Tom and I have tried this several times and each time something just wasn't right. It was really just keep trying, no way could I just give up. But finally, everything lined up and it was perfect. It was the ingredientsThis will yield about 3/4 to 1 lb
1/4 teaspoon liquid vegetable rennet
3/4 cup cup cool water, divided in 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup
1-1/2 teaspoons citric acid
1 Gallon milk (non ultra-pasturized) We found Costco's whole milk worked!
cheese salt or very fine sea salt to taste
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix liquid rennet into 1/4 cup cool water and set aside. In another small bowl, mix citric acid into 1/2 cup cool water, stirring well to dissolve the citric acid and set aside.
Place milk in a heavy pot. We use a le creuset #26 since that is heavy and will hold a gallon of milk. Pour the citric acid solution and stir vigorously to mix well with the milk. Place the pot over high heat and continue to stir while heating the milk to 90 degrees. When milk reaches 90 degrees, remove the pot from the burner and slowly stir in the rennet solution, stirring in 1 direction for 30 seconds. Cover the pot and leave it undisturbed for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, check the curd which should look like custard with a clear separation between the curds and whey around the edges of the pot. To do this, take the back of your spoon, very gently press down at the edge of the pot. If the curd is too soft or the whey is milky, let it set for a few more minutes. We let ours set an additional 4 minutes. With a knife that is long enough to reach the bottom of the pot, cut the curd into 1/2 to 3/4 inch squares, creating a checker board pattern.
Place the pot back on the heat and heat to 105 degrees, while slowly and gently moving the curds in 1 direction. Ladle the curds into a colander or strainer, discard the whey. At this point you can put the curds in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator before stretching them into Mozzarella.
Take a 1/4 cup of the curds and place on a plate and microwave on high for 30 seconds. When you take it out, pour off the excess whey add the salt to taste and when its cool enough (don't wait too long) start folding and kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic and begins to stretch. You may have to put it back in the microwave to achieve the effect. You'll know the magic when you feel it!
Thats all there is to it. Its the best! Here is what we used. We found the rennet on line, so if you can't find it, just email me and I'll give you the info! The Citric Acid - yep at Ace Hardware!
