Skyr, I think I’m in love…

Creamy yogurt, milk kefir, cottage cheese, cream cheese… All of these things have a place in our daily or weekly family routine.

I love adding yogurt to protein shakes, granola, as a waffle or pancake topping, or just eating it as a tasty snack.

But the thickest, creamiest, most satisfying products have always been those with the most fat. Now see here! Before you get your knickers in a bunch, I have nothing against fat!

Stick a well seared piece of pork fat under my nose and see what happens. I dare you!

But, imagine if you could add a high protein, low fat, probiotic rich, ‘yogurt’ to your arsenal and control exactly what goes in it? Now, what if it was thicker and creamier than even Greek Yogurt?

Skyr is technically a cheese, but otherwise it is every one of those things!

Stuff

• 4L of skim milk
• 6-7 drops rennet (I bought it on Amazon)
• 1/2 cup of Skyr from a previous batch, or from store bought Skyr
• Flavourings (optional)

Process

First, a quick confession. I have an InstantPot. It is really only used for bone broth, oatmeal, rice, and now: Skyr. You can do all of this manually as well, just follow along.

1. Pour the milk into the InstantPot.
2. Start the yogurt cycle on the high, or boil, setting. This essentially brings the milk to a boil.
3. Once the cycle is finished, open the InstantPot and turn on the Saute setting for 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the InstantPot, remove the pot, and allow it to cool on the stove or counter to somewhere between 105F and 110F. This might take an hour.
5. Scoop a few ladles of the milk into a bowl, mix with the existing Skyr, and then whisk into the remaining milk.
6. Add the rennet to 1/4 cup of cool water and whisk into the milk. Mix well.
7. Place the pot back into the InstantPot. Start the yogurt cycle on the medium (107F) setting for the default time of 8 hours.
8. When complete, cover and place in the fridge to cool for at least a few hours or overnight.
9. Strain using cheesecloth, a nut milk bag, or similar to remove the majority of the whey (clear liquid). This should be done in the fridge and may take a few hours or more to achieve the desired consistency.
10. Using an electric mixer blend the curd (white stuff) until creamy.
11. If it is too thick for your taste, add some of the whey back in and mix.
12. Reserve 1/2 cup for the next batch.
13. Sweeten and flavor now, or as you use it.

 

This will keep in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.