Provolone, Italian-American Deli Style

Name: Provolone, Italian-American Deli Style
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 8 h
Yield: About 1 small home batch
Ingredients: 2 gallons pasteurized whole cow milk; 1/4 teaspoon direct-set thermophilic starter culture; 1/2 teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water; 1/2 teaspoon single-strength liquid rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water; Saturated brine, chilled

Provolone, Italian-American Deli Style is an Italian-American deli-style stretched-curd cheese with controlled acid development, hot stretching, brining, and short aging.

No featured photo yet. Upload a photo with your review. The highest-rated community photo may become this recipe's hero image.

Difficulty

Advanced

Prep time

1 to 2 hours active

Cook time

4 to 8 hours make day

Total time

2 weeks to several months depending on sharpness

Servings

About 1 small home batch

Region

Italian-American delis

Era introduced

American Dairy Age

Introduced by

Italian-American delis

Recipe tools

Save to a Collection

The Story

Deli-style provolone became a pillar of Italian-American sandwiches, hoagies, cheesesteaks, antipasto trays, and neighborhood pork stores. The recipe below keeps that history practical for a home cheesemaking setup: use pasteurized milk, sanitized tools, measured culture, controlled temperature, controlled humidity, and refrigerated aging rather than casual countertop ripening. For named modern cheeses, this is a historical style entry and not an affiliated, commercial, or proprietary formula.

Ingredients

2 gallons pasteurized whole cow milk
1/4 teaspoon direct-set thermophilic starter culture
1/2 teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water
1/2 teaspoon single-strength liquid rennet diluted in 1/4 cup cool non-chlorinated water
Saturated brine, chilled

Equipment

Large stainless steel pot
Accurate thermometer
Long spoon
Colander
Butter muslin or cheesecloth
Food-safe gloves
Large bowl for hot water stretching

Directions

Read the safety notes before starting. Use pasteurized milk only, sanitize every tool that touches milk or curd, wash hands well, and discard the batch if it smells rotten, turns slimy, grows black or pink mold, or shows swelling that does not match the style.
Warm milk to 92 F. Add thermophilic culture, rest 3 minutes, stir 1 minute, cover, and ripen 45 minutes.
Add calcium chloride and rennet as diluted additions. Hold 45 minutes, until the curd gives a clean break.
Cut into 1/2-inch cubes, rest 5 minutes, then warm to 105 F over 30 minutes while stirring.
Drain the curd and keep it covered at 95 to 100 F until it acidifies enough to stretch. Test every 30 minutes by dipping a small strip in 170 F water; it is ready when it stretches into a smooth ribbon.

Community Recipes

Share family changes, regional twists, or pantry-friendly adaptations as full community recipes.

No community recipes yet. Submitted recipes are published right away.

Community Reviews

Rate this recipe and share how it worked at your table.

No reviews yet. Be the first to rate this recipe.

Related Recipes

Recipes matched by era, region, occasion, ingredients, and cultural roots from the archive.

Same era

1800s-present

American Alpine-style Farmstead Cheese

American Alpine-style Farmstead Cheese is a cooked-curd American Alpine or grating-style cheese with thermophilic culture, firm pressing, brining, and controlled aging.

American farmstead dairies1800s-present

America's Melting Pot

American Cotija-style Grating Cheese photo coming soon

1800s-present

American Cotija-style Grating Cheese

American Cotija-style Grating Cheese is a brined American farmstead-style cheese with clean milk handling, measured culture, rennet setting, draining, salting, and brine aging.