Tom's Cheese #4 -- 30-minute Raw Cow's Milk Mozzarella

[Tom Turophile]

My first attempt with raw milk has met with mixed success.  I used the standard Ricki Caroll 30-minute recipe, which I hadn't had a problem with using store-bought milk.

This time, I finally got some raw milk.  The result was something stringier and more like string cheese.  It's edible, it just isn't as good.

I suspect that I should've used less rennet than normal -- the milk set fantastically, and I got my first true clean break.  I followed the rest of the recipe, and it was more difficult to drain off the whey.  When I've done it before, it was much easier.  As I moved to the microwave, I had more weight / curds than usual.  Also, the whey was milkier.

Very different experience using raw milk!

[iratherfly]

Haven't tried with raw milk yet but I made 4 Mozzarella in the past month and I get the best results with pasteurized but NON-homogenized milk. I don't use microwave. Perhaps you should try a different method?

I let the curd rest in the whey for 5 minutes and than drain the curd in a fine mesh colander. As I leave it to drain and knot, I warm up the leftover whey to 175F and add a generous amount of salt. I prepare another bowl of ice water.  I then take out of the colander the curd (it have developed to a single knotted piece by now). I slice it up on a cutting board and drop the pieces to the hot whey. Wait a few seconds and start stretching with a flat wooden spoon. If you are not afraid of the heat, get your hands in there and start stretching and folding. Don't wait too long because the curd will melt and dilute in the hot whey. Re-dip in the hot whey if it gets too cold and hard to stretch. Once the stretch is long and strong, relatively smooth (not lumpy) and is shiny - form to a ball, loaf, braid or bocconcini. Practice makes perfect

[Tom Turophile]

I haven't tried the hot whey method yet, but I will at some point.  I've got gloves:)

But I don't think that's what caused the issue -- there was something very different about the curd this time, compared to my usual pasteurized milk.  It wasn't releasing whey as easily or quickly.  I probably had three times the amount of weight as usual going into the stretching phase.

[MrsKK]

Maybe the citric acid required is different for raw milk vs pasteurized.  As I only use raw, I can't really say.

What a horrible waste, though! I really don't like the citric acid method because it just isn't very flavorful, but it will melt on pizza in a pinch.

I dont' particularly like using the microwave for heating my curd, either.  I use a basket suspended in a gallon of hot whey with a cup of kosher salt added to it.  I cut my curd into 1 inch cubes and allow them to warm up a couple of minutes, then take them out to knead them.  I wear a pair of rubber gloves to work the curd and have the whey at about 165-170 degrees.  It still gets hot, but I prefer to use my hands.

As I make my cultured mozz in 5 gallon batches, it will take me about an hour to get it all stretched.  I make it up into baseball sizes, putting the balls into the whey one more time after I have the ball formed.  After a minute or two, I put it in cold water for 3-4 minutes to set it up, then remove to a dry plastic container.