Water kefir
Milk kefir
Kombucha
Ginger beer
Kefir duo
Kefir and kombucha
Starter kit
RennetStrained kefir cheese is nothing more than milk kefir with the whey dripped out, until it is thick enough to stand a spoon in. Across the Middle East the same idea, made with yoghurt, is called labneh. With kefir it is just as easy and the flavour is fuller, with a fresh tang that loves a slice of wholemeal toast, a drizzle of oil and a twist of pepper. All you need is a tea towel and a night's patience.
Ingredients
- 1 litre milk kefir
- half a teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil or rapeseed oil
- black pepper, chopped chives or fresh thyme to serve
- wholemeal bread to serve
Method
- Line a sieve or colander with a clean, smooth tea towel or a piece of cheesecloth and set it over a deep bowl. The sieve must not touch the bottom of the bowl.
- Stir the salt into the kefir and pour it into the cloth. Fold the corners over or tie them loosely together.
- Put everything in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours and let the whey drip out slowly.
- Spoon the cheese out of the cloth into a bowl and beat it smooth with a spoon.
- Spread it thickly on slices of wholemeal toast, drizzle with oil and finish with black pepper and chives or thyme.
How long to strain it?
Time decides the texture. After about 4 hours you have something like thick Greek-style yoghurt, good with fruit or granola. After 8 to 12 hours it is a proper soft cheese: thick, glossy and spreadable, a little like cream cheese. Leave it for 24 hours and it becomes firm enough to roll into small balls and keep under oil. From 1 litre of kefir you get about 400 g of cheese. Thick kefir gives more than thin kefir.
Use a tea towel that has not been washed with fabric softener and does not shed fluff, or a piece of cheesecloth. For small amounts, a coffee filter in its holder works too.
Savoury: on toast and crumpets
A slice of wholemeal toast, still warm, with a thick layer of kefir cheese is hard to beat. Add a drizzle of oil and black pepper and stop there, or build on it: thin slices of radish and cucumber, smoked salmon and dill, a few slices of tomato with salt in August, or a spoon of beetroot relish. It is just as good on oatcakes, crackers or a toasted crumpet, where it melts into the holes.
Rolled into small balls, coated in chopped herbs or chilli flakes and kept in a jar under oil, it lasts about a week in the fridge and makes a lovely starter. With garlic, cucumber and dill it becomes the kefir cucumber dip.
Sweet: with fruit and honey
- Honey and walnuts: a thread of honey and roughly chopped walnuts. Quick and rather smart.
- Summer berries: fresh strawberries or raspberries with a little sugar in June and July.
- Rhubarb: the compote left over from the rhubarb water kefir. Sharp on sharp, but very good with a crumbled biscuit.
- Autumn: warm stewed apple or pear with cinnamon, or a spoon of blackberry jam.
What to do with the whey
You are left with about 600 ml of pale yellow whey. Do not pour it away. Use it instead of milk when you make scones or pancakes, stir it into soup, or add a splash to your smoothie. It keeps for a few days in a closed bottle in the fridge.
Your kefir is made with 20 g milk kefir grains and 1 litre of whole milk, 24 hours at 20 to 25°C, as explained in How to make milk kefir. Want to go a step further and make cheese with rennet? Start with how to make fresh cheese.
Frequently asked questions
How long does strained kefir cheese keep?
Can I use kefir that has turned very sour?
My cheese stays runny. What went wrong?
All you need for a weekly batch are live milk kefir grains. More ideas are on the milk kefir page.