Mozzarella cheese

Freshly kneaded mozzarella cheese

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

by Mark Fitzgerald

"We all enjoyed traveling, although it was a long hard trip. Claudi[u]s [Victor] Spencer was president of the company and there were fifty wagons in the train. Brother [Christopher] Arthur was Captain of the ten we belonged to. Mother [Ann Preece Walker] made some butter and also cheese on the way. When we stopped to rest the teams, she would save the milk and make cheese, and would press them with a wagon tongue. We milked two cows, good ones, and lots of the people of the company would come to her to buy some of the cheese, and she would sell what she could spare."

I have always loved cheese.  I think I have loved the idea of making cheese even more.  Stories from my wife's family history sealed the deal.  Sarah Lunt was renowned for her cheese making ability.  She would trade it for flour.  Each year she would even send it the Mexican president as a gift.

Mozzarella has been a great starter and in which I have had the most success.  This recipe calls for citric acid.  If you can't find that you can use 7 tablespoons of white vinegar.  Though many people would disagree with me you can substitute the rennet for 4 tablets of Junket, which is often easier to find.

My son asked was was rennet and Junket.  Rennet is an enzyme that helps the cheese setup and separate into the curds and whey.  Junket is a brand name of a type of rennet.  It is not as strong and more is needed to get a firm set.

A benefit of making your own cheese is that you get the biproduct of whey.  It is great to use in biscuits, pancakes and other baked goods.

Ingredients

1 1/4 teaspoon citric acid

1/2 cup water

1 gallon whole milk

1/4 cup water

1/2 tablet of rennet

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

Mix the citric acid and water together until it is dissolved.  Mix together with the milk into a large heavy bottom pot.  Slowly heat the milk to 88 degrees over the course of 20 minutes.  

Dissolve 1/2 tablet of rennet with a 1/4 cup water.  Add to the mixture to the milk and mix for 1 minute.  Get the mixture mixed top to bottom.  Raise the temperature to 90 degrees and keep it for 8 minutes without stirring.

With a long knife slice the cheese into a 1 inch strands making a checkboard pattern.  Once cut bring the mixture up to 105 degrees.  With a slotted spoon fish out the curds into a microwave safe bowl.  Afterwards I rerun the whey through a wire-mesh strainer to get a few more curds.

Microwave the mix for 1 minute.  Press down on the curds and pour off the whey.  (The curds will be hot, you may want to use a wooden spoon.)  Microwave 2 more times at 30 seconds each, kneading the mixture in between and draining off the whey.  During the last knead mix in the salt.

Put into an ice water bath to cool and then wrap in plastic and keep in the fridge.

Information

Makes a 1 lbs loaf, divided into 10 1.5 ounce servings
185 per serving

Make sure to see how this recipe fits into the entire menu we have cooked up for LDS Pioneer Handcart Trek recreations.