Fun weekend project: make your own burrata or mozzarella

With its wonderfully creamy center, burrata is delicious with pasta, gazpacho or simply on its own on the burrata bar sharing board. You can make this Italian cheese yourself—very easily, in fact. With just a few ingredients and a good dose of patience, we’ll explain step by step how to make this creamy little beauty yourself.

How to make your own burrata

• Dissolve the citric acid in a cup of cold water. Pour the milk into a saucepan and let it come to room temperature. Turn on the heat and pour the citric acid solution into the milk. Heat everything to a temperature between 32°C and 35°C while stirring gently.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the rennet. For about 4 liters of milk, use 8 to 10 drops. Stir the rennet into the milk and wait 15 minutes. You’ll see that the curds now begin to separate from the whey.
• Cut the curds lengthwise and crosswise into pieces. You do this because you want to remove even more moisture from the curds. Then place the pan back on the heat, warm it to 40°C and continue stirring gently.
• Remove the pan from the heat and continue stirring for about 10 minutes, until you have some larger pieces of curd.
• Then pour the mixture through a colander. You can also use cheesecloth, but that will take quite a bit longer.
• Place 1/4 of the curds in a bowl, mix them with the cream and salt, and set aside.
• Fill another bowl with warm water (as warm as your hands can handle) and place the rest of the curds in it. Because the water is warm, the curds will essentially melt, allowing you to knead them into mozzarella balls.
• Knead the balls with your hands and stretch them out slightly, just as you would when making a pizza base. Place the flattened piece of mozzarella on a plate or board and spoon some of the creamy mixture onto it.
• Now seal the burrata well. To make sure the ball stays closed and the creamy filling doesn’t run out, dip it briefly into the warm water.
• Then place your homemade (!) burrata in the cooled water to store it.

Also read:

• What is the difference between mozzarella, burrata and straciatella?
• Burgonzola: the love child of burrata and mozzarella
• How to serve and use burrata