The search and purchase of delicious mozzarella can be a real test, against the background of which, the preparation of a homemade cheese will seem like a child's play. In the case of mozzarella, the last statement has grounds, as this cheese is prepared simply and quickly enough.
Recipe for mozzarella at home
For the preparation of soft Italian cheese, we will not need any special ingredients, except for the rennet enzyme. The latter, is involved in the formation of a cheese coma, and therefore replace, and even more so to exclude it from the list, is not worth it. The recipe for cooking homemade mozzarella is one and we will tell about it later.
Ingredients:
- water - 300 ml;
- Milk (whole from 2%, not ultra-pasteurized) - 3.7 liters;
- salt - 8 g;
- rennet enzyme - 1.2 ml;
- citric acid - 4 g.
Preparation
The production of mozzarella at home begins with the preparation of solutions of citric acid and rennet enzyme. In a separate container we measure 240 ml of water and dissolve in it citric acid. The remaining liquid is rennet rennet.
We pour the milk into a deep enamel saucepan and, using a culinary thermometer, bring its temperature to 32 ° С. The use of a thermometer and strict adherence to the temperature limits is principally, in fact we use for the preparation of an enzyme, the activity of which the thermal indicators influence directly. After the required mark is reached, remove the container from the fire and pour the enzyme, gently stirring the milk and counting to 30. On account 30, stop the stirring, cover the pan with a lid and leave the future homemade mozzarell at rest for 5 minutes.
After the time has elapsed, remove the lid and carefully check the consistency of the cheese to the touch. The basis for mozzarella should be soft, but not flaky, if it is not so, then let the cheese stand for some time, and if everything is fine, then take a big knife and cut the cheese cube into cubes, moving first vertically and then horizontally. The knife must necessarily touch the bottom of the dishes, so that not a single piece is spun from the cutting.
After cutting, return the saucepan back to the fire and heat the cheese to 40 ° C. Slowly warming up, cheese lumps will begin to thicken, releasing yellowish serum. For an even warm-up at this time, the cheese can be gently stirred. After reaching the desired temperature, remove the pan from the fire and continue to stir the cheese for another 5 minutes. After that, gently place the cheese in a separate plate, separating it from the whey, and then put the clots warm up in the microwave for a minute, so they will become more elastic, which will greatly contribute to the kneading. If there is no microwave, heat the cheese in a container placed in a pan of hot water.
Now start kneading the cheese the way you would mash the dough. At this stage, mozzarella will look more like cottage cheese, but do not despair, put cheese in the microwave for another half a minute or until it reaches a temperature of 57 ° C. Continue to stretch the mozzarella and re-fold it
There is a mozzarella you can immediately, and you can put in a container and pour a solution based on a mixture of a glass of whey and a teaspoon of salt. In the latter case, it will be stored for a week in the refrigerator.