DIY Mozzarella cheese from raw milk
There are other great recipes for Mozzarella that require rennet or vegetable rennet tablets. This is a recipe for folks who want to make decent mozzarella but can’t get rennet.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 gallon of raw milk
- 8 tablespoons of white vinegar (5% acidicity)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
For 1 gallon of raw milk:
- 1 cup of white vinegar (5% acidicity)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
equipment
- a cooking thermometer (an instant read meat thermometer is great)
- a medium or large pot with a lid (dutch oven works great!)
- microwave bowl, if you want to melt the curds in the microwave, OR an oven-safe bowl/pot to melt the curds on stovetop or oven
- a big spoon or spatula
Directions
1. HEAT. Heat raw milk in your pot on medium or medium-low heat. Occasionally stir it until it reaches 115°F, no hotter than 120°F.
2. CURDLE. Once it reaches to temp, turn off heat, and stir in your vinegar for half a minute, it will curdle! Then put the lid on it, let it rest for 15 minutes.
3. GATHER CURDS. With your spoon, gather and push all the curds together to one side of the pot. The curd will be like clumps of gum!
4. SQUEEZE. Spoon or ladle out the clump of curd and put it in a bowl. A microwave-safe bowl is easier. With clean hands or gloves on, squeeze the curds tight together and let extra whey fall back into the bowl or pot. You’ll want to squeeze out as much why as possible. In addition, the curds should be firm, not super soft.
5. SALT. Add your salt and knead it in the bowl.
6. MELT. Now to melt the curds! Press the cheese down flat in the bowl, then microwave it for about 2 minutes, at 30-second increments, and stirring the cheese in between. It usually takes putting it in the microwave 4 times at 30 seconds. It just needs to be 160°F for melting. If you don’t want to use the microwave, then heat the whey in the pot to 160-170°, and put the ball of curds back in the whey to heat up.
7. STRETCH. Fold the cheese into itself multiple times. Use the spoon initially (if it’s too hot) and then your hands to stretch and fold. It should be like stretching a soft, giant gum.
8. SHAPE & COOL. Shape the cheese into your desired shape (a ball or snake). Let it rest in cold water or ice water to stiffen up for 10 minutes or so.
9. EAT! Dry the cheese with paper towel, slice and eat! It can be stored n the fridge up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months. To freeze it, wrap it and remove as much air out as possible. The texture may change after freezing, but it is excellent to grate for dishes like lasagna or pasta.
