Author Topic: Why does my home made mozzarella burn? (Read 5716 times)

flyboy4ual · « **on:** November 22, 2010, 01:47:16 PM »

Hi,
Just curious if anyone could tell me why my home made mozzarella burns the way it did in this picture. When I use store bought fresh mozzarella it does not burn like this. I have changed nothing in the way I cook the pizza's. Thanks,
Scott

andreguidon · « **Reply #1 on:** November 22, 2010, 01:54:49 PM »

lower fat % ?? usually lower fat mozz burns easy...

flyboy4ual · « **Reply #2 on:** November 22, 2010, 02:01:35 PM »

I did use Whole Milk for the cheese. What kind of milk would I use to prevent this from happening?
Thanks,
Scott

andreguidon · « **Reply #3 on:** November 22, 2010, 02:04:15 PM »

well, this was just a guess... iam not a cheese expert, maybe some one here in PM will be able to explain better...

flyboy4ual · « **Reply #4 on:** November 22, 2010, 02:05:44 PM »

Thanks for guessing!

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #5 on:** November 22, 2010, 04:13:58 PM »

FBFY - I have no idea either but the few times I've made it my mozz only burned like that when I attempted to add in small amounts of heavy cream to increase the fat content. Then I would notice the black speckling. But the odd thing is that when I use buffala mozz which is suppose to have a high fat content, I've never had it develop burn spots.

Could moisture content have something to do with this? Does your home made cheese have less moisture compared to the store bought stuff (soft mozz)?

From what I've read, the burning is a common complaint with home made mozz.

chickenparm · « **Reply #6 on:** November 22, 2010, 04:20:46 PM »

I don't know if this helps,but one of the tricks I used to do when baking frozen pizzas for my kids,(before I came onto this site and make them at home)I would spray water over the top of the cheese before baking.This greatly cut down the cheese burning frozen pizza stuff is known for.

Maybe it could be the amount of moisture content thats within the cheese you are making at home.

Sorry I cannot answer directly,but I'm very curious myself here.

BurntFingers · « **Reply #7 on:** December 05, 2010, 02:55:25 PM »

I think it has to do with the milk sugars over caramelizing in the high heat. You can see it in the blisters of your dough' s burn spots to. Some would say it is okay want it as it shows correct temperature.

sacwoodpusher · « **Reply #8 on:** January 25, 2011, 10:59:01 PM »

Why not put the cheese under the sauce?

Jet_deck · « **Reply #9 on:** January 25, 2011, 11:23:24 PM »

I see mozz with artisan browning. Highly desireable and wanted. If i were ever able to duplicate your results, I doubt anyone would complain. Would you consider shipping an order to Texas?

Essen1 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 25, 2011, 11:25:50 PM »

Flyboy,

It looks good to me.

It's not burnt, it just has a few charred speckles on it which may or may not add to the flavor of the pizza depending on your palate.

Most, and I go out on a limb here, pizza places sport that kind of speckles. But I'd stay away from spraying additional water on it as Chickenparm suggested for frozen pies. It might have a reverse effect on fresh pies by making the crust soggier.

Putting the cheese under the sauce, like Sacwood suggested, might kill two birds with one stone.

First, the oil in the cheese prevents the liquid expelled by some of the toppings during the bake to seep into the crust because it creates a film on top of the raw crust and secondly, the sauce covering the cheese might make it a bit harder to char the cheese.

However, it all depends on how you like it, after all.

Essen1 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 25, 2011, 11:35:56 PM »

Quote from: Jet_deck on January 25, 2011, 11:23:24 PM

If i were ever able to duplicate your results, I doubt anyone would complain.

Just shove it under the broiler.

sacwoodpusher · « **Reply #12 on:** January 26, 2011, 02:15:12 AM »

I read that the softness/water content in mozzarella is controlled by two things, how hard you let the curds get and how much you work the hot cheese.

Mine seems soft, but I am too new at this to know yet how to repeatedly make soft balls.

Jet_deck · « **Reply #13 on:** January 26, 2011, 08:58:52 AM »

Quote from: Essen1 on January 25, 2011, 11:35:56 PM

Just shove it under the broiler.

I was talking about making mozz at home, not browning the cheese.

pizzoid · « **Reply #14 on:** January 26, 2011, 09:30:54 AM »

I had the same results, after making my first homemade last week. I'm thinking it might be that the oils & sauce components that move up through my usual diced Grande don't come up. When I see photos using homemade mozz., we seem to use large slices, and we have less coverage, so the sauce & steam from the crust has escape routes around the slices.

I'm going to try cutting my cheese into much smaller pieces next time to see if it browns more evenly, instead of having the spot browning. You might beat me to it...

- Al

jeff v · « **Reply #15 on:** January 26, 2011, 11:29:45 AM »

I see this is an older topic, buit still thought I would give my opinion, and of course it depends on other factors-bake time/temp etc. When I first started making mozz I noticed the same thing but as I got better and was able to stretch and shape the cheese more gently I kept more fat and moisture in and browning was cut down significantly. It's harder than it looks and takes practice practice practice.

Best,

Jeff

Essen1 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 26, 2011, 08:20:24 PM »

Quote from: Jet_deck on January 26, 2011, 08:58:52 AM

I was talking about making mozz at home, not browning the cheese.

Sorry, but you didn't mention that in your other post.

sacwoodpusher · « **Reply #17 on:** January 28, 2011, 03:18:39 AM »

I want to throw out the possibility of reducing the sugar content in your cheese.

Add 1 quart of buttermilk to 1 gallon of milk, leave out a room temp until thickened, then make your mozzarella.

This should make a flavorful cheese. I think the culturing will use up some sugar. I have no idea how much sugar this will use up.

Jackie Tran · « **Reply #18 on:** January 28, 2011, 10:47:38 AM »

Quote from: sacwoodpusher on January 28, 2011, 03:18:39 AM

I want to throw out the possibility of reducing the sugar content in your cheese.

Add 1 quart of buttermilk to 1 gallon of milk, leave out a room temp until thickened, then make your mozzarella.

This should make a flavorful cheese. I think the culturing will use up some sugar. I have no idea how much sugar this will use up.

Nice idea Gary. How long should it take for it to thicken at room temps? Just so I have some baseline. Do you think the buttermilk will or can interfere with the formation of the curd?

Chau

sacwoodpusher · « **Reply #19 on:** January 28, 2011, 11:17:10 PM »

Quote from: Jackie Tran on January 28, 2011, 10:47:38 AM

Nice idea Gary. How long should it take for it to thicken at room temps? Just so I have some baseline. Do you think the buttermilk will or can interfere with the formation of the curd?

Chau

One of the recipes I looked at before deciding on milk, citric acid, rennet, and salt called for 1 quart buttermilk to 1 gallon whole milk, plus the addition of lemon juice, rennet, and salt.

If you take 1 quart whole milk and stir in 1 Tbl of either yoghurt or buttermilk and leave it out for 24 hours at 85 degrees you get a thick mixture. I would try overnight or 12 hours first.