Filmjolk
Swedish Filmjolk or (Fil Mjolk) (pron. /ˈfiːlˌmjœlk/) is a very popular Scandinavian yogurt. It is special due to the Butterwort herb that is used when milking the cow. Butterwort imparts a special flavor that has often been used in Scandinavian countries to ferment milk. The specific bacteria is: Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides.
I ordered my Filmjolk yogurt starter from Cultures For Health. When ordering it, don't be alarmed when upon finding out that the culture is a small amount of what looks like dust. It is plenty to make the starter for delicious yogurt.
The following information is how I became successful at making this yogurt.
One 8 oz (237 ml) jar
One pack of culture
Stir well
Once the culture is done (cultured in the milk) it can now be added to a larger container of milk.
I never, never, ever heat my UHT milk when I make this yogurt, the milk is already ultra pasteurized. No yogurt making appliance is necessary to make Mesophilic (Filmjolk) cultured yogurt. You can use UHT (some say don't but it works fine) or regular pasteurized organic or regular milk. If you don't use Ultra High Temperature (UHT) shelf stable milk you may want to go through the process of heating the milk just for peace of mind if nothing else. Raw milk has to be treated in a whole different way and I will not address using it on this site.
Be sure the temperature is within this range. Any warmer and your yogurt may come out grainy but still edible. If the temperature in your house is cooler than 68 degrees, you will have to find a little warmer area, perhaps your bedroom or in the oven with the light on. Make sure it does not get too warm. If you have an oven thermometer, check the temperature after leaving the thermometer in for about 20 minutes. The cooler temperatures just means that it will take longer for the yogurt to set.
Filmjolk is a Mesophilic yogurt, meaning it will culture on your countertop without the use of heat from any appliance. I loved this idea as I am cheap and lazy. Pour in the starter, add a little milk to begin to culture your first starter to use in your first batch and when that is ready add it to your quart or two of milk and wait. New batches can be cultured from the previous batch so there is only one expense for the original starter.
I realize after trial and error that my living room was too hot to culture this type of yogurt which is why it came out grainy in our triple degree summer. Finally, when the weather cooled and we got some rain, my living room cooled somewhat and this is when the best batch came out. My living room had cooled to about the high 70's. Ideal temperatures for Filmjolk is 68 to 78 degrees. Once I grasped that fact, my yogurt came out delicious.
I used whole milk and fat free milk combined with some powdered milk to make it thicker. It worked beautifully. it is not necessary to use the powdered milk but I like a thicker yogurt. Yogurt can also be strained to make it thicker and wrapped in muslin and hung up to make cheese. Kefir can also be processed to make cheese. Both can be made into a sort of sorbet/ice cream. There are so many uses for yogurt and kefir.
One thing I really was not aware of was the differences in cultures and what they mean to the human body. Filmjolk is great especially for smoothies but it did not have the probiotic cultures I was looking for.
So, off to the grocery store I went in search of a live culture yogurt with lactobacillus acidophilus, the one culture I was especially interested in for my digestive system.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is only one of many cultures available for making yogurt. If you want this culture, look for probiotic cultures or the live culture yogurts in the grocery store. Many of the Live Greek yogurts contain it.
Greek yogurt and those with probiotic features are the Thermophilic cultures requiring and growing best in warmer temperatures and often require a device such as a yogurt maker, oven or the like to culture it.
NOTE: I forgot about my Filmjolk the other day and the curds and whey separated half and half in the jar. It was lovely. I mixed the whey in but next time I may use the whey to culture veggies. The curds were virtually cottage cheese. If I had strained out the rest of the whey in the curds, it would have been cheese. I love this stuff. Anyway, I refrigerated it and used it as usual in our smoothies. It is so good and I feel good every time I make it.
Yeemoos.com has a heating pad especially made for keeping your cultures happy, litmus paper to test the pH of your cultures, and thermometers that will stick to the sides of your jars (very handy). They also have cultures and other supplies.
Notes:
Full instructions are included on the Cultures For Health website and included with your starter.
The following information is how I became successful at making this yogurt.
One 8 oz (237 ml) jar
One pack of culture
Stir well
- Add the culture to the jar
- Add the milk
- Stir
- Let it sit on the counter out of drafts
- Culturing temperature should be 68 to 78 degrees (room temperature)
Once the culture is done (cultured in the milk) it can now be added to a larger container of milk.
- One 1 1/2 Liter jar (about 1 1/2 quarts)
- UHT or pasturized milk (enough to fill the jar)
- Starter culture
I never, never, ever heat my UHT milk when I make this yogurt, the milk is already ultra pasteurized. No yogurt making appliance is necessary to make Mesophilic (Filmjolk) cultured yogurt. You can use UHT (some say don't but it works fine) or regular pasteurized organic or regular milk. If you don't use Ultra High Temperature (UHT) shelf stable milk you may want to go through the process of heating the milk just for peace of mind if nothing else. Raw milk has to be treated in a whole different way and I will not address using it on this site.
- Add a cup of powdered milk and dissolve with a small amount of water
- Add the milk to the jar about 3/4 way full
- Add the culture you made earlier as instructed above
- Stir well to mix thoroughly
- Finish adding milk and leave about an inch of space at the top
- Set in a spot in the house that is between 68 and 78 degrees
Be sure the temperature is within this range. Any warmer and your yogurt may come out grainy but still edible. If the temperature in your house is cooler than 68 degrees, you will have to find a little warmer area, perhaps your bedroom or in the oven with the light on. Make sure it does not get too warm. If you have an oven thermometer, check the temperature after leaving the thermometer in for about 20 minutes. The cooler temperatures just means that it will take longer for the yogurt to set.
Filmjolk is a Mesophilic yogurt, meaning it will culture on your countertop without the use of heat from any appliance. I loved this idea as I am cheap and lazy. Pour in the starter, add a little milk to begin to culture your first starter to use in your first batch and when that is ready add it to your quart or two of milk and wait. New batches can be cultured from the previous batch so there is only one expense for the original starter.
I realize after trial and error that my living room was too hot to culture this type of yogurt which is why it came out grainy in our triple degree summer. Finally, when the weather cooled and we got some rain, my living room cooled somewhat and this is when the best batch came out. My living room had cooled to about the high 70's. Ideal temperatures for Filmjolk is 68 to 78 degrees. Once I grasped that fact, my yogurt came out delicious.
I used whole milk and fat free milk combined with some powdered milk to make it thicker. It worked beautifully. it is not necessary to use the powdered milk but I like a thicker yogurt. Yogurt can also be strained to make it thicker and wrapped in muslin and hung up to make cheese. Kefir can also be processed to make cheese. Both can be made into a sort of sorbet/ice cream. There are so many uses for yogurt and kefir.
One thing I really was not aware of was the differences in cultures and what they mean to the human body. Filmjolk is great especially for smoothies but it did not have the probiotic cultures I was looking for.
So, off to the grocery store I went in search of a live culture yogurt with lactobacillus acidophilus, the one culture I was especially interested in for my digestive system.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is only one of many cultures available for making yogurt. If you want this culture, look for probiotic cultures or the live culture yogurts in the grocery store. Many of the Live Greek yogurts contain it.
Greek yogurt and those with probiotic features are the Thermophilic cultures requiring and growing best in warmer temperatures and often require a device such as a yogurt maker, oven or the like to culture it.
NOTE: I forgot about my Filmjolk the other day and the curds and whey separated half and half in the jar. It was lovely. I mixed the whey in but next time I may use the whey to culture veggies. The curds were virtually cottage cheese. If I had strained out the rest of the whey in the curds, it would have been cheese. I love this stuff. Anyway, I refrigerated it and used it as usual in our smoothies. It is so good and I feel good every time I make it.
Yeemoos.com has a heating pad especially made for keeping your cultures happy, litmus paper to test the pH of your cultures, and thermometers that will stick to the sides of your jars (very handy). They also have cultures and other supplies.
Notes:
- If you use powdered milk, instant will mix easily and non-instant can be mixed in the blender or by adding a little hot water.
- The longer the yogurt is left to culture the more tart it will be. When it is set, refrigerate right away to stop the process.
- A little yellowish liquid will be noticeable at the top of your jar. This is the whey. Either stir it into the solids of the yogurt or pour it off to be used in cooking, baking,or smoothies. It has a lot of protein so it is conventional to ingest it in some manner.
Full instructions are included on the Cultures For Health website and included with your starter.
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