Hint: Keep all of your utensils as clean as possible, best rinse them all with boiling water. Here is what you need:
- thermometer or crock pot (find right temperature settings in test with water prior to use)
- a large thermos bottle
- a large strainer lined with a cheese cloth
- 1 gallon of regular milk
- 1 cup of regular yogurt (make sure that there is no gelatin in yogurt)
- or 1 cup of buttermilk (as fresh as possible)
First you need to make a starter culture: In a sauce pan heat 1 cup of milk to 158-163F (70-73C) and keep on stirring. Do not let it boil! What we are trying to
do is to pasteurize the milk. The milk has already been pasteurized before it has been put into the milk bottle, but we need to do this again, because there is bacteria in the air and in the sauce pan.
Once it has reached the temperature, hold it there for additional 30 seconds. Now you have to cool it down, best done in a sink with cold water. Cool it down to 104-108F (40-42C) for yogurt.
Now stir in 3-5 tablespoon of yogurt. Pour yogurt mix in the thermos bottle and let sit for 3 hours. After 3 hours the yogurt should taste sour, and if you like to test it, it should have an
pH-level of 4.7 to 5.0. If it is not sour enough close bottle and let stand for additional 3 hours. If it is not sour after that, then you have to start again. A possible reason might be,
that the yogurt was old, or that the jogurt you have bought was thickened with gelatin. Try again or use another brand. Store mixture in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Making the Yogurt Quark 1/2 gallon regular milk or use 1/2 gallon of milk mixture
1/2 cup of starter culture Heat milk to 104-108F (40-42C) add starter culture and keep at that temperature
for 4 hours. Use thermos bottles, crock pot, or box with styrofoam core cut to fit your pot. After 4 hours let it cool in pot in the refrigerator. When completely cold put into strainer
lined with cheesecloth and let drain overnight. Quark will be good for a week in the refrigerator. Cream Milk mixure: Used to make Sahnequark. Add to every 4 cups of
milk 1 cup of heavy cream. Tip If Quark is too dry, add milk, half-and-half, or cream. Variation To get a creamy Quark (Sahnequark) make
sure that your Quark is very dry, and then add heavy cream to it, or start Quark with cream milk mixture. To make a dessert, sweeten the Quark, whip heavy cream and stirr under. |
