Ingredients
Milk
- 1 litrewhole milk
- 3 tbsplive filmjölk, as starter
To serve
- muesli or rye flakes
- lingonberry or cloudberry jam
- ginger biscuits, crumbled
Directions
- Heat the milk to 82°C (180°F), hold it a minute, then cool it right down to 22°C (72°F). Skip this and it still works, but the set is thinner.
- Stir in the filmjölk starter until evenly mixed.
- Pour into a clean jar and cover with a cloth or a loose lid.
- Leave at ordinary room temperature — 20 to 24°C (68 to 75°F) — for 18 to 24 hours. This is the whole difference from yoghurt: filmjölk uses mesophilic bacteria that work at room temperature, so it needs no warm cupboard and no incubator.
- Do not warm it. Above about 30°C (86°F) the culture is overrun by the wrong organisms and the batch fails.
- It is ready when it has set to a soft, pourable thickness and tastes mildly sour — much milder than yoghurt, and slightly ropy when you lift a spoon.
- Refrigerate. It keeps a week and continues to sharpen slowly.
- Keep three tablespoons back to start the next batch. A household culture carried on this way runs indefinitely, which is how Nordic kitchens kept it going before dairies sold it.
Technique
- Room temperature, not a warm place. This is the one rule.
- Keep some back every time and the culture never needs buying again.
- The slight ropiness is the culture, not spoilage.
Substitutions
- Bought filmjölk as the starter, which is the usual way to begin.
- Buttermilk as a starter for a similar but less ropy result.
- Långfil, the very ropy northern variety, from a specialist culture.
Variations
- Poured over cereal at breakfast, which is its everyday use.
- Icelandic skyr and Norwegian tettemelk are Nordic relatives, though set differently.
History
Nordic households soured milk with bacterial cultures kept alive from batch to batch; commercial dairies standardised the cultures in the twentieth century.
Frequently asked questions
What is Filmjölk?
Filmjölk is a cheese & dairy from Sweden: thick soured milk poured over cereal at breakfast. Nordic households soured milk with bacterial cultures kept alive from batch to batch; commercial dairies standardised the cultures in the twentieth century.
How long does Filmjölk take to make?
Filmjölk takes 10 min plus 18 to 24 hours souring of preparation and 5 min of cooking. The recipe makes makes 1 litre. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Filmjölk?
Yes, within limits. Bought filmjölk as the starter, which is the usual way to begin. Buttermilk as a starter for a similar but less ropy result. Långfil, the very ropy northern variety, from a specialist culture.
What is the most important thing to get right in Filmjölk?
Leave at ordinary room temperature — 20 to 24°C (68 to 75°F) — for 18 to 24 hours. This is the whole difference from yoghurt: filmjölk uses mesophilic bacteria that work at room temperature, so it needs no warm cupboard and no incubator.
