Stun your partner or guests with your own homemade Mozzarella to lift your pizza to new levels. Armed with a new cheese-making book i will be trying out recipes and techniques over the coming months to perfect and hone simple recipes to dazzle guests and wow the family – starting with Mozzarella.
INGREDIENTS
8 pints of whole milk
1.5 tsp citric acid
1 tsp salt
155g salt for brining
5 drops vegetarian rennet
Equipment
Probe thermometer
Muslin cloth
Large saucepan
Wooden spoon
Container for storage
METHOD
- make the brine by adding a litre of water to the 155g of table salt in the storage container
- Dissolve the citric acid in 50mls of water and add to the milk, stirring well
- Using a thermometer gently heat the milk in a large saucepan to 35 oC stirring all the time
- Remove from the heat & add the 5 drops of rennet
- Replace the lid and leave for 30mins to set
- Line a colander with muslin cloth and strain the curd, discarding most of the liquid (whey)
- Place the curd back in the saucepan and carefully add boiling water to the saucepan
- Aim to heat the inside temperature of the curd to 570C
- fold the curd stretching as you go
- it will become smooth and elastic you can now stretch it with your hands
- The more it is worked the firmer it will become
- add the 1.5tsp salt just as finishing
- Round into balls and place in the brine
