Do not lose this sheet! Labs cannot be redone!

And I hold forth and deign to give

Lab Sheet: Dairy unto you greater riches, even a
Name:_______________________________ land of promise, a land flowing
with milk and honey, upon which
Note: The same guidelines apply to this lab as all others. there shall be no curse when the
Lord cometh;
THIS SHEET IS DUE THE DAY YOU ARE ASSIGNED THIS LAB
Doctrine & Covenants 38:18

Objectives:
1. Become familiar with the process of making pasta filata type
cheese.
2. Understand why some cheese melts differently than other types
3. Understand the composition of cheese
4. Understand the role of milk protein changes in cheese making
5. Become familiar with the process of butter making.
6. Understand the composition of butter.

PART I: Take the quiz on I-learn and record your score here. Please take the quiz the same week
that you participate in the corresponding lab as it is primarily for you to prepare and demonstrate
your preparation.

Materials Needed:
Pasta Filata Cheese Making
1. 1.75 gallon pasteurized (non-homogenized) whole milk or 203 fl. oz. pasteurized skim milk and 21 fl. oz.
pasteurized cream for a group of 4
2. 2 tablets rennet
3. 15.0 g citric acid
4. 34 g salt
5. Sous vide cooker
6. Cheesecloth
7. Disposable gloves

Butter Making (per 2 people)

1. 2 cups pasteurized heavy cream (40 – 45% butterfat)
2. 1 quart wide mouth glass jar with lid
3. Rubber spatula
4. Bowl (1 to 4 quarts)
5. Ice water
6. Salt (add if desired at 1.5 to 2%)
7. Plastic bag or wrap to store finished butter
8. Commercial butter or margarine samples for comparison if desired.

Part II:

PASTA FILATA CHEESE MAKING

Preparation
1. Prepare a citric acid solution by dissolving 15.0 g of citric acid in 60 mL of water.
2. Prepare a brine solution by dissolving 34 g of kosher salt in 1.25 quarts of hot water. Add a quart of ice to cool
the brine
Cheese Making
3. Pour the milk and cream into the sous vide and stir to combine. Allow the milk to sit at room temperature until it
reaches 55°F.
4. Carefully distribute the citric acid solution into the milk and mix by gentle but rapid stirring.
5. Turn on the sous vide and heat the milk to 88°F.
6. Prepare a rennet solution by dissolving a rennet tablet in 60 mL of tap water.
7. Slowly add the rennet solution while stirring in a gentle up-down motion. Stir for about 30 seconds and then
allow the milk to sit quietly for 15 minutes (no movement).
Get instructor signature before continuing. _____SIGN

8. Using a knife cut the coagulated milk into ½” cubes. This can be done with a curd cutter, or by using a knife held
at about a 45° angle to the top of the pot and starting on one side about ½” from the side of the pan cutting
across every ½” across the pot (cut all the way to the bottom where possible). Then rotate the pot and repeat
this process. Keep rotating the pot and cutting the curd in this manner until the pot has been rotated a full 360°.
9. Allow the mix to stay undisturbed for five minutes. Whey should begin to drain from the curd pieces.
10. Slowly heat the mixture of curds and whey to 108°F with very occasional gentle stirring. Don’t allow the curd to
stick together and form large lumps.
11. Prepare to drain the whey by lining a colander with a layer of cheesecloth. Place the colander in a large
container to collect the whey.
12. Scoop the curd from the whey into the lined colander and allow the whey to drain for 15 minutes (turn the
cheese over a couple of times).

Stretching and Finishing the Cheese

13. Place the cheese in a microwave safe bowl.
14. Set the microwave on 60% power and heat the cheese for 3 minutes.
15. It should expel more whey and be hot to the touch. If it is not, cook longer.
16. After allowing the curd to soften for about 1 minute, wearing latex gloves remove the soft cheese from the bowl
and, stretch the curd like taffy. Pull and twist the cheese mass and then fold it in half and repeat for about five
minutes. If the cheese cools too much and becomes difficult to stretch dip it into the warm brine for 30 seconds
to soften it again.
17. Form a ball of cheese while it is still soft enough and dip the cheese in cold water for a short time to harden it.
18. Weigh the cheese to determine the approximate cheese yield.
19. Store the cheese in cold brine for 4 to 8 hours, then pour off the brine and the cheese is ready to eat.
_____SIGN

BUTTER MAKING

1. Pour two cups of into a quart jar and tightly attach the lid.
2. Shake about 10 times. Be careful not to drop the bottle. Open the top slightly to relieve the pressure, then
reseal.
3. Continue to shake the bottle until all the liquid appears to have solidified. Sample the resulting product and
describe the taste and texture of the contents.
4. Close the bottle tightly and continue to shake the bottle until lumps of butter form and the liquid takes on a thin
and watery appearance. This could take 10 minutes or more.
5. Carefully open the bottle and pour off the buttermilk.
6. To rinse the butter add ice water until the bottle is about half full. Replace the lid and shake about 5 times.
Pour off the rinse water and repeat this process until the poured off water is clean.
7. Place the lumps of butter in a bowl and using a rubber spatula, press the butter against the side of the bowl to
press out any remaining liquid. Take care not to spread the butter too thin in the bowl.
 8. If desired, add 1.5 to 2% salt to the butter by weighing the butter and determining the proper amount of salt to
add.
9. Keep butter cold and mold into the desired shape and place in a plastic bag or in plastic wrap for storage.
_____SIGN

FLAVORED MILK
1. Individually create a flavored milk product using the milk model provided in the class cookbook. _____SIGN

Please Complete Cleaning Assignment as assigned by instructor _____SIGN

Questions

1. What is the primary protein in milk that forms the structure of cheese?
2. What happens to the cream when it becomes butter? (see text page 214)
3. What does citric acid do to the pH of the milk and how does this affect the protein (casein) in the milk? Why is
this an important part of the cheese making procedure?
4. What type of protein is rennet? What role does rennet play in cheese making?
5. Please describe the sensory qualities of the cheese as compared to other cheeses you have tasted.
6. What is the storage life of cheese compared to milk? Why?