Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

This past weekend I went to an Amish market and bought a gallon of raw milk.  So, I decided to make homemade mozzarella cheese.  It's really pretty easy.
 Dissolve 1/4 tablet of rennet in 1/4 cup of cool chlorine-free water.  Stir it and set it aside.  Mix 1-1/2 tsp. of citric acid into 1 cup of cool, chlorine-free water until dissolved and pour it into a heavy pot.  Pour 1 gallon of milk into your pot and stir vigorously.  Heat the milk to 90 degrees while stirring.  remove the pot from the burner and stir in the rennet for about 30 seconds in an up and down motion.  Cover the pot and let it sit from 5-10 minutes. Check the curd.  When you push on it gently, it should clearly separate from the whey.  Do not use ultra pasteurized milk or you will have trouble getting it to curd.

 Using a large knife, cut the curd into cubes all the way to the bottom of the pot.

 Return the pot to the burner and heat it to 105 degrees while slowly stirring the cubes.  Take it off the burner and slowly stir for 2-4 minutes.  All of these steps depend on the type of milk you are using. Practice makes perfect!

 Pour the curds into a colander.  Gently fold it over on itself to get all of the whey out.  I don't have photos of the next few steps because it's hard to use a camera when you are stretching hot cheese.  Heat a pan of water to 185 degrees.  Split the curds in half to make them easier to handle.  Drop one ball of curds into the water and then remove and stretch like taffy. Picture Furio in the Sopranos.  The cheese has to be about 155 degrees to stretch it so you might have to drop it back in the water a couple times to warm it up.   You should also incorporate about 1 tsp. of salt at this time.  Form it into a ball and drop the balls of cheese into a bowl of 50 degree water for about 5 minutes.

 Then plunk it into ice water for another 10-15 minutes.

 Fresh mozzarella.

 Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.  I have 3 balls because some of my curds fell apart.

Pretty easy, very good!

Comments

Dog Trot Farm said…
Something I would love to do, learn to make cheese...I wish I lived closer to the Amish...they sell so many wonderful goods...I cherish my Amish made quilts bought at an auction in Lancaster...Have a lovely day...
Robin Larkspur said…
I thought you were going to say, "first, milk a cow:!!
Wow this is impressive and I bet it tastes great, too!
Nellie said…
Fresh mozarella is so very good!
LOL @ Robin! Yeah, technically, this cheese is not right "from scratch" if you didn't milk that cow yourself, you know!
Anonymous said…
you are so crafty, yum!
Kev Alviti said…
I got a kit a while ago with the rennet in, I should get around to trying it really. Yours looks so good!
Lady M said…
gorgeous - I wish I could find a source of raw milk.
Leanna said…
There is an old style Italian restaurant in San Antonio that makes their own mozzarella cheese. But you have the recipe so I need to try it now. ahahahahaaa.
Anonymous said…
I have made a hard cheese once and it was lots of fun and a total failure :-) :-) It rested for six months before we tried it and it had the most odd taste of sweet and salt and it fell appart too :-)

It was hardly edible but down it went after all that work and I'm still alive :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
Guillaume said…
Home made cheese? That is so original.
Mary Ann said…
I have made simple chevre numerous times... so good, and so fun to make! Thanks for this recipe.
TARYTERRE said…
That sounds too ambitious to me. But when you break it down into the steps you did, it does look easier than I imagined. Bet it tastes delicious. In the process could you add italian seasoning, dried tomatoes or garlic??? or wouldn't that work?
brokenteepee said…
Every time I've tried I've tried it with goat's milk my mozzarella is like caulk.
This looks great.
Joyce, living with you would be like a religious experience every single meal! Seriously!
Craig said…
I've never been brave enough to try to make my own cheese. But I love good mozzarella and yours looks very delicious.
chickpea678 said…
Wow, you make it look so easy! Is rennet available at grocery stores?