Mozzarella, Thermophilic Starter Culture - Problems

[tnbquilt]

I want to make mozzarella. I have a book called The Art of Artisan Cheese Making, and I have tried the recipe twice and failed both times. It has 1 gallon of whole milk, 1/8 teaspoon of thermophilic culture, 1/4 tablet of rennet. The first time I made it I measured the thermophilic culture powder out to an 1/8 of a teaspoon either though the packet said to use the whole thing. The second time I made it, I used the whole packet. Still no cheese. In the end the curds are all little balls that won't even form into a ball. At the stage where you cut the curd, it looks good to me, but I've never seen it before so I can't be sure. When you strain the curd, the curd breaks all to pieces and ends up as mush.

I haven't tried using the citric acid instead of the thermophilic stuff yet. I guess that is next.

[MrsKK]

Can you give us more details on how you are making the cheese?  times, temperatures,etc.  That will help us figure out what is going on for you.

Have you successfully made other types of cheese before?  Mozzarella is a tough one to conquer, especially if you don't have the experience of knowing exactly what a clean break is, for instance.  Not easy to figure all of these things out through reading books and the Internet.

[tnbquilt]

I bought whole mile, but I don't know if it was pasteurized or homogenized. Heat the gallon of milk to 90 degrees. Add the thermophilic culture and let sit for 45 minutes. Dissolve a 1/4 tablet of rennet in 1/4 cup of water and add to the milk. Make sure it is 90 degrees. Let sit for an hour. Check the curd to see if you can get a clean cut. Cut the curd into 1/2 inch squares. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Slowly heat the curd to105 degrees. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain the curd. Place the curd in the top of a double water with water underneath at 105 degrees. Stir occasionally to make sure that it is cooking evenly, and pour off the whey. Do this for 2 to 3 hours. Check the ph level, it should be 5.1 to 5.3. I don't have anyway to check ph so I just let it cook over the 105 degree water for 3 hours. Then I put it in 170 degree water to try and make a ball out of it. It just remained as crumbled. It never did make a ball.

[KosherBaker]

Hi tnbquilt.

Reading the archives for the forums here, Ive read many many similar posts. It would appear that curds need to acidify sufficiently before they can be pulled and stretched. This acidification usually requires at least overnight storage in the refrigerator and often times longer than that.
As you have already mentioned you can check the acidification level of your curd with the pH meter, then you can know exactly when you can start stretching it. Without the meter it becomes tough, especially if you've never made it before. When the curd is not acidic enough it will remain firm, or as people call it squeaky. Once it becomes soft, or in technical terms squishy, then it is most likely ready.
On a related note, which doesn't have anything to do with your problem though. If you do go through the archives, or do a search for Mozzarella, you will see many people stretching the cheese in more than just plain water, mostly to prevent the calcium loss.

And as Karen said Mozzarella is a tough nut to crack, for noobs and more experienced makers so be ready for that.

[tnbquilt]

Thanks. When my book said 2 to 3 hours, I just waited the 3 hours because of the lack of a ph meter. It never occurred to me to wait longer. Now I hate that I threw it away, instead of just waiting until the next day. Not knowing what the curds were supposed to look like when they are ready is another issue. I won't know unless I succeed.

I did a search for mozzarella but I only found 2 other posts. Maybe I was searching this board and not the archives like you said. I will try it again.

[tananaBrian]

Your curds sound like what you get when using ultra-pasteurized milk.  Step #1 is to NOT buy ultra-pasteurized milk.  And if you can find a contact number for the dairy you are investigating, call and ask them what temperature they pasteurize their milk at ...the lower the better, with 145 F vat-pasteurization the best.  I called our local dairy only to find out that they pasteurize their milk at 170 F and do NOT put "ultra-pasteurized" on the label ...this milk can be used for other cheeses, but it's very difficult to make it work for mozzarella.  I'm a newbie and still learning myself, but I'm choosing to stick with our one and only pasteurized-only (145 F) whole cream-line milk supply at the local natural foods store.  It costs over $10 per gallon, but for mozzarella is probably my best choice.  Find good milk first ...then experiment with making mozzarella!  Can't build a house on a poor foundation...

Brian

[tnbquilt]

I appreciate that milk comment. You learn as you go. I did not look that far into the milk that I bought, but I did buy the same kind both times. I wanted to get off to a better start, but I am too stubborn to give up.

[tananaBrian]

I appreciate that milk comment. You learn as you go. I did not look that far into the milk that I bought, but I did buy the same kind both times. I wanted to get off to a better start, but I am too stubborn to give up.

You sound like me ...stubborn.  I'm new too and several have told me to gain experience by making fresh cheeses (soft) or other cheeses first and THEN try mozzarella because there are too many minor factors that can cause it to fail.  Duly noted.  I am still sticking to my guns for a bit longer though, still working on mozzarella, and still looking for an alternative (cheaper) milk supply around here that will work ...Noting that while Anchorage, Alaska has really grown up over the last 35 years (Nordstom's and fancy malls rather than "ladies of ill repute" and "gentleman's clubs" downtown etc), we still do not get the same variety of products here that the Lower 48 enjoys.  Most milk ships from 2000+ miles away and 99% of it is ultra-pasteurized!  I sure wish our local dairy (Matanuska Creamery) would do better than that, but they don't.  Study it ...you'll find that ultra-pasteurized milk is the 'wonder bread' of milk ...yuk!  And they advertise "for purity!!".  Uh huhh... It's worth doing your research and then driving out of your way to find something better, even if just drinking it!  Just for the record, we do have an outstanding dairy here... it's the Northern Lights Dairy in Delta Junction, Alaska.  Kudos to them for producing genuine 145 F vat-pasteurized milk!!!  (They don't sell it in the Anchorage area though, and they are about a 6-7 hour drive from here)

Brian

[tnbquilt]

I found a local farm that sells raw milk. I want to try that, but I want to know that the cheese recipe is right before wasting it. I know people who make mozzarella and they say that it is easy. I am going to go buy the milk that they are using and try their recipe.

[KosherBaker]

Hey tnbquilt.
Here's the link to the forum that discusses mozzarella like cheeses (Pasta Filata as they are called)
RENNET COAGULATED - Pasta Filata (Pulled Curd)
You can either do a search for Mozzarella or simply leaf through the pages looking for fitting thread titles.

Also, I don't think you needed to throw those curds away. You can still eat the cheese even if it wasn't exactly what you intended to make. And if you are wondering whether it's OK just post the question here. The gurus here, no doubt, have gone through that and will be able to advise on what to do.

[Buck47]

Welcome tnbquilt,

Mrskk does a excelant job making mozzarella made from raw milk.  I would recommend doing a search under her name she has posted very detailed instructions and helped many members learn how to make this cheese.

Having raw milk is half the battle.

Good luck