Raw Milk Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk raw milk or quality store-bought
- 1½ teaspoons citric acid
- ¼ teaspoon animal rennet
- ½ cup water divided
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare Your Mixtures
- In a small jar, dissolve 1½ teaspoons citric acid in ¼ cup filtered water
- In another jar, mix ¼ teaspoon animal rennet with remaining ¼ cup water
- Set both mixtures aside
Begin the Cheese Making
- Pour citric acid mixture into your Dutch oven
- Add your milk
- Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly
- Heat until mixture reaches 100°F (use digital thermometer)
- The Critical Rennet Step
- Remove from heat (or turn off flame if using gas)
- Add rennet mixture
- Stir gently up and down - not in circles
- Cover pot with lid
- Let sit for 10 minutes until curds set
Cutting and Draining
- Cut curds in a grid pattern
- Ensure knife reaches bottom of pot
- Pour into colander over a pot
- Save some whey for storage
- Press curds with hands until ball forms
Stretching Your Cheese
- Dip cheese in hot water
- Stretch and fold
- Repeat until cheese becomes firm and shiny
- Add salt while stretching
- Form into balls
- Store chesse in whey or water in the fridge