Homemade Yogurt **Updated** Cheese and Buttermilk

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Yes, that's the way I understand it. However, when I was in NYC, Zagat's #1 rated pizza place made their pizza with slices of fresh mozz, so if it's OK for Brooklyn style pizza, it's alright by me!

Edited to add the following link so that you can drool over images of pizza made with fresh mozz!
http://www.grimaldis.com/greatpizza.htm

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Yes, the fresh is the kind usually packed in water, whey or oil and is still soft and wet. Although you can let it age and you will something like the harder block mozzarella that is grated.

For pizza you can use either. Or you can skip that part and use feta - yummmm LOL

Who says there is only one way to make a pizza?

yes, it is the fresh kind but I always use it for my pizzas. I just slice it as thin as I want it. You will be amazed at the difference in the taste. I use lots of different kinds of cheese but just love the fresh mozz.

glad I asked! Sounds like I have a new pizza "flavor" to try!

Sandra

I am not a cheese making expert. I have experimented and have had success and failure with making cheese. The first time I tried this "30 Minute" style of mozzarella I screwed it up big time. Over heated the milk and created a giant yucky mess. Live and learn. Lost 1 gallon of milk.

If this recipe doesn't work for you all I can say is we can troubleshoot through the internet and take a look at your exact steps and try to figure what went wrong.

You will need

1 gallon of whole milk (make sure it is not ultra pasturized or you cannot make cheese from it due to the proteins being destroyed in the heating process)

1/4 tablet rennet dissoved in 1/4 cup cool water

1 1/2 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water.



Slowly heat milk to 55 degrees F. At this temp add the dissolved citric acid.



As you stir you will see the milk begin to curdle.



Continue to heat slowly to 90 degrees F. At this temp add the dissolved rennet.

In a chopping up and down motion stir in the rennet. You will see it clump and begin to pull away.

There will be a lot of whey in the pan, as it clears the cheese curd is ready. If the whey is milky wait another few minutes and let the chemistry work and the whey will become clear -yellowish clear.



With a slotted spoon remove the curd to a microwave safe bowl. Press out as much whey as you can. I never have had success with just my hands. I pour it into cheese cloth and press the liquid out the best I can.



Put the dish of cheese curd intro the microwave for 1 minute. Take itout and knead the curd like bread. Pour off any liquid that comes out of the curd.



Return to the microwave for 35 seconds. Take it out and knead the curd. The cheese will get very hot, almost too hot to handle.

You may have to repeat this a few more times to get the curd up to 145 degrees so that it begins to melt together and become a little stretchy.



Once the cheese comes together (like taffy) shiney and smooth form it into a ball. Use now or refrigerate in a little cool water or whey until you need it.



When you separate the whey from the curd do not through out the whey. This is like liquid gold. You can make so many other things from it. I poured mine into a milk jug, added buttermilk culture and it will sit on my counter in the warm kitchen for about 12 hours. In the morning I will have cultured buttermilk. The same stuff they charge way too much for in the dairy case at your local grocer.



Think about buttermilk biscuits, pancakes, waffles all sorts of wonderful bread and cakes or even chess pie (buttermilk pie). Don't waste anything if you can help it.

Note here that my whey in the jug doesn't look clear. It is. The milky color of the jug obstructs the view of the whey.

If your attempt at cheese is a loss don't through it out. You can feed it to your chickens. I wouldn't suggest feeding to other larger animals (like goats or sheep, etc) it will give them the scours. Not nice.

Happy cheese making everyone!

*This mozzarella cheese recipe is from Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll.

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Thanks MissP! I can't wait to try it. Question: Did you use the milk that originally came from that milk carton? I'm wondering whether my regular old store milk is too pasturized or whether it's OK for making the cheese. I'm pretty darn well certain that there are no cows within even 40 miles of my house.

When we made arrangements to buy my goats I had a one month wait before their arrival. During that time I saved my milk jugs from the milk I was buying to keep up with the yogurt demand around here. I also had some friends save me a few jugs.

Now that I have my goats when I pasturize the milk I pour it into the jugs and bury it in ice water to chill down quickly then into the fridge it goes.

Around here to make things simple for my kids any milk in a regular milk jug is okay to drink if it has a red lid. A blue lid is buttermilk. The gallon and half gallon sized jars is raw milk and not for the children to drink.

So the answer to your Q (LOL) no, I did not use the milk that was originally in that jug. I used fresh goats milk from my dairy goats.

Whole milk from the grocery should work as long as it doesn't have 'ultra pasturized' on the lable.

Let me also note here

If you make the cheese and it fails do not use the same brand milk to make the recipe again. Try a different brand. You could have done everything perfect but the milk was the reason it failed.

When the commercial milk producers pasturize the milk the high temps they use can change the proteins and the milk will not make cheese no matter what you do. That is why you should NOT even try to use 'ultra pasturized'. Plain everyday whole milk should work fine.

Did the cheese scare everyone away?

cheese didn't scare me off but been so darned busy cleaning house... that I haven't had time yet. I have everything I need just need to take the time to do it..