Author Topic: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion  (Read 7772 times)

mikemd

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #15 on: June 11, 2012, 02:40:46 AM »
That is exactly what has been going on. After about 5 failures with citric acid I finally added it to the pot first and then added the milk and most of the time it works.  I can buy curds at a store in Wilmington which were made in NY and wonder if companies make their curds using culture or citric acid?  Do commercial mozzarella makers buy their own milk and pasteurize it themselves?  I am going to try the recipe above tomorrow and use the higher pH since I have always waited until the curds get to around 5.2 prior to trying to stretch but know it will not since the curds never look like the ones I get with citric acid.

mikemd

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2012, 02:11:01 AM »
Thank you Linuxboy.  It finally worked.  I know it does not mean much but I have been trying to do this for three weeks and I was getting exasperated.  Can I use the same recipe for provolone +/- lipase?  If I increase the recipe to 3 gallons can I just increase the amounts of the ingredients by three or will that screw things up?  Is there an especially easy recipe for provolone?

linuxboy

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #17 on: June 12, 2012, 02:31:22 AM »
YEAH!!! Pasta filata is a really frustrating family. I think most of us have been there.. trying week after week. Means a lot that you could have a small victory here :)

Did you use the make I had above? If you did, provolone is about the same, but you really do need some bulgaricus in there for added flavor and for the right texture. You could use a mixed thermo blend or use bulgaricus with the TA. The pH targets are the same... 6.4 before you add rennet, and 5.9 when you fuse the curds and drain. This acidification up front will help to make sure that the curd is ready to spin relatively quickly. And yes, just increase by 3x, maybe a touch less. When you get into larger sizes... 5 gal+, then usually can use less culture.

With provolone, you want to cut the curds a tad smaller to make sure the moisture level is not excessively high at the end.

mikemd

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #18 on: June 12, 2012, 02:43:39 AM »
I have mesophilic MM100.  Will that be ok?  Possibly 1/4 teaspoon of each.

linuxboy

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #19 on: June 12, 2012, 03:18:01 AM »
No, need either a thermo blend of strep salivarius thermophilus+ lactobacillus delbrueckii sspbulgaricus, or single strains of each that you blend together. If you do not have it, not the end of the world, use TA only.

MrsKK

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #20 on: June 12, 2012, 01:23:32 PM »
Congratulations!  Obviously, you are moving on to other things.  Great obsession, er, hobby isn't it?

mikemd

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #21 on: June 12, 2012, 11:55:05 PM »
It is an obsession, that is for sure.  Reading the other thread about lactating cows;  what pH is milk supposed to start at?  I assume store bought is different than fresh but all of the milk I have bought starts at pH 6.5-6.6.

linuxboy

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella Making Problems - pH, Citric Acid & Cultures Discussion
« Reply #22 on: June 13, 2012, 12:01:04 AM »
6.55-6.8, most often 6.65-6.7. This does vary with breed, season, feed, etc. That's why we most often use change in pH for markers and not absolute pH.