Fun with Fermentables: Yogurt, Greek Yogurt, or Labneh

Greek Yogurt with raspberries and a dollop of
sour cherry jam we canned last summer. 

I have been meaning to give you a post on yogurt for some time now. The trouble is that I like to post on this blog about the things I find thrilling: the new! the exciting! the terrifying! To me, since we conquered yogurt so long ago, and have been making it so reliably ever since, it just wasn't as thrilling as if we were to make a new cheese or find a baby duck or something.

But this new Greek yogurt trend has got me up in a tizzy peeps! When Fage first became popular among health nuts SIX YEARS AGO, I was among those enjoying the Greek-ness with a sense of exploratory revelry. But then I made my own yogurt and decided the cost was not worth going Greek. That stuff used to be more than three dollars for the single serving package.

Then it happened. A happy accident. I added too much culture to a batch of yogurt and as it yoged (the unofficial official term for when buggies called probiotics make the yogurt thick, pronounced like: y-oh-g) it remained watery and stunted. Too stubborn to admit failure, I decided to strain out the water- called whey- and see what happened.

What happened was Greek Yogurt. And its because the method described above is the exact method by which the stuff is made. Here's an easy primer!

1. Bring a gallon of milk (not ultra-pasteurized, but raw is best!) slowly to 180 degrees, stirring occasionally. 
2. Turn off heat. Allow temperature to drop to 118, stirring occasionally. 
3. Mix 4-6 tablespoons of yogurt with live active cultures into 1 cup of your warm milk (I like Nancy's best, but Stonyfield also works.) Stir until mixture has no lumps. 
4. Add yogurt mixture into milk.
5. Place yogurt in two half gallon jars. 
6. Cover and allow to stay very warm in a draft free place. We add warm water- 125-150 degrees to a cooler and cover. Leave over night. 
7. In the morning check the yogging process. You should have yogurt that looks like yogurt. At this point, either eat this nummy stuff as you like or move forward, going Greek! 
8. Line a colander with a clean towel or cheesecloth in four layers. 
9. Pour yogurt into colander and allow to drain, stirring twice, for four hours. For stronger thicker yogurt, simply increase wait time. 
10. For Labneh, a Mediterranean yogurt spread that is very tart, and delicious with Falafel, leave for 8-12 hours. 
11. Use your whey for lacto-fermenting! Sauerkraut! Kimchi! Bean or grain soaking! Bread making! Pet feeding! ETC! Can also be stored in the fridge. 

Each of these should keep, well sealed and in the fridge, for over a month. Careful though! It can get quite tart the longer it sits. I know you are going to enjoy it!