I love cheese. I may love cheese more than Wallace from Wallace and Gromit. Maybe. It’s definitely a close run thing. But as much as I love cheese I’ve never thought of making my own. So I thought I’d rectify this by trying something that didn’t seem too intimidating by making homemade Mozzarella!
Homemade Mozzarella doesn’t require too many ingredients, but a couple aren’t that easy to get hold of plus it requires a bit of patience and careful measuring of temperatures. However, if that doesn’t intimidate you then it’s a very satisfying process and there’s a real sense of achievement in making your own Mozzarella. It’s definitely worth trying out at least once!
Homemade Mozzarella
Print RecipeIngredients
- 3.75L Pasteurised Whole Milk
- 1.5 Tsps Food Grade Citric Acid
- 250ml Water
- 1/2 Tsp Rennet
- 60ml Water
- 1 Tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
Dissolve the citric acid in 250ml of cool water. Set aside.
Combine the rennet in 60ml of cool water. Set aside.
In a very large pan, combine together the milk and citric acid and over a medium heat bring up to 32°C (90°F), stirring occasionally.
When the milk reaches 32°C, remove from the heat and add in the rennet mixture and stir in a figure of 8 motion for a good 25 - 30 seconds.
Cover and leave the pan to sit for 15 minutes.
Uncover the pan. The curd should be firm, but with a clear division between the curds and whey around the side of the pan. You can check this with the back of a spoon or a spatula by pressing down on the curd. If it seems too watery or thin, then leave for longer.
Using a sharp knife, cut the curd into squares using a crosshatch pattern, making sure to get all the way down to the bottom of the pan.
Place the curds back on a medium heat and gently bring up to 43°C (110°F) while gently stirring the curds in one direction (I prefer clockwise).
Ladle the curds into a colander or a sieve over a bowl to catch the whey. Gently press the curds to drain the whey, and then pour the whey back into the pan.
Heat the whey to 85°C (185°F).
Place the curds into a bowl and massage them for a minute to start to bring them together.
Put on protective rubber gloves then pour enough whey over the curds until they're covered. Add the salt. Gently squeeze and knead the curds until they start to come together, then stretch and fold them until they become smooth and elastic.
Form the curd into a ball, and leave to cool.
Serve with salad, in a sandwich or on pizza and enjoy!
