Conquering Mozzarella | Chickens in the Road

Nov
15

I’ve started making mozzarella again, in between trying new hard cheeses. Mozzarella is touted as a “beginner” cheese, but it’s one I’ve struggled with for some reason. (See my post on how to make mozzarella.) It was the first cheese I ever tried (total failure) and I continued to battle with it then gave up on it. I waged war on the recipe again this year, and had some success with it–but sporadic success. Sometimes it worked, other times it failed. Then I gave up on it again. Recently, I started making it again, determined to beat it. Last night I made the best mozzarella I’ve ever made–and IT WAS EASY. For the first time, it wasn’t a struggle.

And it felt so, so good to put it on top of our dinner of french bread pizza.

If at first you don’t succeed, try TRY again! I must now go apply that adage to Glory Bee, who is in the goat yard bawling her head off this morning. Beulah Petunia is angry, too, and ROARING like a dinosaur. Mayhap today would be a fine day to have an office job….

More posts you might enjoy:

21 Responses
RSS feed for comments on this post | TrackBack this post

11-15
8:38
am

LOL I think perhaps would trade with you some mornings, but not today
Will be thinking of you on the short drive to the office

dede

wvhomecanner

Flag this comment
11-15
8:44
am

Can’t wait to try making cheese someday soon.

Langela

Flag this comment
11-15
9:36
am

Bellering cows and their calves on opposite sides of the fence… Good luck with your continuing battle with Miss Milk Lips!

texwisgirl

Flag this comment
11-15
9:37
am

OK, grandmothers bread crust, homemade (hooray!) mozzarella cheese, dried herbs. NOW its time to learn to make your own sausage. My grandmothers and mother made their own pork sausage. YUMM. They didn’t like rinsing and struggling with casings to make “hard” sausage like pepperoni but…Had you thought about that as your next venture now that you’ve conquered cheese? Learn to make parmesan and then move on to sausage.

My folks would buy or better yet, trade something for a 1/2 a hog. The butcher would give us back ribs and pork chops and pork roast and a big package of bits of meat. My mom would get out the grinder, dried sage from the garden, grind some pepper, various other herbs and salt and heat up the skillet. She’d grind and mix and then throw a bit in the skillet to cook. UMMM, maybe a bit more sage. Til it was just right. BEST pork sausage in the WORLD. We like it better than pork chops (but not better than ribs).

Joy

Flag this comment
11-15
9:38
am

Good for you! I’ve only ever tried an easy cottage-cheese like recipe for goat’s milk. I don’t have my own dairy animals so I only get a shot at it when I goat-sit for a friend of mine.

Eliza

Flag this comment
11-15
10:12
am

That sounds like my struggle with bread. I keep doing it, most of the times it’s edible, but many times it’s been bird food. I would give anything to know where I am going wrong (I think I add too much flour, but sometimes I can’t knead without doing that)! Anyway, I think I will have to take a class to figure it out.

Whats wrong with BP? Is she missing GB?

Jane

Flag this comment
11-15
10:19
am

That looks delicious! What did you do different, method or recipe? I wouldn’t have a clue without someone in the kitchen to show me. French bread pizza, it’s what’s for dinner at my house tonight!

Granny Mountain

Flag this comment
11-15
11:03
am

Suzanne, you are making my experiment with a vegan diet very difficult, posting photos like this of PIZZA! It’s one of the things I miss the most. Drats.

Miss Becky

Flag this comment
11-15
11:04
am

Suzanne…beautiful cheese! But about the beautiful Glory Bee. I have a suggestion for you. When you try to teach a foal to lead, there are times when you put a “bumper” around their rear end to help move them along. Use a nice thick, soft cotton rope and place it under her tail just below her rear end. It has to be long enough for you to still be in front of her. When you lead from the front, you can pull from the back. Have you tried bribing her to go forward? If you get way out in front of her and pull, her first reaction will be to pull against you. Eventually, when you lead a horse….you are next to them, not in front of them. Who knows, maybe you have already tried this.

Lori Skoog

Flag this comment
11-15
11:17
am

Wow! That pizza looks absolutely yummy!

aimeespcr

Flag this comment
11-15
11:34
am

Congratulations on not giving up! Mozzarella was my first cheese and it was amazingly easy. I made it several times with perfect success each time. Then a batch failed. I have no idea why. I thought I had done everything exactly the same but I ended up with smelly milk that didn’t set. The rennet wasn’t old because the next batch was fine. I think it is just one of those things that happen from time to time, and you had the bad luck for it to happen the first time around.

As soon as I figure out the timing around my work schedule, I’ll be joining you in making Monterey Jack cheese. Yum!

Elaine

Flag this comment
11-15
11:55
am

WHAT? You mean there is a chance I won’t make the best Mozzarella Cheese in the universe the first time I try? Pffft. ROFL. Glad you stuck with it, its very encouraging to those of us that are learning, too – and it’s nice that you share when things don’t go just right, it keeps us from beatin’ ourselves up too badly.

~jackie

Flag this comment
11-15
12:07
pm

Sorry, Suzanne, different subject here, but I wanted to be sure you read this:

Saw this on FB: a “My Country Animals” contest here http://www.mycountryanimals.com/ put on my “Country Living” (a tv show I watch whenever I get the chance).

Prize Details
$500 and a featured article in a future issue of Living the Country Life magazine.

Contest Instructions
Upload photos (no more than eight) of your animals in the country. The material you submit must be your own or something you have permission to use.

Grand prize (1): $500
Runner-up prizes (5): $100 each

The winning photo entry or entries may appear in a 2011 issue of Living the Country Life.

Do it, Suzanne!!!

Jo

Flag this comment
11-15
12:09
pm

By the way, the contest started on October 7 and goes ’til November 30.

Jo

Flag this comment
11-15
12:10
pm

And there’s a PUBLIC VOTE on the pictures!!! Woo hoo!

Jo

Flag this comment
11-15
12:12
pm

That pizza looks delicious! I would love to learn to make my own cheese.

Sharon

Flag this comment
11-15
12:50
pm

We’ve had mixed success with mozzarella too. Some times it comes out looking more like ricotta. We use it either way though.

Michelle

Flag this comment
11-15
1:01
pm

Lucky you!! Mine was disaster with a capital D! I have never tried again.

BethieofVA

Flag this comment
11-15
10:54
pm

Oh, Suzanne, DO THE CONTEST!

We’ll all vote for your pictures, they’re the best!

Darlene in North Ga

Flag this comment
11-16
6:46
am

BP’s in HEAT!

Gem

Flag this comment
11-16
12:37
pm

Good for you to keep trying!

Ramona

Flag this comment

Registration is required to leave a comment on this site. You may register here. (You can use this same username on the forum as well.) Already registered? Login here.

Discussion is encouraged, and differing opinions are welcome. However, please don't say anything your grandmother would be ashamed to read. If you see an objectionable comment, you may flag it for moderation. If you write an objectionable comment, be aware that it may be flagged--and deleted. I'm glad you're here. Welcome to our community!