Labneh. What did I do wrong?

[janedoe]

I love labneh so I thought I'd give it a shot. After all, it's just strained yogurt with some salt in it so what could go wrong?

I used Stonyfield plain organic yogurt and left it to strain through cheesecloth for 24 hours in the fridge. It's bland and has an almost toothpaste like consistency which I find offputting but I've had labneh served that way before.

How do I get the thicker consistency with a tangier flavor?

[smartrock]

What about trying greek yogurt or letting it drain even longer? I have made "yogurt cheese" before, I didn't know it was called labneh.

? Yogurt Cheese Labneh) Recipe - Food.com

[janedoe]

What about trying greek yogurt or letting it drain even longer? I have made "yogurt cheese" before, I didn't know it was called labneh.

? Yogurt Cheese Labneh) Recipe - Food.com

Great. That's a much more detailed set of instructions than what I used.

My understanding is that it's labneh in Lebanese and must-o-musir in Farsi. There's a range of strained yogurts but I just want the basic one for the moment.

[Snowshoe]

I have never heard of either of those, Labneh (sounds like something we all, here, should eat ) or must-o-musir. Off to google.

[janedoe]

Five days later, the consistency is right just from sitting in the bowl but the flavor lacks the tang so I'm going to try Greek yogurt instead.

[smartrock]

Your own version of America's Test Kitchen! If the Greek yogurt isn't right, I wonder about some of the icelandic or goat's milk yogurt. Maybe you need to find a more tart yogurt to start with? That might require a lot of taste testing of the pre-labneh yogurt to find one that starts out tart-er.

Actually, Greek Yogurt Isn't Your Favorite Kind Of Yogurt. Icelandic Yogurt Is. | The Huffington Post

Speaking of which, Cook's Illustrated suggests making yogurt cheese (their term) like this:

1 pound lowfat yogurt (2 cups)

Do not try to make yogurt cheese with yogurt containing modified food starch, gelatin, or gums -- they prevent the yogurt from draining and forming cheese. You can use regular, low-fat, and non-fat yogurt to make the cheese; however, we found the low-fat yogurt offered the best balance of fat and flavor.

1. Line a fine meshed strainer with 3 basket-style paper coffee filters or a double layer of cheesecloth. Set the strainer over a deep container (there should be enough room for a generous 1 cup of liquid to drain without touching the strainer). Spoon the yogurt into the strainer, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the yogurt has released about 1 cup of liquid and has a creamy, cream cheese-like texture, 10 to 12 hours (it can stay in the strainer for up to 2 days).

2. Transfer the yogurt cheese to a clean container, discarding the drained liquid. The cheese will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator