CheeseXML 1.00
Prairie Homestead mozzarella
Ingredients
| Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized | 1 gal |
| Citric acid | 1.5 tsp |
| Liquid rennet | 0.25 tsp |
| Non-iodized cheese salt | 1 tsp |
Process
| # | Steps | Plan | Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mix citric and milk Stir 1 1/2 tsp citric acid dissolved in water into 1 gallon cold milk. | Step code · Milk preparation | |
| 2 | Heat to 90 °F Heat the milk to 90 °F while stirring. | Heat · Milk preparation · Temperature: 32 °C | |
| 3 | Add rennet Add diluted liquid rennet, stir, and let set until you can cut a clean break. | Step code · Coagulation · Time: 5 min · Addition: Amount: 0.25 tsp; Dilute in: 0.25 cup | |
| 4 | Heat and stretch Drain, microwave or dunk in hot water, salt, and stretch until smooth. | Step code · Stretching · Temperature: 79 °C · Until: Ready to stretch · Stretching water: Temperature: 79 °C |
Prairie Homestead mozzarella
Pasta filata · Difficulty: 2
Batch scale
Scale factor:
Description
Jill Winger's widely circulated homestead mozzarella: citric acid, liquid rennet, and a microwave or hot-water stretch from one gallon of milk.
Recipe details
- Style
- Pasta filata
- Country
- United States
- 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
- US
- Milk
- Cow milk, Pasteurized, Homogenized
- Milk volume
- 1 gal
- Expected yield
- 1 lb
- Yield ratio
- 0.119826 ratio
- Active time
- 45 min
- Total time
- 1 h
- Scale
- For milk volume: 1 gal
Ingredients
- Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized — 1 gal
Role: Base milk · Kind: Whole milk
- Citric acid — 1.5 tsp
Role: Acid · Kind: Acid Citric
Preparation: Dilute in: 1 cup; Instruction: Dissolve in cool water before adding to the milk.
- Liquid rennet — 0.25 tsp
Role: Coagulant · Kind: Rennet
Preparation: Dilute in: 0.25 cup; Instruction: Dilute in cool non-chlorinated water.
- Non-iodized cheese salt — 1 tsp (Details: Salt: Salting in curd; Iodized: No)
Role: Salt · Kind: Salt
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot
- Dairy thermometer
- Curd knife
- Slotted ladle
- Colander
- Heat-proof gloves
Process
Mix citric and milk
Step code · Milk preparation
Stir 1 1/2 tsp citric acid dissolved in water into 1 gallon cold milk.
Heat to 90 °F
Heat · Milk preparation
Heat the milk to 90 °F while stirring.
Temperature: 32 °C
Add rennet
Step code · Coagulation
Add diluted liquid rennet, stir, and let set until you can cut a clean break.
Time: 5 min · Addition: Amount: 0.25 tsp; Dilute in: 0.25 cup
Heat and stretch
Step code · Stretching
Drain, microwave or dunk in hot water, salt, and stretch until smooth.
Temperature: 79 °C · Until: Ready to stretch · Stretching water: Temperature: 79 °C
Storage
Temperature: 4 °C; Shelf life: 7 d
Allergens
Allergen: Milk
Safety
Use milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. Pasteurize unknown raw milk. Sanitize equipment.
Source
Title: How to Make Mozzarella Cheese; Creator: Jill Winger / The Prairie Homestead; Year: 2013; URL: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/03/how-to-make-mozzarella-cheese.html
Tags
Tag: For beginners; Tag: Ready the same day; Tag: Vegetarian