home-made yoghurt and cream cheese

I've started making home-made yoghurt and cream cheese, which is working out a lot cheaper than buying it and is surprisingly very quick and easy to do.

One problem - I wonder if anyone can help - is that I'm having difficulty finding organic full fat dried milk powder. One that isn't made by nestle! Does anyone have any ideas?

Anyhow, recipes:

Yoghurt:
This recipe is from the Tassajara Cookbook.

4 cups water at about 115 - 120 degrees F (this is described as 'barely warm on your wrist')
2 1/2 to 3 cups dried milk
1 to 2 tablespoons yoghurt (the more you use, the tarter the taste)

Tip boiling water into a thermos to kill any unwanted bacteria and to pre-warm it.
Mix the water and powdered milk together in a bowl
Mix a few tablespoons of this with the yoghurt and then pour this thinned yoghurt back into the milk
Pour into your warmed thermos and leave for up to 8 hours. Check after 3 hours as sometimes it's done that quickly!


Cream cheese:
This is basically a recipe for home-made philadelphia and is from the Moro cookbook

1kg yoghurt
Approx 1 tsp salt

Mix the salt into the yoghurt - it's basically enough salt that you can just taste it.
Tip into a jelly bag or onto a muslin cloth and hang over a bowl over night to drain and stiffen
Done!

I use long life organic milk, same principle but not dried!

Apart from that I do the same as you, yummy isn't it

hmm, that's a thought (long-life milk instead of powdered).. although I really like how quick it is with powdered milk - no need to heat it up and then cool it down and no extra washing up - just a boiled kettle. Although the extra work and washing up is minimal so perhaps I'm being a bit fussy!

But yes, is very nice indeed! Great for the little'un, she loves it! That's why I want full fat really - no need for her to be watching her weight at 9 months old!

I know it's a bit of a treck up to Oswestry for you, but have you found Honeysuckle in Church St? It's a whole food shop cooperative that buy in bulk then bag up themselves. I'm sure they could source some bulk milk powder for you.

Hmm, that's a thought. Wouldn't be too much of a trek if I could get a lot from them all in one go... I'll give them a ring to see if they can help. Cheers Wood Troll!