Using Thermophilic Starter Culture to make Mozzarella
Soft fresh Mozzarella:
Recommended Thermophilic Cultures:
theMilkman™ MOZZARELLA Cheese Starter Culture; LyoPro STB ; Thermophile B
Inoculation temperature: 95-100F
Milk: whole raw milk or pasteurized non-homogenized milk. For creamier mozzarella add one quart heavy cream to a gallon of milk.
IMPORTANT: If you do not have a pH meter or pH strips to test the pH, use the stretch test after the curds/whey have been sitting for at least 5-8 hours. Perform the stretch test with a small clump of curd. If the curd does not stretch easily without breaking when stretched a little, the curd is not acidic enough and will need to rest in the whey until it reaches a lower pH (becomes more acidic). If the curd breaks up completely upon stretching, the pH is too low(too acidic). If this happens, you cannot raise the pH of the curd to get the proper stretch. Making Mozzarella curd is similar to making cheddar curd, in that both cheeses need to reach a low pH. Cheddar curd needs low pH to have that great squeak and age into a tangy cheese while Mozz curd needs a low pH for stretching. You can actually stretch cheddar curd into Mozzarella.
Procedure:
- Warm milk to 100F; then add culture to your warmed milk.
- Ripen for 45 minutes at 95-100F
- Add Calcium Chloride; stir gently
- Add rennet; stirl gently and allow to incubate at 95-100F
- Wait for clean break; usually about 45-60 minutes
- Cut curds into 2" columns
- Heal for 30 minutes in the warm whey at 90-100F
- Slowly raise the heat to 105F
- At 105 remove from heat; stir curds gently for 10 minutes, and then allow to rest in the warm whey for another 10 minutes.
- Gently ladle the curds from the pot into a colander lined with cheesecloth and allow to drain for about 20 minutes
- Position the colander over 100F water / whey (remove enough liquid so that curds are not sitting in the water, but are 'steaming') and cover for 2 hours
- During the 2 hours the curds will sort of 'melt' back into a solid ball
- While the curds are in the 100F water; heat a quart or two of water to 180F
At this point the curds should provide a pH reading of 4.7-5.2. A pH of 5.2 is optimal for stretching. Above 5.2-5.4 pH the cheese will not stretch. If you don't have pH strips or a meter; you can use the stretch test below:
Stretching: Do a test stretch with a few curds prior to the entire batch. Put a small slice of the curd into the 180F water and see if it stretches. If not wait a bit longer as the pH is likely not yet ideal.
- As per above; have ready heat water at 175-180f.
- Place a portion or the entire curd mass into the hot water.
- Allow about a minute for the curds to absorb the heat.
- When the curds start to become slightly gooey, they are ready to stretch.
- Using a wooden or slotted spoon, pick up some of the curds and see if they are stretching under their own weight. As you use your spoon to pull up on the curd mass, you will notice the individual curds become one shiny mass; this is called pulling.
Do this only long enough to see a shiny smooth surface. Shaping and creating Mozzarella balls can be tricky, but with practice you can easily create nice little Mozz Balls. Some folks braid three strands of mozz into one nice braid. You want the Mozzarella to have a shiny skin.
Do not overwork or over stretch your Mozzarella, since this will make them quite firm and even rubbery. Once you have gently formed your Mozz Balls, put them into a bowl or plastic container and cover with cool 50F water for about 10-15 minutes, and then move them into ice water for 20-30 minutes to help form the final shape. You can warp in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator and eat within a few days, or freeze.
ENJOY! The Cheesemaker
