Fresh Mozzarella from Curd
Ingredients
- 1 gallon 16 cups water
- ½ cup salt
- 2 pounds about 4 cups mozzarella curd , cut into small pieces*
Instructions
- Prepare the water: Place the water and salt in a large saucepan. Heat the water until bubbles begin to appear on the surface, or an instant read thermometer registers 180º F. Turn off the heat.
- Heat the cheese curd: While the water is heating, place the cubes of cheese in a large bowl. When the water is ready, carefully pour the hot water down the side of the bowl until the cheese is covered. Let the cheese cubes sit in the water for 3-5 minutes without stirring them. Gently stir them with a wooden spoon and look at the curd. If the cheese is heated through the curd will look smooth (like melted mozzarella) and is ready to be stretched. If the cheese curd is not completely heated through it will look grainy and still have some of the cubes. If so, drain out half the water and replace with 180*F water from the pot.
- Stretch the curd: Working quickly, before the cheese cools down too much, stretch the curd with the wooden spoon until the cheese is smooth and elastic. Lift and stretch the curd to develop a stringy texture. Be careful not to overwork the curd: this will make your cheese heavy and too chewy. As the cheese cools it will begin to stiffen and become harder to stretch. The cheese is ready to be shaped before it cools completely.
- Shape the cheese: Divide the cheese into golf ball-sized pieces. Stretch and wrap each piece into a ball shape. Set the cheese shape in salted, very cold water.
- Once the cheese has set, move it to the salted whey water and serve immediately at room temperature OR to a marinade.