co mmo nsenseho me.co mhttp://www.commonsensehome.com/fresh-homemade-mozzarella-cheese-in-30-minutes/

My yo ung e st s tirring the che e se . This re c ip e is so s imp lethe b o ys usually tackle it o n the ir o wn.

Laurie Neverman

Homemade 30 Minute Mozzarella Cheese Recipe – Bonusricotta cheese

Homemade 30 MinuteMozzarella Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 level teaspoons citric acid dissolvedin 1/2 cup cool water1 gallon pasteurized whole milk (raw milkf rom a saf e source or even powdered milkmay be used – see Ricki’s site f ordirections)1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet (or 1/4 rennettablet) diluted in 1/4 cup cool,unchlorinated water1 teaspoon cheese salt (optional)

Directions

1. Gently bring the milk up to 55 degrees Fin a large, stainless steel pot. Whilestirring, add the citric acid solution to themilk at 55 degrees F and mix thoroughly.

Note: You may use skim milk, but the yieldwill be lower and the cheese will be drier.

2. Heat the milk to 90 degrees over medium-low heat,stirring constantly. Remove the pot f rom the heat andgently stir in the diluted rennet with an up-and-downmotion f or 30 seconds. Cover the pot and leaveundisturbed f or f ive minutes.

3. Check the curd. It should look like custard, with a clear separation between the curd and why. (If thecurd is too sof t or the whey is too milky, let set f or a f ew more minutes.) Cut the curd with a knif e thatreaches all the way to the bottom of your pot.

4. Place the pot back on the stove and heat the curds to105F, gently moving the curds around with your spoon.(Note: If you wish to make this cheese without amicrowave, see directions below.) Remove f rom heat andcontinue to stir slowly f or 2 to 5 minutes. (Stirring f or 5minutes will result in f irmer cheese.)

5. Scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon and put intoa 2 quart microwaveable bowl. Press the curds gently withyour hands, pouring of f as much whey as possible. Reserve the whey. (You can use it to make ricotta

cheese.)

6. Microwave the curds on high f or 1 minute. (***If you donot have a microwave, see directions below the stringcheese photo.) Drain of f all excess whey. Gently f oldthe cheese over an over (as in kneading bread) with yourhands or a spoon. This distributes the heat evenlythroughout the cheese, which will not stretch until it is toohit to touch (145F inside the curd). Rubber kitchen glovesare very handy at this stage.

7. Microwave two more times f or 35 seconds each; addsalt to taste af ter the second time. Af ter each heating,knead again to distribute the heat.

8. Knead quickly until it is smooth and elastic. When thecheese stretches like taf f y, it ’s done. If the curds breakinstead of stretch, they are too cool and need to bereheated.

9. When the cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into smallballs and eat while warm. Or place them in a bowl of icewater f or half an hour to bring the inside temperaturedown rapidly; this will produce a consistent smoothtexture throughout the cheese. Although best eatenf resh, it can be stored in the ref rigerator at this point.

Note: If you are using store-bought milk, and your curdsturn into the consistency of ricotta cheese and will notcome together, switch brands of milk. It may have beenheated at the f actory at too high a temperature.

Yield: 3/4 to 1 pound f rom 1 gallon milk

Update: Af ter experimenting a bit more, I f ound you canalso pull this into strips or strings (think “homemadestring cheese”). Pull the strips, drop them in the water tocool, then pack them tightly in a pyrex container or wrap inplastic wrap (I pref er pyrex). They’re not as pretty as thestore bought ones, but they work just the same.

Although the original recipe recommended storing thecheese in water, I pref er storing it in a t ightly sealedcontainer without water. Water storage makes the cheesesof t and washes out the salt.

***If you do not have a microwave:

Af ter step 5, heat the reserved whey on the stovetop to at least 175F. Add 1/4 cup of cheese salt tothe whey (you could probably substitute koshersalt, but cheese salt is best). Shape the curd intoone or more balls, put them in a ladle or strainer,and dip them into the hot whey f or severalseconds. Knead the curd with spoons or glovedhands between each dip and repeat this process

several t imes until the curd is smooth and pliable. Please be caref ul! This is really hot, and workingwith more liquid increase the risk of gettingsplashed! If you use the non-microwave method,you cannot use the whey to make the Ricottaf rom Heaven below, because the whey will containtoo much salt.