Another week, another goat mozzarella attempt

[scasnerkay]

I was able to milk my local Nubian goat, 2 days in row, so on Tuesday afternoon I had a total of about 3 quarts to play with. I started the process at 5:00 in the afternoon, with the expectation of draining and refrigerating overnight. The next morning at 8:30 I took the curd out of the frig and left it on the counter until it became the correct pH and showed signs of stretching, at about 2:00. So tonight it was caprese salad again. Better than last week! Texture was much less rubbery, still with a lovely creamy flavor. But.... Not yet as soft and meltingly tender as I want!  I am not sure what to do differently to get the desired outcome. It seems like before stretching the curd was more tender.  I did not use much vigor on stretching as I did not want to lose fat and moisture. Ideas??

Make details:
3 quarts fresh goat milk to 90 degrees – held temp  throughout make
1/16 (scant) tsp Su Casu starter
0.5 ml rennet, flocculated in 6 mins
Flocc multiplier of 4, so cut at 20 mins
Used a 4 inch initial curd cut, healing 15 mins
Cut to 1 inch, healing for 10 more minutes
Very gentle intermittent stirring with hand (jiggling)for 10 mins
Resting under whey to pH 6.2 (about 3 hours) drain and refrigerate
Next day room temp, about 5.5 hours, to whey pH 5.2 and stretching on testing
Curd milled into 1 x 1.5 inch pieces, and placed into 2 quarts 175 degree water with 3 T salt
Gently stirring about with wooden spoon until melding together, but there was some melting as well....
Stretched gently until somewhat shiny and relatively smooth
Chilled in cool salted water
Yield 12 ounces.

[scasnerkay]

In an email with Gianaclis Caldwell, she suggested a lower temp for the stretching phase.... 145 to 160 degrees rather than the 175. So if I end up with some milk next week, that is what I will try! My goal remains a lovely tender and soft mozzarella, hence the 4 x flocculation and the large initial curd cutting. How lovely to have something to experiment with!

[steffb503]

good luck and keep us posted. I tried, not as many attempts as i should have, but gave up. Too much time, too much milk spent and all I got was hard rubbery lumps.
I would love to be able to make a soft tender cheese as well.

[gjfarm]

I've used this method for Mozzarella many times with my fresh goat's milk.    Haven't had a failure yet :D  This seems so fool proof that I've even used it when having company who want to make some cheese, and it's always fun for kids.  I use the Microwave Method as described.
http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/make-mozzarella/

[John@PC]

good luck and keep us posted. I tried, not as many attempts as i should have, but gave up. Too much time, too much milk spent and all I got was hard rubbery lumps.

I'm glad I'm not alone Steff.  Mozzarella for whatever reason has been a challenge for me too.  I've got some milk on hand and will try your microwave method gjfarm. 

[steffb503]

I have tried the microwave method with no success. Might be I am Italian and know what real Mozzarella should be!

[Spoons]

I gave up on the microwave method too. Salted water bath works really well for me.

[John@PC]

I gave up on the microwave method too. Salted water bath works really well for me.

None of the recipes I've used called for heating in salted water before stretching.  I know you brine / salt after stretching, but is there an advantage to salting the hot water, and if so how much?

[Spoons]

Here's Pav's recipe. Makes a great tasting salty mozz. The water bath is aslted.

http://www.wacheese.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48:traditional-mozzarella-howto&catid=43:moderate-cook-temp&Itemid=66

[MrsKK]

I retain the whey to heat and stretch the curd.  I salt the whey at about 1/3 cup to a gallon of whey.  Very tasty!