Pasta filata
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is a pasta filata cheese: the curd is acidified, then heated and stretched until smooth and elastic. Getting the stretch right depends on hitting a fairly narrow pH window.
At a glance
- Origin
- Italy; now made worldwide
- Milk
- Cow's milk (traditional buffalo milk for mozzarella di bufala)
- Texture
- Elastic and smooth when fresh; melts well
- Flavor
- Mild, milky, faintly sweet
- Family
- Pasta filata
- Coagulation
- Rennet-set, followed by acidification before stretching
How it's made
- 01Set the milk with coagulant at the temperature the recipe specifies.
- 02Cut and stir the curd.
- 03Allow the curd to acidify to the pH the style requires.
- 04Heat the curd and stretch until smooth and elastic.
- 05Form, brine or salt, and cool.
Common challenges
- Stretching outside the correct pH window gives a tough or crumbly result.
- Curd handling temperature strongly affects texture.
- Consistency requires pH measurement rather than guesswork.
Where to Buy
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Buying for a cheese business? Talk to Bixa about commercial orders instead of ordering single bottles.