4.5 litres of milk (full cream is best)

½ tsp citric acid

¼ tsp liquid rennet (or equivalent in powder/tablet form)

(dissolved in a cup of water with a pinch of salt)

 

(Use a nonreactive pot i.e. a stainless steel glass or ceramic

Not aluminium or copper as it will leave a metallic taste)

 

Pour citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup water into your pot

 

Pour in your milk (it will start to curdle don’t worry it’s meant to)

 

Heat to just below boiling (around 90 degrees if you have a thermometer)

 

Remove from the heat & pour in your rennet

 

Stir your milk for about 1min then stop the motion of the milk so it stays still

 

Place the lid on & let it stand for 5 minutes (no peeking)

 

Ok now take a look it should look like custard (when you stick your finger in it should separate the cheese & whey if not just leave for one or two min more.

 

Grab a knife that will reach to the bottom or something flat & cut the custard one way then the other to 1” blocks

 

Return the cheese to the heat stirring gently till in gets to approx. 105 degrees (measuring the whey around the cheese not the cheese itself)

 

Separate the curds from the whey with a slotted spoon or drain through a Cheesecloth lined colander

 

If using cheese cloth twist the top & try to squeeze as much of the whey as possible from the ball of cheese if using a colander you’ll have to squeeze it with your hands but we need to get as much whey out as possible

 

Next buzz it in the microwave for 1 min on high

 

Drain any more whey (stretching & folding the cheese between microwaving)

 

Micro again for 30 sec

 

It’s best to do short bursts in the micro than long ones you don’t want to cook the curds just make them release the whey

 

One more turn in the microwave 30 sec

(

if you have to do a couple more 30sec goes in Micro till it stretches under its own weight that’s fine)

 

Knead in the salt & drop it into an ice bath to set

 

That’s it (you can make bocconcini balls by squeezing small pieces through you hand & dropping them into the ice bath separately