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"When I go to a restaurant, I always ask for a chicken and an egg, to see which comes first."--Unknown

Grandpa Shoffey's Homemade Yogurt (aka Laban) Recipe

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This recipe for Grandpa Shoffey's Homemade Yogurt (aka Laban) is from My Family Cookbook Project, one of the cookbooks created at FamilyCookbookProject.com. We'll help you start your own personal cookbook! It's easy and fun. Click here to start your own cookbook!
Category:
Category:
Ingredients:  
Ingredients:  
1 quart half and half, or milk
1 tbsp of starter yogurt, either borrowed from another laban batch, or store-bought
Directions:
Directions:
In Grandpa's words:

Heat 1/2 and 1/2 or milk in a saucepan on a stove at medium temperature. Do not let it scorch. As it rises, let it form a skin over the top as it comes up about an inch or two. Pick up the pot and let it cool 15-20 minutes.

Stick your pinky in the milk and stir. If you can count to 15-20 with pinky in, then you're ready to add your starter yogurt. Stir starter until smooth, add to milk and stir in. Put a lid on the saucepan with the milk and yogurt. Wrap it up with a kitchen towel to keep it warm for about 5 hours. May keep it overnight covered. You're trying to keep the heat in. Grandpa used to keep it covered with a towel in the oven, with the oven door slightly ajar. The idea is to keep it in a warm, but not hot, undisturbed place. Do not move or disturb while it sits.

After 5 hours, transfer the pot to the refrigerator, sans the towel, careful not to disturb the curd. Cool in fridge for 3 hours. You'll then have a new quart of laban yogurt to replace your previous batch. Grandpa, and many Lebanese families, keep their laban yogurt culture going for years and years this way.
Personal Notes:
Personal Notes:
Laban (yoghurt) is essential to the Middle Eastern diet. Its acidity makes it a diet regulator. The laban culture is kept going in the Lebanese kitchen at all times. Family members who emigrate usually take a laban culture along with them to their new country. There are many ways to serve laban. It is equally good with meat, vegetables or fruit. Grandpa put it on most of the mediterranean food we had at his house. I believe it's one of the secrets to a long life with the Mediterranean people.

 

 

 

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