A couple weeks ago, I was reading a great post by 
What is Skyr ?
Skyr is an Icelandic Yogurt that can date back to the Vikings. The big differentiator between it and Greek Yogurt is that it's always made with sim milk. When you compare the two, Skyr has less fat, and more protein than Greek yogurt per serving.
If you want to learn more about Skyr, try looking here.
How to Make Skyr
On the weekend, I decided I'd like to try making Skyr. I remember reading an article about how to make it, and the ingredients are readily available. So, off to the internet I went. As I was typing in the search window, it autocompleted to "How to make Skyr in an Instant Pot" Bingo. I've had an Instant Pot in my basement for over a year that I rarely use. Time to get it out and put it to good use.
You can find the base recipe here.
Get out the Instant Pot
You could easily do this in a double boiler on the stove as well.
Bring a gallon of skim milk up to 190°F
Put a gallon of skim milk in and press the button marked "Yogurt". Press the Arrow keys until the indicator states BOIL. You will be notified when it's ready.
Two reasons to bring the milk up to 190°F
- To kill off the "bad" bacteria.
- To make the "good" proteins bind, making the yogurt firm and thick
Allow the milk up to cool down to 105°F
Watching milk cool is very boring, so I made a Cappuccino instead.
Allow the milk to cool slowly
It took about 3 hours for the milk to cool from 190° to 105°. It is recommended that you let it cool slowly to attain a smoother yogurt.
Add the rennet and culture
For the culture, I bought a container of Plain Skyr from the grocery store, then let it warm up to room temperature.
I was able to obtain the rennet on Amazon
Hold the temperature at 105° and let the bacterial Black Magic Happen - For 5 Hours
While the Skyr was doing it's thing, I cooked dinner, played with the family and installed some electrical outlets. But now, back to our regularily scheduled program.
It now looks like Skyr but is still a little runny.
You can see that the fermented curd has separated from the whey. To thicken it up, I put it in a cheese cloth lined strainer and let it "dry out" in the fridge for another 6 hours.
It's now the correct thickness, but I want it smoother
To make it even smoother, I now took the Skyr and pressed it through a strainer. The result was exactly what I was looking for.
How do you eat YOUR Skyr?
I topped mine with Key Lime Curd and some Maple Syrup. It tasted like a lemon meringue pie! (With Lime and Skyr instead of Lemon and Meringue :-) )
The Verdict
My skyr was delicious. But ...
- 1 Gallon of milk reduced to approximately 33% by Volume
- The process took over 12 hours
- If I include the cost of the ingredients, I possibly saved 60%-70%
- When I performed a taste test of my Skyr vs the Skyr I bought from the store, there wasn't a noticeable difference
Bon Appétit
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyr
https://nwedible.com/do-you-need-to-heat-milk-for-yogurt-making/
https://tidbits-marci.com/instant-pot-skyr-yogurt/
http://www.cafebritt.com/experience-britt/coffee-101/a-newbies-guide-to-the-flat-white