I learned this through the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. I tried it because I wanted the whey for lacto-fermenting. I discovered that the lacto-fermenting wasn’t my cup of tea, but the cream cheese is awesome.
For my vegan followers I want to try this with coconut or soy yogurt. If you try this before me with a vegan option I would love to hear how it goes.
You will need
plain yogurt
cheesecloth.
1. Place a colander in the sink or a large mixing bowl. Line with cheesecloth or very thin dish towel.
2. Gently pour the yogurt in the colander and let sit for at least one hour.
Tip: I skipped this step the first time and the yogurt squirted through the cheese cloth.
3. Gather up all four corners of the cheese cloth, wrap around the middle of a wooden spoon and secure with an elastic. I usually make make a loop, the use the elastic and just slide the spoon handle through.
4. Place the spoon and cheese cloth bag over a vase or pitcher. There needs to be room between the bottom of the jug and the cheese cloth.
5. Let it drip. In the book it said to let drip overnight, but I find the best results are to let it drip for about 20 hours. It sounds like a long time to leave dairy on the counter, but don’t worry I’ve done this a dozen times.
Tip: If you don’t let it hang long enough some of the whey (the liquid) will remain in the cheese and give it a bit of an unpleasant flavour. If you leave it long enough, you’ll never want store bought cream cheese again.
The cream cheese is delicious on its own, mixed with garlic and herbs or in homemade cheese cake.
If you want save the whey. There are plenty of uses for it. Hey you could try some lacto-fermenting and let me know how it goes.
Hi Charla,
I use my homemade yogurt, leave it in the fridge to drain for about 8 hrs or more, then I make the most delicious frozen yogurt with an old Donvier. Especially devine with mashed fresh local strawberries. Yum…