Pasteurized milk does work, it just doesn’t come together smoothly and perfectly like raw milk does. Maybe I’ll try again this weekend. Recipes like 30 Minute Mozzarella make it even more appealing, especially for those who are time poor but want to get involved in home cheese making and experience the thrill of creating their own cheese products. I am using fresh raw organic milk and a Mad Millie recipe. Your Essential Home Cheese Making Resource. 1. We will only use the information provided to send you Curd Nerd updates. Both times by the time I am cutting the curd my milk has gone sour. Acidity is increased either over time or with the addition of cultures or acidic ingredients. During the second heating in the microwave the curds began to melt and the final consistency was more like a ricotta. 3. She’s a mozzarella makin’ mama of five boys and is such a wonderful girl. I am going to give your recipe a try as well, and I have already spent hours on your site and learned a ton for my next cheese making adventure. or how can i prevent this from happening??? Yes, I allow the acidity to develop through the longer resting time, rather than using Citric acid. Please post a recipe for a normal person. on the plus side, I did get some excellent ricotta from the whey! So soon I will try for a sixth time, and just wait it out:). The instructions to follow are from Rebecca’s mozzarella demo. Why won't my mozzarella melt? Let the curds sit for about five minutes. 7. Why Doesn’t My Mozzarella Stretch Properly? You may notice the milk beginning to curdle, but this is a good thing! Previous Thread; Next Thread ; Please make a selection first; new « Prev; 1; 2; Next » Lannie Brood Cow. Knead and stretch the curd a bit to drain more whey, then microwave it one last time for 35 seconds. Stay Updated With Our Delicious Home Cheese Making Tips. Finally, some cheese makers have found that vegetarian rennet just does not produce a firm enough curd for cheeses like Mozzarella. Mozzarella needs a temperature of 150 degrees to completely melt. I’m just the messenger. This can be in the form of loose powder or tablets like these. It is fine up until that point it seems. 10. I would love to hear how you go and if you have better results so drop back and fill us in! Is there a post on your blog that says, what am I supposed to do with 10 liters of wasted crap? If you are using animal rennet, increase it a bit as well. 1/4 teaspoon liquid vegetable rennet combined with 1 cup of water. By the “whey” (har har har) you can reserve all the excess whey and use it to make bread (as Rebecca did) or add it to beverages to make them higher in protein! And yum! For Mozzarella to stretch well it needs two things – the right amount of heat to soften the curd, and acidity (pH of approximately 5.2). Then set the ball into an ice water bath and let it rest in there until totally cool. Remove the cheese and gently squeeze it a few times to drain off more excess whey. But as you can see in the photo above, something went rather wrong…Everything seemed to be normal up until the step where you microwave the cheese curds. Hi, I just took a look at your recipe and it looks great but there is no mention of citric acid. I prefer this method but you can obviously also use the Citric acid if you want to make your cheese more quickly. You are always able to halve a recipe if you don’t want to risk too much wastage. Are you just leaving it in a pot in that colander, draining with a tea towel over the pot ( like proofing bread) on it for 2 days before the stretch? Help! Place the lid on the pot and walk away and live your life for exactly five minutes. My second thought is whether you are heating the curds at too high a temperature, too quickly. That’s the whey! And 1 to 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, according to taste. I hadn’t thought of leaving the curd to ripen longer (plus I really need a pH meter to make the process more accurate). To get the acidity required, you leave the curd for a 24-48 hour ripening period which means you can make the curd then leave it until you have more time somewhere in that time frame then go back and finish it off! 4. Put the pot over medium-low heat and heat it to 90 degrees (use an instant read thermometer.) Pour 1/4 cup water over it and stir it to dissolve. Microwave it again on high for 35 seconds, the press the curd together again to drain the whey. A gallon of whole milk. Thanks – I will try your recipe. Fresh mozzarella only takes a few minutes to melt, and once it melts if it continues to sit on the pizza as it bakes, the cheese will start releasing moisture. Why don’t you use gallon portions like a normal person? Mozzarella Mozzarella certainly won't melt like the rest of the cheeses on this list, but it is the king of the cheese pull. Click here for essential cheese making supplies. And it all begs the question: Who in the world first figured out this process? It really was fun to stick our (very clean; don’t worry) hands in there and feel the consistency. I am in Nelson, so nice to find cooking/cheesemaking advice from someone who knows the local environment and whats around. I am new to cheese making and you guessed it, the first one I did was 30 minute mozzarella. If using veggie tablets, next time if the recipe says use 1/4 tab, next time use 1/2 tab instead. Are your curds firm before putting them into the water? Share Thread. Mozzarella can become too rubbery if you work it too much but it’s also important to get that stretch that makes Mozzarella so wonderful. thx, I leave the colander resting in the top of a large pot to collect any drainage, and then cover the colander with the lid of that pot so it is nesting inside of the pot with just the lip of the colander out between the lid and the pot edge. I am about 36 hours into it and was planning on stretching later today. I am currently adding conversions to my recipes as we have increased the number of readers elsewhere but this takes time. Sprinkle the citric acid powder (crush tablets if using) into a cool, empty, large non-reactive stockpot. Note: Mozzarella method created by Ricki Carroll. I have left them for 24,36 and 48hrs and they still dissolve any ideas thanks. For Mozzarella to stretch well it needs two things – the right amount of heat to soften the curd, and acidity (pH of approximately 5.2). Note: Avoid milk that has been UHT (ultra high temperature) pasteurized; it's proteins are already broken down so much that it won't become the thick curds you'll need to make good mozzarella. The site may earn a commission on some products. Good luck and let us know how you get on with achieving a good Mozzarella : ). It will be very watery, don't worry, it will get cheesy! I sneaked a bite. We made mozzarella, homemade bread, pepper jam…and we ate a lot. I used fresh raw milk and each step worked as described on the recipe. Bocconcini! the first time I did it it worked ok and seemed to stretch alright but it was very squeaky between the teeth to eat and I didn’t find it all that pleasant fresh so grated it all up and used it on pizzas which was lovely! If you were trying to make mozzarella and you ended up with a bunch of rice-like curds that won't stick to each other, this is an example of curds that didn't come together properly. Home; Help; Resources. Also, how long are you leaving the curd in the water? I find that those cheeses don't have much flavor so instead usually use provolone for melted dishes with mozzarella or a mix. Stringy and fresh and delightful. Be sure to save it. When you are letting the curd drain in a cheese cloth lined colander, and cover. I see you are in Christchurch! Mozzarella is made using a technique called "pasta filata" or string dough. every stretch or squeeze yeilded more. It just wouldn’t come together as a smooth ribbon or ball and looked grainy.