Anyone lucky enough to visit or live in Iceland knows all about skyr - the traditional Icelandic "yogurt" that has been made since the 9th century Viking era. Much, much thicker than American or even Greek yogurt, skyr is quite possibly the healthiest of yogurts. Made from non-fat milk combined with live cultures, it is low-fat, high in protein (containing three times the protein of ordinary yogurts), and absolutely loaded with probiotics.
Only recently introduced to America (in 2005) by enterpising Icelandic expatriate Siggi Hlmarsson (under the brand name of "Siggi's Icelandic Style Skyr,", skyr can be hard to find unless you have access to Whole Foods, The Fresh Market (South East), or Haggen's (Pacific Northwest). As of 2012, it's also really pricey - $2.79 for a 5.5-ounce container.
No worries, though - so long as you can find a single container of "Siggi's" plain or vanilla yogurt, you can use it as a culture to make your own skyr. If you can't find liquid rennet, a reliable supplier is CheeseSupply.com.Here's how.
To make approximately 4 cups of Icelandic skyr, you will need:
- 1 gallon non-fat milk
- 1 5.5-ounce container "Siggi's" plain or vanilla skyr
- 7 drops liquid animal rennet (or 4 drops liquid vegetable rennet)
- 1/4 cup warm, non-chlorinated water
- a reliable digital thermometer
- a fine-meshed nylon vegetable bag or cheesecloth for draining the curds