Homemade mozzarella

i've done it. Very fun, but messy.

Took about an hour or so cause I went very slow. Quality non-homogenized high fat milk is what you need. good thermometer.

You can also get ricotta from the whey left after it makes the mozzarella.

Yes. Both the direct acidification(DA) and the bacterial inoculation(BI) methods.

The DA method is what you have described and it is the easier of the two methods. Just need to control temp, pH, and time. Rennet is not required but adds a bit more traditional flavor to the resulting product which is good, not great.

The BI method is real cheese making. It is very time intensive and things can go sideways real fast if unattended. An accurate pH meter, a good thermometer and asbestos hands are required for this method. The resulting product tastes closer to artisanal cheese.

The quality of the cheese is directly dependent on the quality of the milk. DO NOT buy UHT pasteurized-homogenized milk from a grocery store and expect good results. Source it from a local farm if possible. Use raw milk if possible. Just make sure you pasteurize it first.

I got my recipe from the Artisan Cheesemaking At Home book.

The recipe calls for one gallon of milk and says to yield about one pound of cheese.

You will want to consume it quickly, within a week or two. The cheese doesn't go bad, it just matures and changes flavor.

I let one go as an experiment and it developed a flavor similar to sour cream.

It's definitely something you should try at least once for the experience.

Just make sure you have a plan for what to do with the final product.