Mozzarella cheese

Mozzarella seems to be one cheese we make often, and there are many ways to make it. Old World traditional mozzarella takes longer to make, but has a higher yield per gallon of milk.

Quick mozzarella is simpler and faster to make. The cheese freezes very well and is used in many recipes besides pizza. The following recipes will make a very mild mozzarella. You'll need to add a lipase powder if you like mozzarella with a stronger flavor.

Lipase powders are available from cheesemaking supply companies and are usually added at the rate of 1/8 teaspoon per two gallons of milk. Be sure to mix in water to dissolve powder before adding to milk.

Mozzarella is a fun cheese to make. It doesn't require lots of expensive equipment. You don't need a cheese press to make it, and it can be eaten fresh. Children especially enjoy helping with this cheese. I use liquid rennet because it can make a bigger variety of cheese and is cheaper to use than the tablets. Both calf or vegetable rennet work equally well.

Mozzarella is heat treated in the final stages to give it the desired stretch. This can be done either in the microwave or on the stove. Because mozzarella requires a high acidic level in the cheese before it can get stretchy, we add citric acid powder to speed this process along. The Old World traditional mozzarella gets its acidity by adding a culture and allowing it to ripen over a two-hour or longer period.

All cheese should be made in a stainless steel or unchipped enamel pot. Never use aluminum, as this can leach into the cheese. Use only canning or non-iodized kosher salt. Salt with iodine will give your cheese a slight yellowish-green tint. It's best to use a sink of hot water to raise or lower the temperature of the cheese. You can add more hot water as needed without worrying about scorching the milk.

Citric acid powder quickly raises the acidity so that the cheese will stretch. This is used for the quick method, but traditional mozzarella gets its acidity slowly by adding a culture and allowing it to ripen. Citric acid powder is available at cheesemaking supply companies, and pharmacists will sometimes order it. Candy and cake decorating supply companies often have it, as citric acid is used to make hard rock candy.

Thermophilic culture can be heated to 110 degrees or more. It is used to make many Italian-type cheeses such as mozzarella. It is an old-fashioned culture, sometimes called traditional or regular thermophilic and must be recultured before using. The other and more convenient type is a DVI thermophilic culture. DVI stands for direct vat inoculant and can be added directly to the warmed milk.

Old World traditional mozzarella cheese

It takes a little practice to know the exact time to begin the stretching process, but this mozzarella is well worth the effort. It has a higher yield per gallon of milk than the mozzarella made with citric acid powder. However, the citric acid assures you that the stretch will be ready when you are.

The old-fashioned mozzarella takes a bit longer, and the acidic level is reached over time with the aid of a thermophilic culture, so it can be a little tricky to know when the cheese is ready to stretch. Continued practice will help you get better at making this cheese.

2 gallons milk
1/8 teaspoon DVI thermophilic
culture
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh rennet -- amount
depends on age and freshness
1/2 cup cool water


Warm the milk to 90 [degrees] F and add the thermophilic culture. Dilute the rennet into cool water and stir into the milk for 15 seconds. Allow the curds to coagulate for 45 minutes to one hour and 15 minutes. Curd is ready to cut when it breaks cleanly over your finger and whey fills the depression. Cut curd gently into one-inch pieces and let rest for 20 minutes.

Increase the temperature of the curds about 2 degrees every five minutes, stirring often to keep the curds from matting together. Heat until the mixture reaches 100 [degrees] F. This is best done in a sink of hot water. When the curds have reached 100 [degrees] F, hold at this temperature by adding hot water to the sink as necessary and begin timing. You don't need to drain off the whey and curds. Let it set in the sink, keeping warm to acidify for about 2-1/2 hours.

Test a small handful of curds in very hot water (150 [degrees] to 155 [degrees] F). If they aren't ready to stretch, leave them to set a little longer. Determining the point when the curds are ready to stretch is a matter of getting a feel for how the cheese is supposed to be. When right, the curds melt together and stretch beautifully. Let it set in the sink, keeping warm to acidify for about 2-1/2 hours. At this stage, you can drain the curds, refrigerate and finish the stretching another day by using hot water.

Another method is to remove the curds from the whey, place the whey back on the stove in a double boiler and heat the whey back to 150 [degrees] to 155 [degrees] F. Place the curds, which by now have knitted themselves into one mass, back into the hot whey. Work quickly. Use of a large slotted spoon and a large regular spoon will help in the stretching process. Pull and stretch like taffy, shape into a ball and place in a brine solution for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how salty you like your cheese.

The brine solution is two pounds of kosher salt per gallon of water, or eight ounces of salt per quart. The amount of salt can be adjusted to suit your taste. This cheese is great eaten fresh with a slice of tomato, a basil leaf and olive oil drizzled over the cheese.