Lebneh - cream cheese made out of yogurt

Some time ago I was looking for instructions of how to make cottage cheese and I came across cream cheese made out of strained yogurt called lebneh. I gave it a try and now a jar filled with white yogurt balls coated in herbs can be always found in my fridge. Lebneh is very simple to make and it taste fantastic spread on a piece of bread or as a substitute for feta cheese in salads.

All you need is natural yogurt, strainer, paper towels or cheese cloth and some time to let the whey be removed from the yogurt. 

The longer you strain the yogurt the thicker it will be. After 12 hours of straining a consistency of a soft cream cheese is achieved, then after 24 hours the consistency is thick enough to use lebneh to make a cheese cake. After that time it should also be thick enough to be formed into balls and be marinated in oil. 

I like the most to coat my lebneh in sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and basil mix. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Suzanah

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