from the sides of the pot.  If so, stir very gently, with slotted spoon, for 1 minute, then turn off the heat & proceed to Step 6.   -If the curds don't look like shiny yogurt, but instead look like clumps of melted cheese floating in yellow liquid proceed to Step 6 (this is what happened to us!).   -If you don't see signs of coagulation yet & the whey is still milky instead of yellow, heat a little longer (110 degreesF max) while gently moving the curds around with the slotted spoon (don't stir just move).  You are now cooking the curds & expelling more whey.  If the temperature reaches 110 degreesF & you still don't see signs of coagulation, remove the the pot from the heat & let stand for 15-45 minutes.  When you see signs of coagulation, proceed Step 6.   Note: If the milk did not form curds at all, you may have been using unlabeled ultra-pasteurized milk.  Use a different brand of milk & try again.

Step 6- Ladle the curds into the large microwavable bowl.

Extra Whey:

Step 7- Put on rubber gloves &  gently hold back the curds while you pour off the whey in the bowl (do not press much).  We left the whey in the pot & poured the whey from the bowl back into the pot. Step 8- Heat the curds in the microwave on medium power for 1 minute. Step 9- Use the mixing spoon to fold the curds over several times and evenly distribute the heat.  Again drain off the whey like in Step 7.

Step 10- Microwave for 30 seconds more, then drain again.  Gently fold the curds over once or twice to distribute the heat evenly.  Check the temperature by covering at least 2 inches of the thermometer's probe with curds; they must reach 135 degreesF to stretch properly.  If the curds have not reached this temperature, microwave for 30 seconds more (this is what happened to us!). Step 11- Add the cheese salt & blend them into the cheese by stretching & folding gently, just until incorporated.  For the best texture, heat, fold, & stretch the curds as little as possible.

Step 12- Shape the cheese into a ball.  Makes about 1 pound.  Store in fridge, do not store the cheese in water or whey or it will become slimy & disintegrate.

While you don't have to buy the kit I think it's worth the money, it includes everything you need except the milk & water, it even comes with a thermometer!  I thought that making the cheese was relatively easy, but was such a cool experience.  My mom & I decided that it was definitely a two person job, so it could be fun to do with a friend, boyfriend, sibling, or parent.  We had a blast doing it & it was so cool to have fresh mozzarella at the end!

Have you ever made cheese before?

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