when you mentioned putting your finger into the milk for the right temp. it reminded me of my Father growning up (in texas) and counting to 10. He made Labneh for us all the time . thnx for the memories
Yes, it seems to be quite a popular and cultural thing, doesn't it? Many people have told me that their parents and grand-parents did the same thing. It is so interesting how they used techniques that didn't require thermometers and had such success!
@@GiveCheeseaChance A number of years ago, for a few months in a row, I made labneh at home, from scratch. I successfully used the pinky test method for making many batches of yogurt.
I remember my Mom making yogurt when I was young, but I never cared for it. Labneh on the other hand...first time I made it on my own I had tears instantly rush out. I rembered eating it at my grandmother's home. I've since introduced it to my husband. He quite liked it himself.
Yes, you are a lovely person. I thought I heard "Middle-Eastern" background music. :) I have made yoghurt at home in the past, never with (hard to find) goat's milk. I purchased a temperature-controlled chest (Warm & Cold) years ago. I have been able to keep the temperature about 115* F. for 24 hours....with good results. Then, I can enjoy yoghurt, or convert it into other forms of soft cheeses. Wonderful video.
Hello Angelo, thanks for your kind feedback. I appreciate it. That temperature controlling device sounds very useful. I wish I had one too. Until I get one, I’ll just use the traditional method. All the best, and keep on making yogurt and Labneh!
Hi. At yor cream cheese video, 2 years ago, You talk about "bacterial culture", that mean the ones you uses to make yogurt?. I'm from Venezuela ando I love yours videos
Thanks for watching my videos! In the cream cheese video, I am using a freeze-dried bacterial culture called "Flora Danica" which is a mixture of "mesophilic" bacterial strains that give a lovely buttery flavour and aroma. Regular yogurt, on the other hand, is known for having "thermophilic" bacterial strains. Do you have any mesophilic bacteria at all in your freezer (like MM100) that you can substitute? These small pouches of freeze dried culture only cost about $10 when ordered on-line and they lasts a few years in the freezer if sealed properly. If you don't, I have a short video that explains how you can make some substitutions when appropriate (but I don't recommend substitutions for beginner cheesemakers); ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P06taxFH4MQ.htmlsi=kzLcxCq3mghhB9Qa
I add milk powder to store bought pasturised milk; this doubles the amount of proteins in the milk. I use a microwave to heat to 95?C; then leave for only 15 minutes. I cool the milk in a cold waterbath to 35-50?C. I add 150 mL of culture to 2 L warm milk; pour into the tubs that it will be fermented and stored in. Then ferment in a warm waterbath between 35-50?C; at 2.5 hr it is thick and not particularly sour, at 3 hr it is very thick but more sour; at 12 hr it hasn't changed. I allow my labneh to strain in the fridge. Serve savoury, like you showed; or drizzle with honey and dip in sliced fruits or dried fruits. Have labneh available to dampen a feiry curry. Yum.
Labneh is so much better than cream cheese. Delicious and easy to spread, it tastes great on rye or bagels, add a sprinkle of salt, nigella, everything bagel spices, dill. Divine. Or Tarator, so easy and so good for a topping or dip.
I totally agree! It is also better for your gut bacteria because it is a fermented food with lots of good bacteria. Sometimes I add cubes of beets, cubes of oranges and drizzle it with honey and crushed pistachios and serve it as an appetizer to guests!
Excellent tutorial! Today’s store-bought labneh is usually loaded with many ingredients, such as cream, gum, stabilizers and other chemicals. The best starter yogurt is the one made only from whole milk and cultures- nothing added. The only thing is that, in the absence of real Snoubar, I would skip the Chinese pine nuts. Fresh mint leaves are great on labneh, too.
@@maryannefarah for many years, my daily breakfast was a Aaroosah (pita bread wrap) with labneh. Labneh goes well with fresh or dried mint leaves, zaatar, cucumbers, or scallions. An olive oil drizzle is mandatory here. Salty Syrian cheese is the one that works very well with a sweet counterpart, such as melon, watermelon, papaya, orange wedges, or grapes.
Your beautiful, clear and simple language makes me follow all the video from beginning to end in an elegant style and understandable words. I have the utmost respect for you.
Awww, thanks for your comment. :-) I love it for breakfast too, or any time of the day. It is great when I don't have the energy to cook, I just make a sandwich with labneh, cucumbers and tomatoes, and I am eating within seconds!
Liked your process, especially the 4 second 11 second temp check. For a strainer I cut out the back of a cotton or better, a linen shirt. You didnt save the whey though! I use the whey for soup instead of water
Hi Matt. You sound very resourceful. I like that! What a great way to save money. I agree that discarding the whey is wasteful. But, I generate so much. I usually make ricotta but sometimes I just dump it in my veggie garden. I hear some people feed it to their dogs.
لبنه، لبنه، لبنه. Thank you so much. Have you thought of making Shankleesh? I still use the finger method that I learned from my mother. I leave the milk for less than 10 hours, then one day in the fridge before I strain it or eat it.
We learn so much from our mothers, don't we? That finger method works great! My sister-in-law makes shankleesh and she does a wonderful job, maybe one day I will make a video about it! Thanks!
Hello Maria. Thanks for your comment. I am so happy you asked that question, because I wondered that myself. There are 2 points I'd like to make. First, you want to remove any "bad" bacteria in the milk (by bringing it to a boil), and insert the bacteria that you want to be there (the starter sample of yogurt). Not everyone's goat milk is the same from country to country (age, quality, bacterial flora, goat health), so by bringing the milk to a soft boil, every cook's milk will transform into a similar non-bacterial state, ready for your 1/2 cup of yogurt starter to be added--so there will be consistency in the result every time you do this recipe. Second, I actually tried this recipe without bringing the milk to a boil, and it worked "OK", but it didn't work as well! It took way longer for the yogurt to set (bacterial competition?), and it didn't thicken as well. So I think there is a desirable chemical change that happens in the milk when it is heated to 100C. So with all of this said, if you want to try the recipe without the boil, feel free to do so, but I don't think you are killing "all the goodness in the milk"--however you are certainly killing any bad bacteria that may be present in the milk, if your milk is not perfectly fresh. You can see in my video that the yogurt & labneh turned out amazing! I hope I answered your question, even though I think it may have been long-winded. :-)
@@GiveCheeseaChance thanks Marian. Appreciate your response. I have my own goats, Alpine and Nubian breed and I will give raw milk a go using your great tips and I actually bought yoghurt culture
@@mmdtufrv8454 Wow, Maria. I am totally jealous. I wish I could have my own goats! I wish I could see yours too. Would be fun. Let me know how your raw goat milk labneh turns out! Post a picture if you are able to. :-)
I don't think there is a difference. Greek yogurt tends to be quite thick, and as you can see in the video above, the yogurt I make is quite thick indeed! It is definitely a "greek style" (vs. being thinner and runny).
Maam can you plz also give measurements for 1 litre...this for those making for first time...also can one use cow or buffalo milk yogurt in goat's milk...thk you
You can cut everything down proportionally by 1/4. And honestly... you don't have to be exact when making yogurt. The reason is, that when you add your small amount of yogurt (starter culture) to the warm milk, the bacteria you add to the milk quickly start to multiply exponentially, and soon reach such high numbers. Knowing this in the past, I have made yogurt inoculating the milk with a mere tablespoon of yogurt before and it works out just fine. To answer your question about using a sample of cow or buffalo milk yogurt to warmed goat milk (instead of using a sample of goat yogurt), the answer is YES, absolutely! If it has living bacterial culture in it, then definitely yes. Just do NOT use flavoured yogurt (like vanilla yogurt)--make sure it is plain.
Hello Selda, I don't have a video that shows how to shape them into balls, however one thing to note is that if you are going to try to do it, you really need the labneh to be EXTRA THICK. You may have to drain it (at room temp. or cooler) for 2-3 days because you want to remove as much moisture as you can. Once you do that you just scoop up some labneh (with very clean hands), shape them into balls and put them into a jar, covering them with olive oil. It is that simple. I hope this helps! Mary Anne
@@jeffkeeth6380 Good point, Jeff. And I just remembered, it is good to coat your hands with olive oil when forming the balls so the cheese does not stick to your hands.
I keep the yogurt incubating for at least 12 hours, but I have also left it as long as 24 hours too. You can be quite flexible with the timing. The goal is to leave it to sit (warm) until the milk turns to a yogurt-like consistency and tastes nice and tangy.
@@GiveCheeseaChance does it get tangier the longer you leave it out? I left it for 12 hrs and consistency is good. Just the flavour is bland. Used homogenized cow’s milk and plain yogurt (cow) as starter. I’m so frustrated. I just want it to taste right. Great video btw. You explain things so well. And in such detail. Also very calming voice.
@@Mama_Bear524 If you are trying to make labneh with your yogurt, you can leave it dripping/draining for 2 days. I have done that many times. Yes it will get tangier with time, but don't skip or be stingy with the salt at the end. It really magnifies the taste. I have used less salt sometimes and it was too bland for me.
@@Mama_Bear524 Sorry, I thought I replied to this message but I don't see the reply here. Hopefully I am not repeating myself. Goat's milk will give you a tangier labneh. Also, don't skimp on the salt! It makes a big different and magnifies the flavour for sure! And yes, the older the labneh, the more tangy. I have left my labneh to hang for 2 days and it tastes better than just draining for 1 day. Bacteria create acid (tanginess) as they grow so you want those bacteria to flourish.
Thank you. I love this recipe. I have made a soft cheese with goats milk yogurt sometimes before, and when I wash the muslin, I use only washing up liquid, before sterilising. I find if I use washing powder or liquid that is sold for clothes washing, the perfume is so strong, it can taint the cheese slightly. Have you had this problem? 😊
Hi! I never wash my cheese fabrics with my regular clothes and I do not use detergent on it. I talk about this at the 7 minute mark of this cheesemaking video... I hope it will help. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9Zlu6Xwsa9E.html
Hi Mary Anne! Thanks again for your wonderful teaching method. Just one question: For the traditional method of conseving/storing the Labneh balls in a jar covered with O. Oil and keeping it in the refrigirator. Wouldnt the Olive Oil Coagulate and the fat in it becomes solid? I appreciate the advice. All the success!
Yes, the olive oil will coagulate. So what I have done in the past is, I keep several jars in the fridge and keep one jar on the counter for daily use. When it becomes empty, I take out another jar from the fridge to come to room temperature. Also, some advice... use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find. Lastly, when you make the balls, your hands have to be super clean so as not to contaminate the balls. I hope this helps! Enjoy your labneh!
@@GiveCheeseaChance Very Smart!:) It absolutely makes sense. I wasn't sure for how long I could keep a jar out of the refrigirator. Espitially during the summer season I'm a single father, my son just loves Lebneh more that I do! I'll especially enjoyy making it at home and save some money in the process :) I apprecite you taking the time to respond:) More success to you!
@@djamche6790 Remember, our ancestors did not have refrigerators, and Labneh has been made for centuries, stored at room temperature in warm climates! Granted, it does get tangier with age. Take care, Mary Anne
@@GiveCheeseaChance Sooo true! Especially in the Eastern Mediterranean coast where Labneh originated :) Thanks again for sharing and educating. More success!
We used to make yahran yogurt drink just with the laban. We used to add cucumbers and dried mint and salt to make a yogurt cucumber salad I don't remember the name of it. Have you ever made arabic string cheese?
Ok so in my family we like it tart(sour) and though I’ve done the technique well (yay!) I can’t get it sour sad😢. Is that because I used cows milk instead of goat’s milk?
I guess it technically does do that if you are using raw milk. The point is 2-fold.... (1) you want to remove any unwanted bacteria in the milk and replace it with the bacteria you want to add yourself (from the active culture), (2) the heating process opens up the proteins so that you get a thicker yogurt at the end. There have been scientific studies about this. I like a thicker yogurt, so I think it is important to heat the milk for those 2 reasons.
@@GiveCheeseaChance, thanks for the response. It is way better to learn the “why” than only the “how”. Recipes are great, but learning the science behind the recipe is priceless
I used to have labneh regularly when I was a kid. My mother made it at home. It was a staple in our kitchen too. So yummy! I'd love to see your recipe for shanklish.
@@GiveCheeseaChance my Shanklish recipe is from my mother in law who cooked almost everything by eyeballing her ingredients, not using actual measurements or taking temperatures. Keep in mind Shanklish has to be done in summer. So I start on the 1st day by making milk into yogurt and keep it till the next day. Day 2, I put the yogurt on the stove heat it till I see bubbles but just before it boils. I add a cup of white vinegar, half a cup of salt and I mix it till I see the curds. I pour everything in a strainer with cheese cloth. I add some weight on top of it and leave it 24 hours. Day 3, I put my curds in a big bowl, at this moment you can see its like chunky cream cheese. I add spices according to taste, for me I add cayenne, dried mint, dried basil and taste it if salt needed. I form it into big balls and put them,in the sun. I keep on turning them for few days until mold covers them all. I clean the mold with water and then put the balls one by one in more spices, but at this stage I add sumac. I usually store them in a basket on my counter and enjoy them in winter. I make Shanklish salad. Last year the balls were small and I put them too much,under the sun, they dried a lot. Now I need a blender for break them into smaller sizes and marinate them in olive oil.
@@nancyyamout8499 That seems like an incredible recipe. It seems very "old school" style--the kind of cheese our ancestors would make on a farm-style home! Sounds very spicy too.
By best way to eat labneh is ... Take some labneh and spread if over a bread then add some turkey slices and some Rocca and put the sandwich in a grill for few minutes ... Soooo 😋
You can substitute cows milk and Buffalo milk for goats milk, definitely. You will get a different texture and yield for both, but still acceptable. Cows’ milk yogurt has more water/less solids in it, so in my opinion it is a more delicate textured tougher, and I don’t want that when I cook with yogurt.
@@maryannefarah4367 thank you Ma'am for your reply. Problem is I can get goat milk but not goat milk yogurt. So inorder to make goat milk yogurt I can only get cow or buffalo yogurt...I do make cow milk yogurt but m keen to try what you've made as I delve into cheese making at home...
@@MikeJones-mm3nt We do what we can with what we have available--that's my motto. My mother made a lot of cow milk yogurt (and it was good to eat on its own), but it tends to separate into curds and water when you cook with it. If that is what you've got, then go forth and make yogurt (with what you have)!
@@maryannefarahI have seen Chanklish kept under the protection of olive oil for many weeks, even months. Chanklish in olive oil is a traditional Mooneh item that is kept under no refrigeration.
@@ammaribrahim5756 I had to google translate what you said since I do not read arabic unfortunately. However, I say a big hello to you and wish you health, happiness and... delicious cheese too. :-)
@@GiveCheeseaChance where are you originally from? If you have kids, they must be very happy....I can sense your pure motherly love....execuse my english if i havent expressed my thought clearly
Labneh has been eaten in the Levant region (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine & Jordan +) for thousands of years. Calling it yogurt cheese has been an attempt to remove the ethnic sounding word ("labneh") for westerners
@@sushanthdk the evidence is our ancestors ate it and we eat it on daily basis in our arab countries .. just like samneh = ghee my grandmother owns 100 yrs old peice of leather used to make ghee ... hallom cheese .. olives .. olive oil .. dates .. kashkawan cheese .. zaatar .. ja'adah .. we have hundreds and hundreds of food types and herbs that is unique to our region ... In summer all the families come together and they make a lot of these traditional food to store for the winter ...
