LABNEH David and Jill Fankhauser
Pouring yogurt into a sterile handkerchief	13 March 1999, 18 Apr 99, 3 Jan 00       This page has been accessed   times since 26 July 2000.	L: draining labneh R: draining finished

Labneh (or Laban, as some American-Lebaneese call it) is a Lebanese soft fresh cheese made from yogurt. It is eaten within a week or so of preparation. It is the easiest cheese to make that we know of, simply made by draining the whey out of yogurt. See my yogurt page for how to prepare yogurt.

INGREDIENTS: 1 quart yogurt 1 tsp salt

EQUIPMENT: sterile handkerchief two bowls whisk strainer

INSTRUCTIONS:

	1. Assemble ingredients: yogurt, salt, sterile handkerchief, two bowls, whisk, strainer.
	2. Stir up a quart of yogurt to a smooth consistency, pour into bowl
	3. Add one teaspoon of salt
	4. Whisk to mix thoroughly
	5. Place a sterile handkerchief in a strainer suspended over a medium sized bowl (larger than a quart). Pour in salted yogurt.
	6. Lift the four corners of the cloth to make a "sling" and suspend over the bowl to catch the whey which drips through. (I used a strong rubber band looped around the four corners and over a faucet to suspend the cloth. Some people let the whey go down the drain.)
	7. Suspend over the bowl to catch the whey which drains off. It can be suspended in a refrigerator to ensure freshness.
	8. After about 24 hours, the whey has been drained off, remove and open up the cloth.
	9. Here is the finished labneh on the draining cloth.
	10. Finished labneh, molded into a ball. Store in the refrigerator.