Citric Acid Mozz success with P/H milk

[MrsKK]

For my cheese class students, I've been on a quest to find a recipe that would work using the horribly abused pasturized/homogenized milk that they sell here in Wisconsin.  Because most of those people would never spend $8 per gallon for the creamline milk that's been giving us an iffy curd set anyway.

I had a class last Saturday and used creamline milk and the citric acid recipe from Debra Amrein-Boyes.  It worked pretty well - the stretch was excellent, but I noted some curdling of the milk in the upper center of the pot.

So on Monday I used a gallon of p/h milk, adding the citric acid while the milk was cold from the fridge and only warmed it to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, instead of the 88 degrees recommended in the original recipe.  I made a couple of other changes, too and what follows are the directions for my success:


Citric Acid Mozzarella
   Read the recipe all through before beginning!

The key to success with this recipe, if you are using pasteurized/homogenized milk, is to have the milk cold from the refrigerator when you begin.  Also, make sure to be very gentle with the milk and the curd.  You want to prevent curdling of the milk after adding the citric acid and you want to prevent the curd from shattering once you are in the cooking/heating phase.  Use a skimmer to gently lift the curd, rather than stirring, during the initial minutes of the cooking phase.   

1 tsp citric acid powder
1 gallon whole milk
¼ tsp calcium chloride
heaping 1/32 tsp powdered calf’s rennet, or amount per label instructions
Whey reserved from cheesemaking process
6 tbsp kosher or cheese salt

OR

3 tsp citric acid powder
3 gallons whole milk
½ tsp calcium chloride
heaping 1/16 tsp powdered calf’s rennet, or amount per label instructions
1 gallon whey reserved from cheesemaking process
3/4 cup kosher or cheese salt


1.   In a small glass bowl or measuring cup, dissolve citric acid powder in ¼ cup lukewarm water.   
2.   In a large stainless steel pot set up as double-boiler, combine milk and dissolved citric acid, stirring very gently to blend well.
3.   While milk is warming, dilute calcium chloride in ¼ cup cool water.  Set aside. 
4.   Place double boiler over medium heat and warm milk to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, occasionally stirring gently.  Remove milk pot from double boiler.
5.   When milk reaches temperature, gently stir diluted calcium chloride into milk. 
6.   Dilute rennet in ¼ cup cool water.  Gently stir into milk no more than 20 – 30 seconds and stop motion of milk with skimmer.  Cover and let set for 45 minutes.  Check for a clean break.  If necessary, cover and allow to set for another 15 minutes, or until clean break is achieved. 
7.   Using a long-bladed knife, cut curd into ½ inch pieces.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes to heal curd.
8.   Return pot to double boiler and slowly warm curds to 106 degrees Fahrenheit.  Curd will be very fragile, so move it around by inserting skimmer under curd and lifting it to prevent matting.  Continuously stir/lift curd, adjusting the heat as necessary to make sure it takes 20 minutes to attain 106 degrees.  Turn off heat and continue to stir for 20 more minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes.
9.   Ladle curds into a cloth-lined colander set over another pot and allow draining for 15 minutes, reserving whey.
10.   Place curd mass on a clean cutting board and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Add salt to reserved whey and heat whey to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
11.   Wear a couple pairs of latex exam gloves to protect your hands and/or use a wooden spoon to protect hands from heat.  Place about 1 cup of the curd cubes into a heat-resistant bowl or pot and pour some of the whey over the curd.  After about 30 seconds, remove a chunk of cheese and start pulling on it. The center may still be cool, so if it breaks, just mush it back together, then put it back in the whey and allow it to warm a bit longer.  When the curd begins to stretch well, take it in your hands and pull into a long rope, putting the curd back into the whey as necessary to keep it soft and stretchy.  You will probably have to dump the cooling whey out and replace with hot whey about every five minutes or so – if the curd gets hard to stretch or breaks, it is too cool.
12.   Continue to pull and fold over the curd until it becomes smooth and shiny, then put it back in the hot whey for a few seconds to warm up again.  Use your hands to form it into a ball or pinch off pieces for bocconcini-sized cheese, or stretch into ½ inch long strand and roll between palms to form string cheese
13.   Place stretched and formed cheese into a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to firm up.  Remove and drain/dry on paper toweling.  Either use immediately or store in plastic wrap, Ziploc bag or container and refrigerate up to 5 days.  It can also be frozen for later use. 


Modified 04/06/12 to remove references to lipase.

[DeejayDebi]

Rennet in mozzarella? If you age it you'll have provalone.

[anarch]

You might have inspired me to try this again.  After my limited results with it before (which I judged to be because I was using raw milk instead of store milk, heh). 

[MrsKK]

Debi - I've always used rennet in mozzarella...how else do you get the curd to clean break?

Anarch - Give it another try, even with raw milk.  BUT make sure your milk is no more than three days old.  I once used 4 day old milk for mozz and got nothing but mush as it was too acidified.  Do remember that mozz is one of the tougher cheeses to get right, so don't get discouraged.

[DeejayDebi]

Sorry Karen having a brain fart I was thinking lipase! DUH! Long weekend little sleep smoking bacon again!

[JeffHamm]

Hi MrsKK,

I might have to give this a try.  I've not had any luck with Mozz ... yet. 

Hmmm, how much lipase are you adding per gallon?

- Jeff

[MrsKK]

I'm not adding any lipase.

[JeffHamm]

Hi MrsKK,

Oh, both steps 1 and 5 mention lipase?  I take it you just omit it?

- Jeff

[DeejayDebi]

okay so I did read lipase somewhere!

[MrsKK]

Sorry, folks!  I did write up the recipe to use lipase, as I experimented with it, but it didn't change the flavor at all, so I removed it from the ingredients, but forgot to take it out of the instructions.  So much for proof-reading!

[JeffHamm]

Ahhh, that explains it.  There's no proof in reading because the proof is in the cheese pudding!

- Jeff

[Sailor Con Queso]

There are lots of recipes for quicky Mozz that include Lipase. I find that a waste of good enzymes.

[DeejayDebi]

I totally understand about proof reading! No matter how many time I re-read something it still comes out with errors!

[JeffHamm]

Woo Hoo!  Got some stretch this time.  It wasn't the best I've seen, but the best I've been able to get.  Got 1382g out of 10 litres, divided into 7 balls.  The washing gloves I used to "protect" my hands were not very helpful.  They were too small (for Vanessa's hands) so they stretched quite thin.  That reduced their heat protection level, as did the holes that I hadn't noticed!  I'm glad there wasn't 8 balls of Mozz, or I think I would have started getting stretch in my fingers!  Anyway, we've had some already and it's turned out pretty good.  Vanessa took another ball of it down to our neighbor and they had it cut up with tomatos and balsamic vinegar on crackers.  A shame they didn't have any fresh bay leaves.  It was very good for that (it's one of our favorite ways to have real mozzerella, so I'm glad this one turned out).

Anyway, a big thank you to Karen for posting her recipe.  My mother-in-law has been asking for mozz and I've been looking for a make that works with P/H milk.  Got one now.  Thanks again Karen.

Here are my make notes for it (pretty much what Karen has above, but converted to celcius and for a 10 L make)t:

Karen’s Mozzarella, Citric Acid (Saturday, Apr 7, 2012; sunny, 24 C)

The key to success with this recipe, if you are using pasteurized/homogenized milk, is to have the milk cold from the refrigerator when you begin. Also, make sure to be very gentle with the milk and the curd. You want to prevent curdling of the milk after adding the citric acid and you want to prevent the curd from shattering once you are in the cooking/heating phase. Use a skimmer to gently lift the curd, rather than stirring, during the initial minutes of the cooking phase.

2.64 tsp citric acid powder dissolved in ¼ cup lukewarm water
10 Litres whole milk (Dairy Dale Blue top; 3.3g fat and 3.3g protien in 100 ml)
¼ tsp calcium chloride
heaping 1/16 tsp powdered calf’s rennet, or amount per label instructions
3.8 Litres whey reserved from cheesemaking process
3/4 cup kosher or cheese salt
6.6 ml Renco (65 IMCU; trying a new rennet that I bought from the grocery store)

1. While milk still cold from fridge add dissolved citric acid, stirring very gently to blend well. (11:24 6.5 C)
2. Warm milk to 29.5 C, occasionally stirring gently.
3. Add lipase and CaCl (time 11:30 temp 25.0 C).
4. Add Rennet (time: 11:32:00 floc time 11:47:30 = 5 m 30 Sec 4x floc = 22 m 00s – cut time 11:59)- Executive Decision, ignore floc this time, wait 45 minutes (until 12:17)*
5. Cut into 1.25 cm cubes. (12:17)
6. Heal 10 minutes (12:23 - 12:33 temp 29.4 – 29.? C)
7. Raise heat over 20 minute to 41.1 C (time 12:33 - 1:00 Temp 29.4 – 41.1 C)
 Curd will be very fragile, so move it around by inserting skimmer under curd and lifting it to prevent matting.
8. Maintain temp and cook for 20 minutes, stirring to prevent matting. (time 1:00 - 1:20)
9. Let stand 5 minutes. (time 1:20 - 1:25; 41.1 C - )
10. Ladle curds into a cloth-lined colander and drain for 15 minutes, reserving whey. (time 1:30 - 1:55 – got distracted)
11. Place curd mass on a clean cutting board and cut into 1-inch cubes.
12. Add salt to reserved whey and heat whey to 79.4 C (temp 82.4)
13. Place about 1 cup of the curd cubes into a heat-resistant bowl or pot and pour some of the whey over the curd. After about 30 seconds, remove a chunk of cheese and start pulling on it. The centre may still be cool, so if it breaks, just mush it back together, then put it back in the whey and allow it to warm a bit longer. When the curd begins to stretch well, take it in your hands and pull into a long rope, putting the curd back into the whey as necessary to keep it soft and stretchy. You will probably have to dump the cooling whey out and replace with hot whey about every five minutes or so – if the curd gets hard to stretch or breaks, it is too cool.
14. Continue to pull and fold over the curd until it becomes smooth and shiny, then put it back in the hot whey for a few seconds to warm up again. Use your hands to form it into a ball or pinch off pieces for bocconcini-sized cheese, or stretch into ½ inch long strand and roll between palms to form string cheese
15. Place stretched and formed cheese into a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes to firm up. Remove and drain/dry on paper toweling. Either use immediately or store in plastic wrap, Ziploc bag or container and refrigerate up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for later use.

* I’ve decided to ignore the floc values, against my better judgment, for two reasons.  First, I’ve always had bad luck with Mozz and I know Karen (who’s make this is) doesn’t use floc times.  The citric acid, I think, may have caused it to floc really quick but I’m not sure if this “quick mozz” version really should follow the floc guide since there’s no culture working away so it’s not really interacting with the acidity profile of the culture. 

1382g in the end.  Did get some stretch!!

[MrsKK]

Jeff, I'm glad you've had such success with this.  And thank you for converting it to metric.

I'm so excited that I finally found a method that would work - it's so much easier for the class than having to make the curd the day beforehand and not knowing for sure if it will even stretch.  My next beginner class is in early June, with senior citizens.  It should be a blast.