Depending on what kind of milk you use (and you can use pretty much any kind of plain milk - cow, goat, soya, almond, oat, even breast milk if the fancy takes you) you may need to boil it first and let it cool before putting it in the yoghurt maker. Then you leave it for around 8 hours and you have homemade yoghurt!
Recently we switched to non-homogenised milk and it makes a really nice, thick and creamy yoghurt.
Last week I did something for the first time - I turned my homemade yoghurt into cream cheese - and it was so simple, I can't believe I hadn't done it sooner!
I used the instructions from Nourishing Traditions. In simple terms, it's just straining the whey out of the yoghurt.
I used a clean tea-towel (not washed with fabric softener), lined a sieve (the instructions said a colander but mine was a funny fit) with it, placed it over a bowl and poured in the yoghurt. Then when it had stopped dripping I hung the tea-towel over the handle of my preserving pot (you could use a hook or a cupboard handle instead) with the bowl still underneath to catch the whey and left it overnight. Et voila! - cream cheese!
I was really surprised to find that it didn't need anything adding, not even salt. We ate the first batch plain and then the second time we decided to add some garlic and chives.
So simple and easy, completely homemade with no additives, stabilisers or other nasties and really superior to any cream cheese I've bought from the supermarket AND it has a longer shelf life - kept covered, in the fridge the cream cheese will last up to a month and the whey will keep in the same conditions for about 6 months.
Also - no waste products - DON'T THROW YOUR WHEY AWAY!! It contains a lot of minerals. According to quotes in Nourishing Traditions, taking whey can treat a multitude of ills like digestion problems and even combats back and other muscle and ligament aches to keep you younger for longer! You can also preserve foods using whey, I'm going to look into that a little bit more before trying it out.
Cool huh?! Tune in tomorrow and I'll post about another new thing that I tried that has, along with the cream cheese, revolutionised our lunchtimes!
Cool huh?! Tune in tomorrow and I'll post about another new thing that I tried that has, along with the cream cheese, revolutionised our lunchtimes!
16 comments:
Oh, you little tease ;-)
That all sounds delish.I am very tempted to buy the yogurt maker.
I will be back to see what you have in store tomorrow!x
ok so now i feel very hungry. i love your new header by the way.
Thanks Heather :o)
I've got that yougurt maker too. I haven't used it for a while, because my yougurt always came out a bit runny. Any tips?
The cream cheese looks yummy :-)
Hi Sam
There are several things you can do to combat thin yoghurt - firstly, try leaving it on for longer (even upto an hour or two) because your kitchen temp might be low.
You can try a different kind of milk - the ones with more fat content are more thick and creamy.
Also, using a bit more culture to encourage it can help, and making sure you mix it really well.
Hope that helps :o)
Thanks Hannah, I'll give it another go. We get through a lot of yougurt here, so it would be good to make our own.
Brilliant, we make our own yogurt and I have made cream cheese before. If you use UHT milk you don't have to heat it first. You can use whey a bit like buttermilk for scones and somewhere I have a recipe for whey cakes, like little cupcakes/fairy cakes made using whey, they are very light.
Hi Janice - welcome :o)
We used UHT milk previously before recently changing to non-homogenised milk.
Whey cakes sound very interesting!
I've wanted to try making yoghurt for a while and your post has given me the push I needed to give it a go. I've recently planted some raspberry canes in the garden and I've got a daydream of eating my own raspberries and yoghurt with a swirl of honey on top. Thanks for the inspiration.
Raspberries and honey are two of my favourite yoghurt toppings!
Cameron is a big fan of honey and whole almonds.
I have the same yogurt maker and it's very easy to make yoghurt. It's quite a while I have not made. So convenient to buy. Guess I have to start making again.
Hi Mary - welcome :o)
I have always fancied one of those yoghurt makers with the cute little individual jars to make it a bit easier but bulk tends to be cheaper doesn't it?
Just reading this post with interest as we occasionally make our own cheese from the kefir we produce. Got really excited when I saw "nourishing traditions" mentioned. Not many other people seem to know about it. Shall now start following you.
I've only just started putting some of the Nourishing Traditions stuff into practice. I'm finding it hard going but want to continue. Would love to know more about you making kefir!
When I say we, I actually mean my husband as I find the kefir grains a bit offputting. He's been making it for over a decade now - we really like it.
Catching up on your blog, Hannah, and find this inspirational, as well as the other posts. The girls and I are planning to make bagels this aft. after seeing your recipe. We love Nourishing Traditions here too. Our favouites are the nut snacks. (I'll never eat margarine again after reading her bit on how it is made!). Cheers!
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