Homemade dairy basics

Because you’ve run out, or just because you have time to try!

Traditional Homemade Yogurt

Ingredients

1/2 gallon pasteurized whole milk

1/2 cup unflavored yogurt with live active cultures

Directions

1. Place milk in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring often, until a thermometer inserted into the milk reads 180 degrees F.

2. Turn off heat and let milk cool, stirring often, to 115 degrees F.

3. Pour about 1 cup of warm milk from the saucepan into a bowl and whisk in yogurt. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and stir to combine. Ladle the liquid yogurt into clean glass jars and cover loosely with lids.

Place the jars in a warm spot in your kitchen, wrapped in a towel if your kitchen is breezy. Let incubate until yogurt thickens, 12 to 24 hours.

Move the jars to a refrigerator to cool. Enjoy within 2 weeks.

OPTIONS:

• Countertop or oven option: Cover and place the saucepan of liquid yogurt in a warm spot in your kitchen or in a gas oven with just the pilot light on. The time it takes to incubate depends on your environment temperature, culture strength, and other factors.

• Slow cooker or Instant Pot® option: To speed up the process, place jars of liquid yogurt in your slow cooker or Instant Pot® and fill it with warm water. Set the device to Warm and let the yogurt sit until set, around 4 to 6 hours. You can also incubate the jars in an insulated cooler surrounded by warm water.

• To make Greek yogurt, place yogurt in a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth, over a bowl or in the sink. Let drip for 30 minutes to several hours, until it reaches the perfect consistency for your taste.

Homemade Fresh Cheese

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk

1/4 cup white or cider vinegar

1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Pour the milk into a large pot, and heat until the temperature reaches 195 degrees F, or almost boiling. Stir constantly to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.

2. When the milk reaches the temperature, remove from the heat, and stir in the vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Line a strainer with cheesecloth, and set over the sink or a large pot or bowl. The milk should separate into a white solid part, and a yellowish liquid (whey).

4. Stir the salt into the milk, then pour through the cloth-lined strainer. Let the curds continue to drain in the strainer for 1 hour. Discard the whey.

5. After the cheese has finished draining, pat into a ball, and remove from the cheesecloth. Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Fresh cheese will usually last about a week.

Homemade Butter

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions

1. Pour cream into a food processor or blender.

2. Process for 10 minutes, or until the butter separates.

3. Strain off the liquid. Season to taste with salt if you like. Press butter into a small bowl with the back of a spoon to further remove liquid.

NAN Dining Guide Spotlight on 04/19/2020

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