The Fermentation School

How can we make mozzarella and string cheese in under an hour? While we still use enzymes (rennet) and acidification like the vast majority of cheesemaking processes require, we use an already fermented acid called citric acid to help us cut the time and guesswork. Adding citric acid directly to the milk rather than adding cultures and allowing the milk to acidify over several hours is a great time-saving trick for beginners and anyone tight on time. Aside from saving time, however, adding an exact amount of acid makes it possible for us to stretch this curd into cheese, as Italian “pasta filata” style cheeses always are because the acidity level is predictable. If the milk is cultured over time to acidify, a pH monitor must be checked several times over many hours before stretching can occur. A worthwhile slow food process but one many beginners can be intimidated by. 

I think we can agree that making any cheese at home, still feels and counts as slow food in today’s convenience packaged food world! Mozzarella and string cheese made in this quick way gives the new cheesemaker a confidence boost (with delicious wholesome results!) that can encourage them to move on to more complex processes.
 
Turning milk into curd and curd into mozzarella and string cheese feels almost magical and my goal is to inspire awe and curiosity in the kitchen so more people can take food production into their own hands! In this class, we will do just that, transform milk and learn to stretch mozzarella and string cheese by hand both in the traditional water bath method and in a microwave. Claudia will guide you and share her process, favorite tips, common mistakes and provides email support should you have questions when you give it a go.