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Ricotta from Whole Milk
- Use whole milk
.. The fresher the better
- Make a Citric
Acid solution.. Add 2 tsp of citric acid per gallon of milk
used and dissolve this in 1 cup cool water. Add 1/2 of
this Citric Acid solution to the milk (save the rest of the citric
acid). Stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.
- Add 1 tsp salt
per gallon of milk
- Heat the milk
slowly on low to med stirring well to prevent scorching
- At 165-170F
watch for small flakes forming in the milk and the separation into small
flaky curds.
If after a few minutes you do not see the flakes forming, add more of
the Citric acid until they form (do this in small 1 Tbsp increments to
avoid over acid milk). At this point, when you see the curds, A
slower stirring is essential to avoid breaking up the
small bits of curd that have formed. Excess stirring will cause
smaller and very granular curds to form. I tend to just roll the milk
slowly with a bottom to top stirring motion.
- Continue
heating to 190-195F then turn the heat off. The thermal mass of the whey
will hold at this temp for quite some time. The higher temp is used here
because of the additional proteins found in whole milk vs whey.
- As the curds
rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the
center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate
floating on top of the liquid.
Let the curds rest for 10-15 min.
*** This is very important because this is the point
where the final Ricotta quality is assured
- Ladle the
curds gently into draining forms (No cheese cloth should be needed if
you were patient in the previous step). Let the curds drain for 15 min
up to several hours.
For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free
whey drainage slows) and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and
buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time
(several hours). before chilling overnight
Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days
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