30 Minute Mozzarella is so easy to make. So why did I wait so long to taste you, my delicious creation?
One cheese that I have been procrastinating about is Mozzarella. Don’t ask me why; I just was! The Mozzarella recipe listed in Ricky Carrol’s Home Cheesemaking book had quite a few precautions as did her instructions on her website, but I figured that now that I had a few kinds of cheese under my belt (an understatement I suppose?), I should be able to rescue any potential disaster.
Quick Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 4 litres of full cream milk, preferably unhomogenized.
- 1½ teaspoons of citric acid mixed with a ½ cup of non-chlorinated water,
- 1 teaspoon of non-iodised salt,
- ½ teaspoon of liquid rennet or ½ a rennet tablet mixed with a quarter of a cup of non-chlorinated water,
- 1/8th of a teaspoon of lipase mixed with a quarter of a cup of water (let this sit for 20 minutes before hand).
- ¼ teaspoon of Calcium Chloride in ¼ cup unchlorinated water if using homogenised milk.
Equipment
- 6-8 Litre Stock Pot
- Stainless Steel stirring spoon
- Dairy Thermometer
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- 4 litre Pyrex Bowl
- Large Bowl filled with cold water and ice
- Loose weave Cheese cloth
- Colander
- Kitchen rubber gloves
Method
- Clean and sanitise your equipment and utensils and leave to air dry.
- Heat the milk to 13°C then add the citric acid solution to which you add the calcium chloride. Add the lipase and stir well and continue to heat. The milk will curdle a little on the surface due to the increased acidity.
- Heat to 33°C (90F), then add the rennet solution and stir gently for 1 minute. Keep heating the milk to 38-40°C and the curd may begin to come away from the edges of the pot or look like the consistency of scrambled eggs. This happens in about 5-8 minutes.
- Pour off some whey, and gently pour the curds into a cheese cloth lined colander. The whey becomes clear and yellow. Drain as much whey from the curds in the Pyrex bowl and then put it in the Microwave Oven (1000w) for 1 minute on High. Put on your gloves as the curd begins to get hot during handling.
- Drain the whey again, then into the Microwave for another 30 seconds on High, drain and form into a single mass, and back into the Microwave for a final 30 seconds.
- Add the salt and start gently kneading quickly like bread dough until it is smooth and shiny and it can be stretched like melted cheese. Form the cheese into smaller balls and then put them in the big bowl of iced water for 5-10 minutes. This helps the cheese to form the same consistency throughout as it cools rapidly.
- Take it out of the ice water and try a slice on a cracker with fresh tomato and freshly cracked pepper and salt. It is delicious!
When the salt is added and started kneading quickly like bread dough until it was smooth and shiny and it could be stretched like Taffy . This is as simple as forming the cheese into five balls and then put them in a big bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. This helped the cheese to have the same consistency throughout and cools it rapidly.
We then took it out of the water and have already eaten one ball sliced onto crackers, topped with tomato and freshly cracked pepper and salt. Delicious! Apparently, it can be stored covered in the fridge for a few days, but don’t think it will last that long. I usually make it on Friday night, and we use it on homemade pizza on a Saturday night!
There is nothing quite like fresh Mozzarella! Why did I wait so long to make it, I will never know.
Thanks Lee-Anne. I’m glad my recipe is of some use. It never fails me when I use the recipe in my cheese making classes. Always a smile on students faces when they stretch the mozzarella!
We went to an expensive cheese making class, and took a whole day to make mozzarella. I came home saying I was never making it again – far too much work for such a small yield. Then I found this, and I have to say it’s the cheese I now make most. You’re a star, and I’m so very thankful
I really want to get into making cheese after watching your videos. You do a great job showing the process. I have ordered a items that seem to be used a lot already. Is there a store or website that you have found that has the uncommon ingredients and supplies?
@ Caitlin, Well done, I am thinking of making some with the traditional method this weekend, so will see how it compares. I have to buy a pH meter as the recipe I have is very specific.
@ Annet, There is a non-microwave 30 minute version in Ricki Carrolls cheesemaking book that may help you out. As for the Feta, just leave it longer in the brine and it will soften as it ages. It will be spreadable soon enough.
@ Narelle, great tip about the storage in whey. I will give it a go. That way it should not loose any protein.
@ Kristy, Nice!
Just. yum. *grin*
a timely post Gav….Hubby asked me just yesterday for some more Mozzarella…I've only ever read about the 30 minute method…having only made the traditional one….(in the cheese course I did)…but I also stored my finished balls in chilled whey too…this way if other committments stop you from using it…it won't dry out in the fridge….
Happy cheese making…
hm, what if you are one of the few people in the world that does not have a microwave?
I also made the feta – I wish I had watched the whole video before I started, since it was a lot of steps, then wait, then steps, then wait, etc, so it was quite late before i was finished! But I had two nice blocks of feta (i did not combine them like you did). Very yummy, very crumbly, greek style so I was impressed! Though can you explain how to change the recipe to make it more of a creamy danish-style?
Love your blog and thanks again,
Annet
Well done! I had to take a class to get mozzarella right – it's all in the kneading/stretching and the technique is very hard to describe in a book. I didn't understand it until I saw someone do it. We made both 30-minute and traditional mozzarella. The traditional tasted better, I think, but the 30-minute was a good approximation. You've got me inspired now. I think I'll be making some mozzarella this weekend!