Step 1

1 Dissolve the citric acid in 1 cup of the chlorine-free water

Step 2

2 In a separate container, dissolve the rennet in the remaining 1/4 cup of chlorine-free water

Step 3

3 Pour the milk into a large, deep stainless-steel pot

Step 4

4 Stir in the dissolved citric acid-water mixture

Step 5

5 Heat to 90 degrees over medium heat, stirring occasionally

Step 6

6 Use a spoon or skimmer to stir in the dissolved rennet/water mixture for about 30 seconds, gently moving the milk from the bottom of the pot to the top without breaking the surface of the liquid

Step 7

7 Cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes, during which time a somewhat solid mass of curds will form

Step 8

8 Use a long stainless-steel palette knife (with a rounded, flat blade) or similar knife to slice into the curd mass, pressing it to one side

Step 9

9 The whey will be clear and yellowish, and the cut should be clean

Step 10

10 If the whey is cloudy or the curd is crumbly, cover the pot for another 10 minutes

Step 11

11 Cut the curds into 1-inch segments, slicing from top to bottom then side to side in a checkboard pattern

Step 12

12 Let the curds sit for 5 minutes, so they can express whey

Step 13

13 Heat the curds to 105 degrees while stirring lazily, about 5 minutes, then spoon into a metal, ceramic or glass bowl

Step 14

14 Let them rest for 10 minutes

Step 15

15 (At this point, the curds may be used to make Homemade Stracciatella; see related recipe

Step 16

16 )

Step 17

17 Press against the curd mass; pour any resulting whey back into the pot

Step 18

18 Place the pot of whey over medium heat; bring to 180 degrees

Step 19

19 The cheese will not stretch until it registers135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer

Step 20

20 Heat the curds in the whey as follows: Pull a baseball-size hunk of the curds from the bowl

Step 21

21 Use a skimmer to dip them into the hot whey for 30 seconds

Step 22

22 Don food-safe gloves, because you'll be handling very hot cheese

Step 23

23 Remove the curds from the skimmer and pull the curds, fold, pull and fold

Step 24

24 They will not quite stretch, and they might tear

Step 25

25 Place the curds back into the whey for 30 seconds, remove and pull the curds again

Step 26

26 They should be shiny and hold together like taffy

Step 27

27 Work quickly to pull, fold and pull, repeating only one or two times until the mozzarella feels supple, then form a circle with thumb and forefinger and press the mass through to form a sphere of cheese

Step 28

28 Twist to detach, place on a plate and continue to form the remaining curds in the same way

Step 29

29 Salt the cheese to your liking

Step 30

30 VARIATIONS: Shape the curds into bocconcini (1-inch balls) or string cheese (4-inch rope); or pull them flat and layer with prosciutto, then roll into a log

Step 31

31 Serve the last, sliced, as an appetizer

Step 32

32 NOTE: To remove chlorine from water, let the water sit out, uncovered, at least overnight and up to 24 hours

Step 33

33 The chlorine, which is a gas, will dissipate

Step 34

34 If the water has been treated with chloramine, which much of the District's water is, that chemical will not dissipate the same way

Step 35

35 But the addition of citric acid in this recipe effectively eliminates chloramine, and we found in testing that the presence of chloramine did not adversely affect the cheesemaking process