Organic Homemade 2 Ingredient Fresh Mozzarella

Organic Homemade 2 Ingredient Fresh Mozzarella

Organic Homemade 2 Ingredient Fresh Mozzarella

A great way to celebrate high tomato season is with your own fresh organic mozzarella (made without rennet!) which is often impossible to find and very expensive if you can source it! A 1/2 gallon of Organic Milk is $7 and yields approximately 10 oz of fresh mozzarella in half an hour.

Pictured here used immediately after making in Caprese salad drizzled with our award-winning Select EVOO. Also great with our Basil EVOO!

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Soaking time: 10 minutes mins (optional)
Total Time: 25-35 minutes mins

Equipment

Large pot with lid
2 spatulas, we used wood and silicon and metal slotted spoon
Bowls
Plastic wrap (if storing)
Thermometer

Ingredients:

  • Half-Gallon of Raw Milk or Pasteurized Whole Milk Do NOT use ultra-pasteurized or homogenized milk, they won't work. (1.89L)—we used Strauss Organic Whole Milk
  • 105ml (7 Tbsp) white distilled vinegar (4 to 5% acid)
  • 1/4 tsp cheese salt, flaky sea salt, or kosher salt (do not use iodized table salt)—optional

Water for soaking

Instructions:

Pour milk into a large pot and place on the stovetop burner. Set heat between medium-low and medium. Gently stir milk so it heats evenly and reaches 115 F/46 C.

Turn off heat, add vinegar and stir for about 30 seconds so it evenly mixes with the milk. It will start to curdle almost immediately.

Cover, remove from heat, and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes.

Gather curds with slotted spoon against the side against the pot, drain, and place in smaller bowl. Pour any whey that pools in smaller bowl back into whey pot.

Return the whey pot to the burner and reheat.

In the meantime, using very clean hands or gloves, pick up curd, cup it in your hands and gently squeeze. Allow the whey to fall into the bowl and then discard it into the big pot of whey. Keep repeating this process several times, using a bit more force each time.

Once whey reaches 170F return the ball to the whey and heat the cheese to 160F. Once the cheese reaches 160, remove with slotted spoon and return to smaller bowl, and sprinkle salt evenly over its surface.

Now time to stretch and fold: Flatten the ball just enough to be able to fold it over, then fold it, push down again to flatten, fold, and flatten again. Do this just 2-3 times, until the cheese becomes glossy and smooth, then form into a ball by pulling the edges out and around, pinching them together at the bottom. If you keep folding beyond this point the cheese will get denser, less like fresh mozzarella and more like regular mozz. It's still good but we're but we're going for fresh here. As soon as it is glossy, stop folding and form the final ball shape.

Once in a ball, place it into a bowl of cool water just briefly, if you're going to use it right away, or if storing it, add ice and leave for 5-10 minutes. You now have fresh mozzarella!

When cooled to your liking, pat the cheese dry with a clean dishcloth towel and enjoy, or wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for later use; will last about 1 week in the fridge, but we have found is best fresh.

Save whey to add to acid loving plants like blueberries or hydrangeas! Dilute 50% and water away. There are many other ways to use whey—google it!

Leave a comment

* Required fields

Please note: comments must be approved before they are published.