Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

... submitted by food.chat


Tools needed:
a nonaluminum pot that will hold a gallon of milk
a measuring cup or bowl to dissolve the rennet
a spoon
a candy thermometer
a large slotted spoon, or small sieve

For the Cheese:
1/2 rennet tablet
1/4 cup cool, chlorine-free water (most bottled waters are
chlorine-free)
1 gallon milk (2%, 1%, or skim)
2 teaspoons citric acid

Crush the rennet into the water and stir to dissolve. Pour milk into a
non-reactive pot (no aluminum or cast iron). Place over medium heat.
Sprinkle the citric acid over the milk and stir a few times. Heat milk
to 88 degrees F. Milk will begin to curdle. At 88 degrees F, add the
rennet solution and continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the
milk reaches 105 degrees F. Turn off the heat. Large curds will appear
and begin to separate from the whey (the clear, greenish liquid).
With a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, scoop the curd into a large glass
bowl. (If it's still too liquid, let it set for a few more minutes).
Press the curds gently with your hand and pour off as much whey as
possible. Microwave curds on high for 1 minute, then drain off all the
excess whey. With a spoon, press curds into a ball until cool.
Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each, and continue to drain the
whey and work cheese into a ball. In the meantime, place the whey over
medium heat and let it heat to about 175 degrees F. When cheese is
cool enough to touch, knead it like bread dough until smooth. When you
can stretch it like taffy, it is done. You can sprinkle 1 to 2
teaspoons salt into the cheese while kneading and stretching it. The
cheese will become stretchy, smooth and shiny. If it is difficult to
stretch and breaks easily, dip it into the hot whey for a few seconds
to make it warm and pliable. Then pick it up again and stretch it into
a long rope. Fold over and stretch again. Dip in hot whey as needed to
make the cheese pliable. When the cheese is smooth and shiny (this
takes just a few minutes), it is ready to eat. Shape it into
a log or golf-size balls, then store in a solution of 2 teaspoons salt
to 1 cup water.

Note: Citric acid and rennet are available through mail order, some
pharmacies or health food stores.
Yield: about 3/4 pound cheese (12 ounces)


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