Description

Appetissimo home caciotta (2021): 5 litres of farm milk, mandatory pasteurization 68 °C / 10 min or 63–65 °C / 30 min, fat/protein ≤ 1.25. Meso-thermophilic culture at 32–33 °C (thermophilic alone at 38 °C). CaCl₂ 0.1 g per litre on pasteurized milk. Rennet by a cup test, flocculation ×3. Cook the 1 cm grain to 42 °C, hoop, then stufatura 1.5 h at 45 °C. 20% brine 80 min per 100 g. The filmed vat yielded 704 g. Eat from 5 days; best at 1½–2 months. Cow or goat milk; lipase and fenugreek are optional. A second sheet beside Wallace’s 2-gallon C201 caciotta.

Recipe details

Style

Semi-hard cheese

Country

Italy

Region

Central Italy (home method)

PDO

No

Schema version

1.00

Type

Home recipe

Vegetarian

Yes

Created

2026-09-09

License

CC-BY-4.0

Author

CheeseXML 1.00 reference set

Units

Metric

Milk

Cow milk, Pasteurized, Not homogenized, Fat: 3.8 %

Milk volume

5 l

Expected yield

704 g

Yield ratio

0.1408 ratio

Active time

180 min

Total time

24 h

Scale

For milk volume: 5 l

Ingredients

• Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized — 5 l

  Role: Base milk · Kind: Whole milk

• Meso-thermophilic DVI, dose per manufacturer — 1 item

  Role: Culture · Kind: Culture

  Preparation: Time: 2 min; Instruction: Sprinkle on the milk surface and rehydrate 2–3 minutes before stirring in.

  Appetissimo prefers a universal meso-thermophilic starter at 32–33 °C. Thermophilic alone is added at 38 °C. Dose from the packet for this 5-litre vat. MA4001-class is the usual home stand-in.

• Calcium chloride (for pasteurized milk) — 0.5 g

  Role: Mineral · Kind: Calcium chloride · Optional: Yes

  Preparation: Dilute in: 30 ml; Instruction: Dissolve in cool non-chlorinated water and stir thoroughly into the milk.

  Appetissimo: 0.1 g per litre of milk, only if you pasteurized. This 5-litre vat is 0.5 g.

• Liquid rennet, confirmed by a cup test — 1.6 ml

  Role: Coagulant · Kind: Rennet

  Preparation: Dilute in: 30 ml; Instruction: Dilute in cool non-chlorinated water at room temperature.

  Appetissimo: dose per manufacturer and a cup rennet test. The filmed make used a 15-minute floc and a ×3 multiplier (cut at 45 minutes). 1.6 ml is the catalog’s typical single-strength rate for 5 L — confirm on a cup before the vat.

• Lipase (optional; kid lipase for goat milk) — 1 item

  Role: Enzyme · Kind: Enzyme Lipase · Optional: Yes

  Preparation: Dilute in: 30 ml; Time: 20 min; Instruction: Dissolve in cool water and stand 20 minutes. Stir 2–3 minutes to distribute.

  Appetissimo: dose per manufacturer. Speeds ripening and keeps the paste plastic; with lipase they cut at about 3 weeks. Skip for a vegetarian vat.

• Fenugreek seed (optional) — 0.5 tsp

  Role: Adjunct · Kind: Adjunct Spice · Optional: Yes

  Preparation: Instruction: Rinse with boiling water before mixing into the grain.

  Appetissimo: about 1 tsp per 10 litres of milk — ½ tsp on this 5-litre vat. Rinse with boiling water and mix into the grain after the whey draw.

• Water for 20% brine — 1 l

  Role: Water · Kind: Water

• Non-iodized salt for 20% brine — 250 g (Details: Salt: Brining; Iodized: No)

  Role: Salt · Kind: Salt

• CaCl₂ (dry) for 20% brine — 2 g

  Role: Mineral · Kind: Calcium chloride

  Preparation: Dilute in: 0.25 cup; Instruction: Dilute in cool non-chlorinated water before adding.

• Vinegar 6–9% for 20% brine — 5.5 ml (5–6 ml)

  Role: Acid · Kind: Acid Acetic

Equipment

• Heavy-bottomed pot
• Dairy thermometer
• Curd knife
• Slotted ladle
• Cheese hoop / mold
• Brine container
• Butter muslin / cheesecloth
• Water bath / double boiler
• Aging fridge or cave
• pH strips or meter

Process

1. Pasteurize 68 °C / 10 min (or 63–65 °C / 30 min)

   Step code · Milk preparation

   Heat 5 litres of farm milk to 68 °C and hold 10 minutes, or to 63–65 °C and hold 30 minutes (Appetissimo’s two options). Do not boil. Fat/protein of the milk should be ≤ 1.25 — skim a little cream if the milk is very rich. Starting pH 6.6–6.7.

   Temperature: 68 °C (63–68 °C) · pH: 6.65 · Hold: Temperature: 68 °C; Duration: 10 min

2. Cool to 32–33 °C

   Cool · Milk preparation

   Cool toward 32–33 °C for a meso-thermophilic starter, or to 38 °C if you use thermophilic culture alone.

   Temperature: 33 °C (32–33 °C) · Cool: To: 33 °C

3. Culture and optional lipase, 45–60 min

   Step code · Ripening

   Sprinkle the meso-thermophilic culture at 32–33 °C (or thermophilic at 38 °C). Rehydrate 2–3 minutes, then stir well. Optional lipase: dissolved 20 minutes ahead, stir 2–3 minutes. Let the culture work 45–60 minutes.

   Temperature: 33 °C (32–33 °C) · Time: 50 min (45–60 min) · Addition: Amount: 1 item; Rest: 2 min · Addition: Amount: 1 item; Dilute in: 30 ml; Rest: 20 min

4. CaCl₂ 0.1 g per litre

   Step code · Calcium correction

   For pasteurized milk add 0.5 g CaCl₂ (0.1 g/L) dissolved in clean water.

   Temperature: 33 °C · Addition: Amount: 0.1 g; Dilute in: 30 ml

5. Heat to 35–36 °C for rennet

   Heat · Milk preparation

   Bring the milk to 35–36 °C before the coagulant.

   Temperature: 35.5 °C (35–36 °C)

6. Rennet, floc 15 min, stirrer off

   Step code · Coagulation

   Confirm the dose on a cup (rennet test). Add the diluted rennet, stir 1 minute, then still — remove the stirrer. Appetissimo’s filmed make: flocculation about 15 minutes.

   Temperature: 35.5 °C (35–36 °C) · Flocculation: 15 min × 3 · Stir: Duration: 1 min · Until: Clean break · Addition: Amount: 1.6 ml; Dilute in: 30 ml

7. Curd set, floc ×3 = 45 min

   Step code · Coagulation

   Wait the full flocculation × 3 (15 × 3 = 45 minutes) and check for a clean break before cutting.

   Temperature: 35.5 °C · Time: 45 min · Flocculation: 15 min × 3 · Until: Clean break · Addition: Amount: 1.6 ml; Dilute in: 30 ml

8. Cut 1 cm vertical, then horizontal

   Cut · Cutting

   Cut vertical columns 1 cm wide. Wait 5 minutes, then cut horizontally with a curved knife to cubes.

   Time: 5 min · Size: 1 cm · Curd cuts: Cut: Size: 1 cm; Wait: 5 min; Cut: Size: 1 cm · Settle: Duration: 5 min

9. Heal the grain

   Step code · Healing

   First knead very gently: insert a spatula and twist slowly so the grains separate, then rest 2 minutes.

   Time: 2 min · Stir: Duration: 2 min · Settle: Duration: 2 min

10. First stir

    Stir · Stirring

    Stir more firmly with a slotted spoon as the cook begins.

    Stir: Duration: 5 min

11. Cook 1 °C per min to 42 °C

    Step code · Cooking

    Heat slowly — no more than 1 °C per minute (about 4 °C in 5 minutes) — to 42 °C. Switch off at 42 °C and keep stirring about 10 minutes until the grains are round. A squeezed handful should stick together and then separate easily.

    Temperature: 42 °C · Ramp: From: 36 °C; To: 42 °C; Duration: 10 min · Rate: 1 °C · Stir: Duration: 10 min · Until: Green whey

12. Settle the grain

    Step code · Healing

    Stop stirring and let the grains sink before the whey draw.

    Time: 5 min · Settle: Duration: 5 min

13. Draw whey and fill the hoop

    Step code · Draining

    Draw whey down to the level of the grain (pH 6.30–6.35). If you add fenugreek, draw almost dry, leaving 2–3 cm of whey, scald the seed with boiling water and mix it through the grain. Rest about 5 minutes. The drawn whey can still make ricotta. Ladle the grain into a cylindrical caciotta hoop.

    Time: 5 min · pH: 6.32 · Until: pH; pH: 6.32

14. First flip 5 min, second +15 min

    Step code · Molding

    First flip after 5 minutes, second after 15 minutes, so the faces close.

    Time: 20 min · Turn: Every 5 min · Flips: Turn: After: 5 min; Turn: After: 15 min

15. Stufatura 45 °C, three turns

    Step code · Knitting

    Set the hoop on a rack about 5 cm off the pot floor. Pour hot water around it so the water does not touch the cheese. Hold 45 °C inside the pot for 1.5 hours total, flipping every 30 minutes (three turns). This warm hold is why Appetissimo lets you cut from day 5.

    Temperature: 45 °C · Time: 90 min · Turn: Every 30 min · Hold: Temperature: 45 °C; Duration: 90 min · Flips: Turn: After: 30 min; Turn: After: 30 min; Turn: After: 30 min · Stufatura: Temperature: 45 °C; Duration: 90 min

16. Rest 3 hours until pH 5.30–5.35

    Step code · Knitting

    Take the wheel out of the hoop. Leave at room temperature about 3 hours, flipping every 30 minutes if the shape needs it. The faces should close without a grainy seam or dimple; if they do not, press lightly. Before the brine the pH should be 5.30–5.35.

    Time: 3 h · pH: 5.32 · Turn: Every 30 min · Until: pH; pH: 5.32

17. 20% brine, 80 min per 100 g

    Step code · Salting

    Make a 20% brine: 1 litre water, 250 g non-iodized salt, 2 g CaCl₂, 5–6 ml of 6–9% vinegar. Pasteurize the brine at least 75 °C, cool to 12–14 °C. Time is 80 minutes per 100 g of cheese — 9.5 hours for the filmed 704 g wheel. Submerge fully and weight with a plate. Sprinkle a little salt on any face that floats.

    Temperature: 13 °C (12–14 °C) · Time: 9.5 h · Brining: Water: 1 l; Salt: 250 g; Calcium chloride: 2 g; Acid: 5.5 ml; Temperature: 13 °C (12–14 °C); Duration: 9.5 h

18. Dry, then age 10–12 °C

    Age · Aging

    Dry the wheel 1–3 days in a NoFrost fridge (up to 7 days in a drip fridge), turning 2–3 times a day until a dry skin forms. Then age at 10–12 °C, about 60% humidity, in a box. Wipe with 3% vinegar or brine and dry 1 hour before vacuum. Appetissimo: you may cut from day 5 because of the stufatura; 2 weeks is already a semi-hard table cheese; 1½–2 months is the better result. With lipase the paste is plastic at about 3 weeks.

    Temperature: 11 °C (10–12 °C) · Time: 60 d · Humidity: 60 % · Turn: Every 12 h

Also known as

Caciotta

Also known as

Caciotta with stufatura

Aging

Duration: 2 d (1–3 d); Stage: Name: Dry the skin; Duration: 2 d (1–3 d); Temperature: 8 °C; Humidity: 60 %; Turning: Every 12; Stage: Name: Caciotta aging; Duration: 60 d (14–60 d); Temperature: 11 °C (10–12 °C); Humidity: 60 %; Turning: Every 2

Storage

Temperature: 8 °C; Shelf life: 60 d

Packaging

Vacuum packed

Allergens

Allergen: Milk

Safety

Use milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. Pasteurize unknown raw milk. Sanitize equipment.

Source

Title: Caciotta cheese: method and secrets — how to make caciotta at home; Creator: Appetissimo; Year: 2021; URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J2brExLkcc

Tags

Tag: Vegetarian