For troubleshooting tips & FAQs, see the section at the bottom of the page. 

Your shipment includes:

- Our handmade, cultured mozzarella curd, shipped frozen (store in the freezer upon arrival).  When you're ready to take the class, take out of the freezer and put in a bowl of cool water on the countertop to thaw.

Real cultures and quality milk are what make our curd so special. We are the only creamery to offer cultured, fermented curd to consumers. The result of this natural process creates unsurpassed flavor and texture!

What you will need (this will be covered in the video as well):

- 1 pint heavy cream

- 2.5 Tbsp. Kosher or Sea Salt (plus more to taste)

- Approximately 1 gallon of 190° water (using a programmable kettle, or a pot of water on the stove just below boiling)

- Large spoon or paddle (metal or wood)

- 1 large bowl for stretching 

- 1 medium bowl for the stracciatella

- Colander/strainer over a large bowl

- Container of cold water for storage of your finished product (and for cooling off your hands!)

Ready to start?  

You can find your class video below - feel free to watch it as many times as you would like!  Owner and mozzarella expert Rynn Caputo will teach you all about burrata, then lead you through the process step-by-step.  When we are done, you'll have the freshest, most delicious burrata you've ever tasted!

If we've made you a stretching pro and want to order more curd (or any of our other cheeses), use coupon code BACKAGAIN10 for 10% off!

How soon do I need to watch the video and use my kit?   The curd will be shipped to you frozen, and should be stored in the freezer when it arrives.  It will need to be thawed (either in the refrigerator overnight or in a bowl of cold water on the countertop for an hour or so).  As this is a naturally fermented product, once thawed, it should be used the same day for best stretching results (upon thawing, the fermentation process continues and will alter the outcome of your stretching.)

How much burrata will this make and how long is it good for?  It’s your choice (as you see in the video), but you can end up with one larger or two smaller burrata, and is best enjoyed the day it’s made! You can store it in water for up to 24 hours.  It is great served simply with toasted bread & olive oil, or makes a great addition to a salad, sliced & spread on a finished pizza and is sure to impress!  Do an Instagram search for #burrata and you’ll be inspired!

What is curd?  Curd is the very early stage of any cheese - the solids remaining after whey is removed from the naturally fermented, coagulated milk.  To turn the curds into mozzarella (which you’ll see in the video), you simply add hot water (and salt for flavor) to meld the curds together into a smooth finished product.

What does ‘cultured’ mean?  This means we make our cheeses in the traditional way, using cultures - or bacteria - and rennet to start a natural fermentation process. This is different from the many industrial cheesemakers who use vinegar or citric acid to acidify the milk prior to coagulation and mimic fermentation (thereby leaving a high level of lactose in the cheese).

Are your cheeses pasteurized?  Yes, all of our cheeses are pasteurized at a low temperature to preserve the quality and natural flora of the milk as much as possible.

What is the difference between mozzarella and burrata?  Burrata is in the mozzarella ‘family’ - it is a freshly stretched pouch of fresh mozzarella, stuffed with stracciatella, which is torn strands of mozzarella soaked in salted heavy cream. The pouch is then cinched closed at the top.  It is a specialty of the Puglia region of Italy, but has become famous all across Italy and quite popular in the U.S.! 

Can I split the pack in half and re-freeze it or use it later?  You'll see in the video that you'll need the whole pack for the class (1/2 will be used to make the stracciatella filling, 1/2 will be the burrata's "pouch").

What is the cold water bowl for, in our setup instructions?  You’ll be using this for two purposes.  During the stretching, your hands will be in 190° water - this is hot!  We call it a ‘best friend bowl’ for that reason - you can dip your hands in as needed to cool them off.  The second purpose will be to store your finished burrata after it’s stretched. This will cool it down a bit and help it hold its shape.  The water does not need to be ice cold, just cold water from the tap is fine.

Can I freeze my finished cheese?  Burrata is a fresh cheese, best enjoyed the day it's made.  We don't recommend freezing it. 

My curds were partially thawed or warm when I received them.  That’s ok!  As a fermented product, the curds are essentially shelf stable.  For more information on this, read here.  

The curds are not coming together after I add the hot water - no ‘strings’ are forming. There are two possible causes for this:

1. You may have too much water in the bowl.  You want to just cover the curds with the hot water - if they have too much room to swim around, they won’t meet up with each other. Your water is not hot enough.  

2. Pour off as much of what you have in the bowl as possible, and add another dose of 190° water to just cover the curds.

I’m not getting the ‘waterfall’ stretch to come together.  Similar to the above issue, you probably just need more (or hotter) water.  Pour off some of the water and give it another shot of that 190° water.  If you get a tear or hole in your ‘waterfall’, just return the cheese to the bowl of water to warm up a bit & try again.  You can add a little more hot water if the bowl is cooling off too much.