Trad. Mozz/Provolone FrankenCheese

[cheesehead94]

So, my wife wanted me to make some mozzarella, and I had been wanting to make provolone, but I didn't want to make two separate batches of cheese. I know that mozzarella and provolone have somewhat different but similar processes, so I kinda combined the recipe into a not-quite-provolone, not-quite-mozzarella, but close enough on both counts hybrid recipe. I was mostly using Caldwell's recipes as a guide. This would be my first time making either cheese.

Started with 2.5 gallons raw jersey milk. I used Thermo C culture (which was the one recommended for the provolone make, the mozzarella recipe suggested thermo B). I need to start adjusting my culture amounts for winter milk, because it acidified sooo slowly. During the initial ripening phase I held the temp to 90 and the ph was supposed to drop from 6.65 to 6.4 in 30-90 minutes. After nearly 2 hours the ph was only at 6.55, so I moved forward. It took an hour to get a clean break after rennetting, when the recipe said the goal was 20-30 minutes. Even at an hour it was a bit softer than I'd like.

The mozzarella recipe suggested bringing the temp up to 98, the provolone said 118, so I went in the middle and brought it up to 102-106 and held it for over 4 hours before the ph dropped to 6.0. The recipe said it would only take 30-60 min. Again, the milk I use seems to buffer like crazy. I then drained the whey, and after about 2 hours the curd was ready to stretch.

I decided to leave the hot whey unsalted and brine the shapes afterwards. I made a braid and a loaf of mozzarella, and then a clumsy attempt at a teardrop for the provolone. I always hear people talking about losing too much butterfat during the stretching of the cheese. This being my first time, I am not sure how much is too much, but losing some fat during stretching is inevitable right? I hope so, because I did lose some, but it didn't seem extensive. While forming the provolone I am worried that I may have overworked the curd, resulting in bad texture or too much fat loss. I am not sure if overworking the curd is a bad thing or not, but I definitely spent a long time forming and re-forming it. I was a bit perfectionistic with the provolone because I know how much more difficult rind maintenance is when you don't have a perfectly smooth rind. Well, I had to settle for a very imperfect rind anyways, which surely will be a pain to keep mold-free in a cave that currently has a natural rind tomme and a bandaged cheddar inside:P

The mozzarella tastes good. The texture is a bit tough, and is definitely more like "pizza cheese" than the soft, fresh and very mild fresh mozzarella. This makes sense to me based on the adjustments I made to the make. The provolone is hanging in the cave and will be tasted in a month!

As you can see in the photo, the mozzarella did get a bit slimey overnight

[feather]

I gave you a cheese.
Both cheeses look good.

We've had this conversation here, between my husband and myself. While we like the flavor of provolone and its meltiness, we also like mozzarella, both kinds for pizzas. So we decided to stay with provolone and instead of hanging it to dry, we vacuum pack it and put it in the cheese cave/fridge and let the lipase do its work. Then every few months (with all the different cheeses) we take some of them out of the cheese cave and shred them to keep in the freezer and regular refrigerator. Some cheeses we leave whole 1 lb chunks, some shredded.

I like the fat/richness left in the cheese so I don't do a lot of pulling and stretching. I stretch it maybe 3 times, then form it, then cool it and brine it. Then vac pack and age it.

[cheesehead94]

I gave you a cheese.
Both cheeses look good.

We've had this conversation here, between my husband and myself. While we like the flavor of provolone and its meltiness, we also like mozzarella, both kinds for pizzas. So we decided to stay with provolone and instead of hanging it to dry, we vacuum pack it and put it in the cheese cave/fridge and let the lipase do its work. Then every few months (with all the different cheeses) we take some of them out of the cheese cave and shred them to keep in the freezer and regular refrigerator. Some cheeses we leave whole 1 lb chunks, some shredded.

I like the fat/richness left in the cheese so I don't do a lot of pulling and stretching. I stretch it maybe 3 times, then form it, then cool it and brine it. Then vac pack and age it.

That all sounds wonderful. I definitely stretched mine more than 3 times haha, we'll see how it goes. We used the braid of fresh cheese to make pizza today. It tasted really good!

[feather]

Oh that looks beautiful!  Now I'm getting hungry.

[cheesehead94]

I do have a question regarding the aging proces. I know that this type of cheese usually gets an olive oiled rind. Typically when oiling hard cheeses i've heard that the cheese should be allowed to dry out for a couple of weeks first. Is that true with aged Pasta Filata as well? I ask because if I don't oil it for three weeks and am only planning on aging it for a month....that only leaves 1 week for oiling. Also, currently mold starts appearing on new cheeses in my cave after only a week, and I've heard that the oil is supposed to help deter mold, but if I wait a few weeks before oiling the mold will get there before the oil.

[cheesehead94]

I opened the provolone this morning, and it turned out pretty well! Unfortunately this cheese was set aside for the farmer whose cow we receive milk from, so I won't be eating more than a slice.

My fears about overstretchong were confirmed, as the cheese was definitely on the dry side. Good flavor though!

[feather]

AC4U, the provolone looks really nice! All in all, successes!