# mozzarella help please!



## LynninTX

OK tried 1 recipe yesterday and did not turn out right...

trying the no fail from here today... and it is failing!



> 1) Dissolve citric acid powder in 1/4cup cool water, add to milk, stir well
> 2) Dissolve lipase in 1/4cup warm water, add to milk, stir well
> 3) Slowly warm milk, on low, to 90*F
> 4) Dilute rennet in 1/4cup of cool water, add to milk, stir well
> 5) Turn heat off allow milk to set for 15min to achieve a clean break


OK I did not get a nice firm curd like I am supposed to... in the bottom of the pot under LOTS of whey is some clotty looking stuff... this is what happened yesterday.

I followed the directions precisely...

help :help2 :help2 :help2 :help2 :help :help :help :help


----------



## Ozark Lady

Check out my milk won't curdle thread.
Goat milk is more acidic than cow's milk.
I think we are going to have to use less acid when we make cheeses out of it.
Look and see if you got the same gunk instead of curds that I did!
Try half as much as called for in the recipes and see if that helps any.


----------



## LynninTX

thanks... I'll try that...

I completed the recipe and ended up with quite a *mess*...

[[[Place the curd into a microwavable bowl and cook on high for 1min., knead to express whey]]]

Wondering how that expels whey... guessing if it had worked correctly... I could have drained it off...

sigh....

Going to try the recipe from yesterday with less citric acid... that one seemed to come closer to working...


----------



## Ozark Lady

Did you see the pudding looking mess that I created? It just wouldn't break into curds, and Pav explained it really well.
We are going to have to watch recipes that are for cow's milk, and pasturized milk, that milk is dead, and ours isn't.
Even half of what I used would have been way too much acid in my milk.
When I made mozarella before, and did it correctly, I had curd setting on top of the whey, not down under. But with too much acid, my glob of stuff was down under.
I believe that I read, somewhere, if you use the lipase to decrease the other acids or it one. You don't use a full measure of them all.
I have been reading alot of milk supply sites, and my new cheesemaking book, trying to plan my order online. I am no expert... but mistakes like my farmers cheese mess, really teach lessons that we will remember.
When you have curd, then when you heat the curds, they begin to stick together, soon you have curds that are similar to dough. And the whey keeps coming out, and it gets more and more like bread dough.
The mess I had, would only ever look like the mess that I had! ha ha


----------



## LynninTX

Well the recipe today was the one on this board... so I never expected it to not work... 

yesterday though WAS someone using fresh raw cows milk... it called for less citric acid than todays and turned out a touch better. I think I may try 1t per 2 gal and try yesterdays... it was a a longer process (no microwave)... but because it is video I could follow it better.... hard sometimes to read the word only.


----------



## LynninTX

yesterday's stretched... just stretched before it was supposed to... this mess never stretched.


----------



## Ozark Lady

Keep notes, and when you get it figured out, you have your own custom designed plan!


----------



## LynninTX

:nod taking notes... otherwise I can't remember anything! LOL


----------



## linuxboy

Lynn, how much citric acid did you use in the one that didn't work out?


----------



## LynninTX

2gal milk
3tsp citric acid powder
1/2tsp liquid rennet
1/8tsp lipase (believe me, that's plenty, you can really taste it)
1/2cup cool water divided in half
1/4cup warm water


----------



## LynninTX

Mozzarella Cheese (no fail) 

2gal milk
3tsp citric acid powder
1/2tsp liquid rennet
1/8tsp lipase (believe me, that's plenty, you can really taste it)
1/2cup cool water divided in half
1/4cup warm water

1) Dissolve citric acid powder in 1/4cup cool water, add to milk, stir well
2) Dissolve lipase in 1/4cup warm water, add to milk, stir well
3) Slowly warm milk, on low, to 90*F
4) Dilute rennet in 1/4cup of cool water, add to milk, stir well
5) Turn heat off allow milk to set for 15min to achieve a clean break
6) Cut into 1 inch curds, set in a 105*F water bath for 10min (it is okay for the curds to mat together some )
7) Drain curds into a colander kneading lightly to express whey (start heating whey now if you are making ricotta)
Break curd apart and 2tea salt, knead lightly
9) Place the curd into a microwavable bowl and cook on high for 1min., knead to express whey
10) Cook on high heat again for 1min, cheese will be very hot and there wont be much whey this time, the cheese will begin to stretch.
11) Stretch and fold cheese a few times then fold into a ball, rinse in cold water, place in a small bowl to mold, and refrigerate
Cheese will last 2 weeks in the refrigerator or can be frozen.


----------



## LynninTX

doing a second *slow* batch (yesterday's recipe), but dropped it to 1t citric acid...

another difference is rennet... yesterdays calls for much less... so if this does not turn out I may leave the ca alone next and go back up on the rennet...


----------



## linuxboy

That's not too bad of a recipe for citric acid mozz. 1.5 tsp is about right.

So you added the citric, brought it up to temp. Were there any curds at this point, at 90? If so, that's too much citric. Was the milk still milk when you added rennet?

Rennet should be 1/4 tsp single strength per gallon, or 1/8 tsp double strength.


----------



## LynninTX

the milk was still milk until I added the rennet then it started graining up....

well looks like I might not have added enough rennet to this batch... grrrrr

too late as I JUST did it 10min ago.


----------



## LynninTX

woohooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It formed a curd... maybe not as firm as in the video.... but oh so close and it cut!!!!

yippee!!!!


----------



## linuxboy

Yeah! Great!

If it grained up and just sort of fell apart and curds did not hold, then it's the milk. Was it store milk? Most store milks can't make a good mozz because they're overprocessed. The pasteurization and homogenization are killers for cheese milk.


----------



## LynninTX

[[[If it grained up and just sort of fell apart and curds did not hold, then it's the milk.]]]

That is what it did... but it is raw goats milk... same milking as the batch that worked with less citric acid.


----------



## LynninTX

well phooey it did not really *stretch*.... so next batch I'll do 1.5t citric acid vs 1t


----------



## linuxboy

It's tough to get citric mozz right without a pH meter. The acidity has to be just right, not too much and not too little. Also, goat's milk proteins are different, it's not as easy to get them to stretch with citric mozz. Cultured mozz tends to work OK, though, for goat's milk.


----------



## LynninTX

I'll have to look for a recipe... thanks...


----------



## Ozark Lady

Lynn, I am sorry that it didn't work out!
Sounds like you are getting closer though.
I saw on a website somewhere, Hoeggers?, where you can get ph papers, I wonder if those will work, since the ph meters are so expensive?
Wow, you used 2 gallons of milk each time?
And I thought that I had a mess with only 4 quarts milk and 1 quart of buttermilk.
I have about decided to run test batches with only 1 quart of milk, less waste that way, and easier to clean up the mess too! Since I will use smaller containers, and they are easier to fit in the sink to wash! But, how to measure the ingredients could become a major issue with my micro sized batches! I also found some tiny measuring spoons on some of the websites that I have been exploring.


----------



## linuxboy

If you're measuring out liquid rennet, use a syringe or pipette. It's .35-.4 ml double strength per gallon or .7 -.8 ml single strength. Cultures are very tough, though, need to use a microgram scale for that.


----------



## LynninTX

Well the first batch looked & tasted like mozz to my son... not sure he tasted batch 3... so going to stick with that recipe... vs the no fail.

I just got back here... last week was NUTS and I never tried again. About to start batch 4... will use recipe #1 and try 1.5t of citric acid this time.

Yes, I am doing 2gal batches... I have so much milk this is doable.


----------



## Ozark Lady

Okay, based on what you learned here, I made Mozzarella today.
It worked, but, boy is my mozzarella tough. You have to actively chew it.
But that is okay, it will be cooked tonight and gone! I was also looking at my cheese making book, and it said, if you stir for 5 minutes it will be firmer... I know why mine is tough... 2 minutes stirring next time! ha ha
Here is the changes that I made to the original recipe:
Mozzarella Cheese (no fail) 

2gal milk
1.5 tsp citric acid powder
1/4tsp liquid rennet reg str… 1/8 tsp double strength
1/16t lipase
1/2cup cool water divided in half
1/4cup warm water


----------



## linuxboy

For a citric acid recipe, that's not enough acid to make it soft. Higher acid will make for a softer cheese, as will higher fat and more moisture from letting the curd set longer before cutting, and larger curd size. Hope it cooks well for you


----------



## Ozark Lady

It turned yellow and set up really hard, not sure it will work for much of anything... :-(

It tastes good though... grating cheese? ha ha


----------



## LynninTX

woo hoo!!!

Isaac & I did a batch today and it came out PERFECT!!!!!

differences were 
3 gal milk versus 2 gal

so we adjusted the citric acid to 2.5t and the rennet to 1/4t +1/8t

AND we used older milk. Instead of milk under 24hrs old we used 7-9day old milk...

It really was fabulous to watch it actually do what it was supposed to do!

I have 3 more older gal and will do another batch Thu. 

I am using the first recipe still not the no fail... since the no fail just did not come close to working for me. 

I am so thrilled! So is Isaac. LOL He has helped with all the batches, but one.


----------



## Ozark Lady

Hmm, I don't have a stainless steel pot larger than 2 gallon.
I think that I am going to go smaller, and make only 1 gallon at a time until I get it perfected.
The one I made stretched nice, and tasted good, I think the microwave was just too much.
It kind of reminds me of mozarella that has already been cooked and a bit dried on a pizza!

I have cultured kefir, haven't been brave enough to taste it yet, but I hear tell that it is glorified buttermilk, I wonder if it would substitute for buttermilk, and make a better mozarella than the citric acid one? Pav, would it work?


----------



## LynninTX

[[[The one I made stretched nice, and tasted good, I think the microwave was just too much.
It kind of reminds me of mozarella that has already been cooked and a bit dried on a pizza!]]]

The recipe I am using you pour boiling water over it then do the stretching... no microwave involved.


----------



## Faye Farms

I've never used a microwave for my mozzarella. I just can't see nuking a good cheese and having it come out good. I heat up my whey for stretching my mozzarella.


----------



## Tim Pruitt

This is the link to the recipe that I use for Mozzarella - it worked perfectly.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/includes/modules/jWallace/ChsPgs/1Mozz/Index.html


----------



## Ozark Lady

I tried an adaptation of the mozarella recipe, using cultured kefir, it was okay, but still a bit tough, so I am going to increase the kefir, or the citric acid... round number 3 coming up! ha ha... and I used the whey heated for the stretching, still it was tough stuff! We ate it though!


----------



## Ozark Lady

I have round 3 in brine solution. I am sure it will be tough as usual.

But, I may have learned the problem. I was reading various posts in a blog about making mozarella, and it went into detail about working the cheese. I honestly didn't know how, so I just squeezed and stretched and folded it. Well, the blog says to be gentle and not cause milk to run out, you are losing cream and make the mozarella dry and rubbery when you make the cream run out... I thought that was the goal in working it! Oops!

So, plenty of milk for try number 4! More gentle handling this time!


----------



## linuxboy

Also, your water should be at 175F. the best method is to take a paddle or wooden spoon and lift the middle of the fused curds. As you lift, the proper stretching will happen. Then you can take another spoon and go in the middle of the stretched chunk and fold it over and let it stretch again. You don't knead the dough. The mozz needs about 130F to get really stretchy. Much more than that and you lose fats. Also, when you pour in the water, pour it on the side, not directly over the curd. Same reason, don't want to wash out the fats.

The other trick to getting good moisture is to cut the curd twice. Once in larger sizes, about 2", and then wait, and then cut again to smaller size. This helps it to retain moisture. If using vinegar, target pH of 5.6. If citric, you can go higher, 5.7 should still get a good stretch.

Good luck!


----------



## Ozark Lady

The recipe I have says to heat the mozarella whey to 145 while the mozarella is draining and then soak the curds until they reach 130, put on gloves and work it.

I bake bread, and I have perfected butter, so I sort of worked it somewhere between the two... the kneading like bread, and the removing of fat like butter... no wonder it is cement! ha ha

I dont pour any water on it, I just lower the ladle of curds into the whey and let them sit for awhile, try to stretch it and return it as needed.


----------



## linuxboy

To me 145 is not enough. It will cook the curds for too long until they get to 130F. The curds should rapidly come to temp, be stretched quickly, and then shaped.


----------



## Ozark Lady

I agree, seems like when I made it years ago, it went well, and the temps were higher, I will definitely try it. I have to make some today, fridge is out of room again! And every container that I own is full of milk, again. I have been busy canning grape jelly and stuff, and it built up on me.


----------



## Ozark Lady

I give up... I just can't make mozzarella any more. And it was so easy 20 years ago... guess I have gone senile.


----------

