In addition to the hard cheese kit I talked about in my last post, we also got the mozzarella kit from Austin Homebrew.

Making fresh mozzarella is very different from making hard cheese. For one thing, it’s a much shorter process; it can be completed from start to edible in about 1-2 hours! And whereas the hard cheesemaking process involves a lot of sitting and waiting, most of the mozzarella process involves working the curds like taffy.

The mozzarella kit we got includes instructions, citric acid, calcium chloride, rennet tablets, and cheese salt. Here are the instructions:

Start by mixing 2 tsp citric acid and ½ tsp calcium chloride into ¼ cup water. In a separate container, dissolve 1 rennet tablet in ½ cup water. Set aside.

Pour one gallon of whole milk (make sure it’s not ultra-pasturized) into a 6-quart pot and heat gently. When the milk is 55° F, pour in the citric acid/calcium chloride mixture and stir gently. Heat the milk to 88° F. The milk will start to curdle at this point.

Remove the pot from the heat and gently stir in the rennet mixture for about 30 seconds. Heat the milk gently to 105° F. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside for 20 minutes.

When the curds look like thick yogurt and the whey is clear, the curds are ready to be scooped out.

Scoop the curds out with a slotted spoon and place in a large microwaveable bowl. Press the curds gently and pour out as much whey as possible.

Microwave the curds on high for one minutes. Drain off excess whey. Gently fold the curds, adding ¾ tsp of cheese salt. Continue folding as the curds cool.

Heat the curds in the microwave for 30 seconds. Drain off excess whey and fold. Repeat this until the curd becomes smooth and elastic. The more you fold, the smoother and firmer it will be. As the curds become more elastic, you can switch to using your hands to fold and knead. The curds will eventually be around 145° F, and will stretch like taffy. Continuing to stretch the curd will make the cheese more firm and stringy. If the curds break instead of stretching, they need to be reheated.

When the cheese is smooth and shiny, it can be eaten warm, or placed in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes. Cooling it quickly will produce a smooth texture.

Eat it fresh, or cover and refrigerate it. It is of course best at its freshest!

Making fresh mozzarella was pretty fun! During the heating/folding process, I was beginning to think that it would never come together, but eventually, as the temperature got higher, it became stretchy and taffy-like. It was pretty exhilarating, to be honest.

I think this process is something that will take practice to be able to get the texture of the mozzarella right. Making many pounds of fresh, creamy mozzarella cheese is a sacrifice I’m just going to have to make.