For the Budwig muesli recipe, you need a quark. Quark does not exist or is known in all countries of the world. As far as I know, apart from Germany, it is only available in Austria, and in Switzerland. The production of quark and other fresh cheeses has been known since at least antiquity.
PREPARATION FOR YOUR OWN QUARK
Sterile working utensils are important. Do not forget to wash your hands thoroughly. I cleaned the bowl, spoon, ladle, and pot with boiling water for a few minutes. Then let it dry well.
HOW IS MILK TURNED INTO QUARK?
Pasteurized milk from the supermarket is quite sterile and contains no or very little lactic acid bacteria. The lactic acid bacteria feed on lactose and excrete lactic acid, which in turn causes the milk protein casein to clot. It is precisely this coagulation that we need to “coagulate” the milk. To enrich the milk with lactic acid bacteria we “vaccinate” it with lactic acid bacteria. I use yogurt for this. Buttermilk also works.
Some rennet (click to view details of rennet) to is added for support. Rennet contains the enzymes Chymosin and Pepsin. It is formed in the abomasum of calves as long as they are fed exclusively on milk. It serves for the digestion of the milk protein. The rennet enzyme splits the milk protein casein, making the milk thick without acidifying. So we have one acid to “coagulate” and one enzyme rennet.
ALTERNATIVES TO CALF RENNET
If you do not wish to use calf rennet, there are microbial rennet substitutes for microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, and fungi. However, rennet produced in this way contains only pepsin as an enzyme and in rare cases can make the curd taste bitter.
LACTIC ACID BACTERIA LIKE IT WARM
The milk is gently heated to 28°C in order to stimulate lactic acid production by the lactic acid bacteria. Yogurt and rennet can then be stirred in. The milk prepared in this way is then left to rest at room temperature between 20°C and 25°C. The milk is then heated to 28°C and the yogurt and rennet are added.
Cover the milk with a cloth and let it rest for 16 hours. During this time lactic acid bacteria and rennet do their work and the milk becomes sour and thick. Do not move them in the meantime.
The next day you can see how the liquid whey has separated from the solid curd. Now the curd just has to drip off. A sieve is laid out with a gauze cloth for this purpose. Then the curd comes in and can drip off. Depending on the quantity, this takes 6-8 hours.
QUARK AND THE FAT LEVELS
Quark is always made from skim milk. If you don’t get skim milk, or fresh low-fat milk with 1.5% fat instead.
INGREDIENTS
● 2 liters skim milk 0.1% not UHT milk, alternative fresh low-fat milk
● 50 g natural yogurt
● rennet tablet or drops according to package instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
● Heat milk to 28 ° C (82-83 °F). Use a kitchen thermometer to control.
● Pour the milk into a large sterile bowl and stir in yogurt.
● Mix rennet tablet or rennet drops with 10 times the amount of water. Stir into the milk with a sterile wooden spoon.
● Allow to rest for 16 hours at room temperature (20-25 °C / 68.0-77 °F).
● Cover the bowl with a cloth and do not move. The lactic acid bacteria and the rennet do their work, the milk will be coagulated.● After 16 hours, the liquid whey has separated from the solid quark mass. Now the curd only has to be separated from the whey.
● Hang a sieve in another bowl and line with a clean gauze cloth or cloth diaper. Pour in the quark mixture.
Gather up the corners of the cloth, gently twist in, and shake the cloth a little to support the process. Let the whey drip off in approx. 6-8 hours.
● Stir the quark with a whisk.
● Keep it in a jar for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
