Classic Potato Pancakes Recipe

Classic Potato Pancakes

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Classic Potato Pancakes – Kartoffelpfannkuchen, Reibekuchen

Classic Potato Pancakes are called Kartoffelpfannkuchen, Kartoffelpuffer or Reibekuchen in Germany.

Ingredients for Classic Potato Pancakes:

  • 2 kg (4.4 lb.) of potatoes
  • 2 medium sized onions
  • 1 leveled teaspoon of salt
  • 3 eggs XL
  • 80 g–100 g (2.8 oz–3.4 oz) of all-purpose flour (actual amount depends on size of eggs)
  • sunflower oil

Preparation:

Wash and peel the potatoes. Use a grater (the side with the small holes) or a mandolin slicer (using the fine insert) and grate the potatoes in a bowl. Peel onion, cut in half, and grate. In a colander, add the onions to the potatoes. Allow them to drain.

IMG_1896                     IMG_1899

Place the potatoes and onions in a bowl. Add eggs, flour, and salt. Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and your batter is ready. Make sure that you leave your wooden spoon in the batter to be able to stir from time to time while frying.

Heat the oil in your frying pan. Make sure the surface of your pan is completely coated with oil. If your stove top is not entirely even, add more oil to the pan.

Place a heaping tablespoon of batter in the pan and flatten it out with the back of your tablespoon. You can fry 3 or 4 pancakes in the frying pan simultaneously, but make sure there is space in between the pancakes. After two to three minutes (depending on how hot your oil is) turn the Potato Pancakes over  using two turner spatulas and fry them on the other side. Keep the oil close at hand as you may need to replenish oil while frying.

IMG_1912                     Frying Classic Potato Pancakes

Place the cooked Potato Pancakes on a serving plate, until you have finished frying the rest of your batter. Serve the pancakes with Oma’s Homemade Applesauce or as a delicious side dish to my Lentil Soup or  Split Pea Soup. They all go great together. Enjoy!

Note: If you haven’t used all the dough, you have three possibilities to store it:

First option: Tightly cover the mixture with cellophane wrap. Even though the top of the mixture will unavoidably turn brown, the dough underneath is still fresh. Just carefully remove with a spoon before making the pancakes.

Second option: Lightly fry the pancakes on both sides and keep them in the refrigerator until your ready to cook fully.

Third option: After finishing cooking the pancakes, wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and then place them in a freezer bag before freezing. 

 

 

 

How to make Homemade Sauerkraut in a Crockpot

Homemade Sauerkraut

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How to make Homemade Sauerkraut in a Crockpot

All you need to prepare Homemade Sauerkraut is white cabbage, salt, and a crockpot. It is essential to use clean gadgets and a fermenting pot cleaned with hot water.

Ingredients for 1 kg (2.2 lb) of shredded cabbage:

3 teaspoons (15-20 g) of sea salt OR Canning&Pickling salt

Preparation of the Sauerkraut

Cut out the bad spots of the cabbage, wash it and let it dry. Separate 5-6 of large leaves from the outside and place them aside to use them later as a cover. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core before shredding with a mandolin slicer or cutting it with a sharp knife into small strips. Grind the sea salt in a coffee grinder.

Shredding the cabbage  Cutting the cabbage   Shredding the cabbage

Filling the cabbage in the crockpot

Mix the cabbage and salt thoroughly and let it sit for 20 – 30 minutes to release some moisture to build up the brine. Press the cabbage mixture with the liquids in layers firm into the pot, using a sauerkraut pounder or your hands. The brine should be above each layer of cabbage before adding the next layer. The Sauerkraut should fill about ¾ of the crockpot.

Cover the Sauerkraut with the leaves and place the weighting stones on top. Press the stones down so that the liquid is above them and cover the pot with the lid. Fill the gully with water and leave the crockpot for 3 days at a room temperature in the kitchen . Move the Sauerkraut to a colder place with a constant temperature and leave it there for 4-6 weeks.

Filling the crockpot   Preparation of fermenting the cabbage   Placing stones on top of Krraut

Check once a week on the Sauerkraut to make sure it is submerged in the brine. If necessary, add some salt water. Mix 250 ml of filtered or bottled water with 1 teaspoon of salt, bring it to a boil, let it completely cool down and add to the kraut.

 

 

Homemade Pretzels

Homemade Pretzels Recipe

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Homemade Pretzels with an Oma twist

The Homemade Pretzels have been an integral part of German baking for centuries. They are called a Brezel where I come from. They are delicious, especially when combined with any of the traditional main dishes you can find on TheOmaWay.com. As a bread, side dish, or snack, these pretzels are great with your favorite mustard or German-style beer. The soda lye treatment (see below) gives the pretzel that smooth, shiny, darken-crust texture and distinct flavor. Oktoberfest and beyond, it is fun and easy to make these twisted treats. Try them!

Ingredients for Homemade Pretzels:

  • 500 g (1.1 lb.) of flour, all-purpose 
  • 1 pouch of dry yeast, rapid rise
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 50 g (1.76 oz) of butter, melted 
  • 300 ml (10.14 oz) of water, lukewarm 
  • 1-2 tablespoons of coarse salt

For the lye:

  • 1 l (1.05 qt) of water 
  • 60 g (2.11 oz) of baking soda 

Preparation of Homemade Pretzels:

Sift the flour into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer with a kneading hook attached. Add sugar, salt, and yeast to it and mix with a spoon. Mix the melted butter with the lukewarm water and add it to the mixing bowl. Knead for about six minutes on low speed. If you use a handheld electric mixer, mix the dough with the kneading hooks for about 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a bowl covered with flour on the bottom. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 40 minutes or until the dough has doubled. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead with your hands. Form a long roll with the dough and cut it into even pieces, about 70-90 g — 2.5-3.17 oz. Have the unused pieces between two layers of cellophane foil so that the dough does not get too dry.

Preparation Homemade Pretzels      

Roll each of the pieces into rolls of about 20 inches each. The rolled dough should be thicker in the middle and thinner towards the ends (as thick as a pencil). Continue to form the pretzel as shown below. 

IMG_7302   IMG_7303   photo 15

Preparation of the soda lye:

Use plastic gloves to prepare the lye and work with the dipped pretzel. Fill a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove and slowly and carefully add the baking soda to the water while stirring. The baking soda will bubble, so make sure that your saucepan is high enough. Bring the liquid back to boil again, then turn the heat down. Carefully dip the pretzels into the lye, leaving them no more than 30 seconds. Make sure the pretzels are entirely dipped into the water.  

Remove the pretzels from the soda lye with a skimming ladle and place them on a cooling rack covered with baking paper. Make a cut in the pretzel’s thicker part, brush them with lye, and sprinkle coarse salt on top.

IMG_7308   IMG_7310   Baking Homemade Pretzels

Baking the pretzels:

Place the pretzels on a baking sheet covered with a double layer of baking paper. Leave the pretzels to rise for about 15-20 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 220°C – 425° F. Bake the pretzels for about 15-17 minutes  using the third rack. Take the homemade pretzels out of the oven, and immediately spray water onto them to give them a nice shine. Place the pretzel on a cooling rack to cool down.

You can serve the homemade pretzels with Oma’s Obatzda, a traditional cheese butter spread.

Homemade Pretzels

German Yeast Dumplings

German Yeast Dumplings Recipe

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German Yeast Dumplings – Hefeknoedel

German yeast dumplings are called Hefeknödel in Germany.

Ingredients for German Yeast Dumplings:

  • 1 kg (2.2 lbs) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 2 pouches of dry yeast, rapid rise
  • 500 ml (16.9 oz) lukewarm water
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons of salt

Preparation of German Yeast Dumplings:

Mix the flour with sugar, yeast, and salt. Make a hole in the middle, place in the eggs and cover it with the flour. Add in the water and start kneading the dough with a handheld mixer using the kneading hooks. The dough is ready when it loosens from the sides of the bowl. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

IMG_7471                     IMG_7479

Divide the dough in four pieces (approximately 410 g or 14.4 oz each) and roll them into loaves (about 18 cm or 7 in. long).

IMG_7486

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the dumplings in the boiling water and cook for about 20–25 minutes. Make sure your pot is large enough for your dumplings to rise and float to the surface. When ready, remove the dumplings and place in a colander to drain.

IMG_7491                     IMG_7506

Use a thread to slice the dumplings. Here’s how: Place a thread around the dumpling and cross it. Pull the thread on each end until it goes completely through the dumpling. (If you’re less adventurous, you could also slice the dumplings with a knife.) DONE!

HINT: You can easily freeze the sliced German yeast dumplings. After you take them out, just place a cheese cloth over a pot of boiling water. Place the slices of dumplings on the cheese cloth and steam them. They taste like freshly done.

To try the Classic German Potato Dumplings click here, the German Potato Dumplings Half&Half click here, and the German Bread Dumplings Recipe click here.

serving German Yeast Dumplings

 

Traditional German Red Cabbage Recipe

Traditional German Red Cabbage Recipe

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Traditional German Red Cabbage Recipe – Rotkraut

Traditional German Red Cabbage Recipe prepared with bacon, apples, and onions. Red Cabbage is called Rotkraut or Blaukraut in Germany.

Ingredients for traditional German Red Cabbage Recipe:

  • 1600 g (3.5 lb.) of red cabbage
  • 1 large onion
  • 3–4 sour apples
  • 150 g (5.2 oz) of thick-cut bacon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 8 juniper berries
  • 3 teaspoons of salt
  • 3 teaspoons of sugar
  • 4 tablespoons of apple vinegar
  • 125 ml (4 oz) of red wine
  • 125 ml (4 oz) of water
  • 3 tablespoons of red wine
  • 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons of Dr. Oetker Gustin OR corn starch to thicken cabbage

Preparation of Red Cabbage Recipe:

Divide the cabbage into 4 quarters. Remove the core. Slice the cabbage in strips with a knife (or use a mandolin slicer as I did).

IMG_7418                     IMG_7427

Wash the sliced cabbage and place it in a colander to drain. Heat up the cut bacon in a pot to melt the fat. Remove the bacon pieces. Fry the onions in the fat until they are transparent. Add the red cabbage and stir. Peel the apples, take the core out, cut them in small pieces and add to the cabbage. Mix vinegar, red wine, and water together and pour over the cabbage. Add the seasoning (bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries, salt, sugar) and bring it all to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer on low heat for about one hour. Check on the cabbage from time to time and add water, if necessary.

Finally, dissolve the corn starch in about 3 tablespoons of red wine, mix with a fork, and add the starch to the red cabbage to thicken the liquid slightly. To try the German Savoy Cabbage click here, the Creamed Spinach Recipe click here, and the German White Asparagus Recipe click here.

Traditional German Red Cabbage Recipe

Homemade Jam and Jellies

Homemade Jam and Jellies

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Homemade Jam and Jellies Recipe – and what to know

A variety of methods are known for preparing homemade jam and jellies. June has arrived, and week by week we can witness the ripening of another kind of fruit or berries ready for picking. It starts at the beginning of June with the strawberries, continues with the tart cherries followed by the blueberries and black raspberries, not to forget the currants in red, white, and black growing in my backyard.

Currants for homemade jam and jellies

Having mostly relied on the use of German products for making the fruit goodies in the past, I felt like experimenting a little this year with American pectin products to get a sense of what is possible. There is always the possibility of making the marmalade and jelly without pectin altogether and relying on the good old use of just lemon juice and sugar. The outcome of the final product may vary depending on the kind of fruit. However, note that this approach requires a longer cooking time.

What fruit to pick

Only good quality fruit should be used. The fruit needs a decent amount of pectin and acid to gel properly. Less ripe fruit has a high amount of pectin and acid, over-ripe, mature fruit has a decrease of both the pectin and acids. Best is, to mix the fruit – part fruit that just ripened for the pectin and acid, and part mature fruit for the color and flavor. Some of the fruit has enough pectin, but not enough acid and vice versa. A variety of products are available to compensate for the missing amount of pectin or acid.

The underlying basics of both jam and jelly are equal parts of sugar and crushed fruit or fruit juice, and lemon juice and/or pectin. What method I use depends on the concentration of pectin and acid in the fruit. The higher the amount of both in the fruit, the easier it will gel. To make up for the missing acid, I use lemon juice.

Pectin and Acid-Rich Fruits explained

Fruits with a high concentration of pectin include citrus fruits, sour apples, quinces, currants, gooseberries, and blueberries. Fruits with a medium amount of pectin include apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, black raspberries, raspberries, and pears. Bananas, strawberries, cherries, mangos, rhubarb, pineapples, grapes, and oranges have a low amount of pectin.

Fruit with a high concentration of acids is Black Raspberry (early), black currant, cherries, citrus fruit, green apples, pineapple, plums, raspberries (First), and Red Currants.

To get about 1 Liter – 1.05 quarst of fruit juice for jelly you need approximately 1.8 kg (4 lbs) apples, 2.7 kg (6 lbs) pears, 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) black raspberries, 1.3 kg (2.86 lbs) strawberries, 1.8 kg (4 lbs) raspberries, 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) red currants, 1.7 kg (3.7 lbs) black currants, 1.7 kg (3.7 lbs) peaches, 2.3 kg (5 lbs) quinces, 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) rhubarb, 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs) tart cherries, 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs) gooseberries, and 1.7 kg (3.7 lbs) grapes.

I prefer to pick the fruit and berries myself at an orchard or buy them at a Farmers Market.

Fruit picking for homemade jam and jellies

Kitchen gadgets and tools necessary

A roasting pan or large pot, food mill, which comes with three different inserts, a fruit juice steamer, canning pot, and canning tongs.

Food Mill and Roasting Pan           Fruit Juice Steamer

Furthermore, Mason jars with lids, both washed and cleaned in a large pot with boiling water. I dry the glasses on a kitchen towel upside down until used. The clean tops can be kept in a strainer covered with a kitchen towel. Also necessary is a kitchen scale, measuring cup, ladle, strainer spoon, wooden spoon, funnel, and lemon press or lemon squeezer.

Mason Jar and lids fo fill in the homemade jam and jellies

Preparation of the homemade jam and jellies

What is the difference between jelly and jam? Jelly is prepared with the fruit juice whereas the jam is prepared with fruit pulp or crushed fruit. The measurement of the calculation of sugar, pectin, and lemon juice for jellies is in liquids, the measurement for the jam in weight.

Jelly:

To make the jelly, wash the fruits, rinse the berries in a colander under running water. Remove the stems of cherries, strawberries, and currants. Take the stone out of the larger fruit and cut it into smaller pieces. Place them in the insert of the steamer, then the insert in the pot and cover. Fill the lower part of the juicer with water before setting the covered fruit on top. Bring the water to a boil. The steam softens the fruit, and the juice will run through the hose into a bucket or other container to catch it. The clamp is attached to the hose until the liquid flows. To press a little more juice out, slightly mash the fruits in the insert with a potato masher. If some fruit pieces come out, pass the caught juice through a fine sieve covered with a cheesecloth. Measure the fruit juice in liters/quarts with a measuring cup.

Jam:

Wash the fruits, rinse the berries in a colander under running water. Remove the stems and stones, take the core out, peel if necessary, and cut the larger fruit in small pieces. Place the prepared fruit into a large pot and add about 1 – 1 ½  cups of water.

Peaches prepared for jam

Bring to a boil, turn the heat back and let the fruit simmer for about 5-10 minutes depending on the kind. Stir from time to time to make sure the fruit doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Pass the fruit through a food mill into a container. Measure the weight in Grams/Ounces with a kitchen scale.

The cooking of the jam and jellies

The jams and the jellies are cooked in the same way. Mix the crushed fruit/fruit juice with the same amount of sugar and follow the directions on the package of the pectin you use. If you want to make the jam/jelly without pectin add the amount of lemon juice needed and cook for about 30-40 minutes. For two pounds of fruit with high pectin about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and for two pounds of fruit with low pectin about 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Skim the foam off that builds upon the surface during the cooking.

To test if the jam/jelly is ready, take a small plate from the freezer, spread some of the liquid onto the plate and let it stand for 1 minute in the freezer. If it wrinkles when you move the plate in circles and is not running, the marmalade or jelly is ready.

Finishing the jam and jellies

Remove the pot from the stove. Insert a funnel into the glass and fill the glass through the funnel with a ladle. Leave 0.7 mm – 1/4 in space to the rim. Wipe the rim with a clean damp cloth. Close the glass immediately with the lids. Place the closed jars on a roast in a canning pot with simmering water. The glasses should have some space in between and not touch each other. Cover the glasses about 2.5 cm – 1 inch with water and let them boil for about 10 minutes. Take them out with canning tongs and place them on a towel.

Canning of jam and jellies

Store the homemade jam and jellies in a dark place.

My personal favorite is the German Gelfix 1:1 with lemon juice if acid is missing. I could not taste a difference between the German or American products.

Tipp: If you want to make a three or four fruit jam or jelly, hold some of the prepared fruit liquids back and place it in the freezer. Take it out when the last fruit is ripe you want to mix it with, place it all in a pot and prepare the same way as described above.

Homemade Jam and Jellies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

German Kartoffelgemuese Sour Potatoes

German Kartoffelgemuese

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German Kartoffelgemuese Sour Potatoes

The German Kartoffelgemuese Sour Potatoes can be served as a main dish with ring bologna, Wieners, and Frankfurters or as a side dish to fish. It is also known as “Sour Kartoffelgemuese”.

Ingredients for German Kartoffelgemuese Sour Potatoes:

  • 800 g (1.76 lb) of small red potatoes, net weight after boiling and peeling
  • 200 g (7.05 oz) of carrots, peeled
  • 300 g (10.58 oz) of onion, diced
  • 4 tablespoons of butter (½ of a stick)
  • 3 tablespoons of flour, all-purpose
  • 1 l (1.05 qt) of water
  • 100 g (3.52 oz) of pickles
  • 2 tablespoons of apple vinegar
  • 3 cubes of Maggi vegetable bouillon
  • 2-3 bay leaves, depending on size
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon of marjoram leaves
  • salt
  • ground pepper, white
  • 2 tablespoons of flat Italian parsley, chopped (optional)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of crème fraîche OR sour cream (optional)

Preparation of the Potatoes:

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and boil them for 18 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the stove and place the potatoes in a colander. Rinse under cold water and peel. After the potatoes cooled down cut them into slices.

Prepare Potatoes                     

Preparation of Bouillon, Carrots, Pickles, and Onions:

Add the water to a saucepan and add the cubes of bouillon. Heat it up until the cubes are dissolved. (Takes in a microwave on high 1 ½ minutes). Remove the saucepan from the stove and place aside. Peel the carrots and slice with a knife. Peel the onions and dice them with a food chopper or a knife. Cut the pickles length wise in quarters and dice the quarters.

Preparation of Ingredients

Preparation of the Kartoffelgemuese:

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions and roast them until transparent. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the bouillion to the onion mix and stir with a whisk until combined.

Add the vinnegar, bay leaves, cloves and majoram leaves to the saucepan and mix. Add the carrots to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat back and let it slowly cook for 20-25 minutes.

Cooking of the Sour Potatoes                     

Remove the bay leaves and cloves. Add the diced pickles and potatoes to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Season to taste with vinnegar, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat off and add the crème fraîche. Stir, until the crème fraîche is dissolved.

Serve the German Kartoffelgemuese Sour Potatoes with ring bolongna, Wieners or Frankfurters. I like it best without meat or fish just with a roll. To try the German Potato Soup Recipe click here or the Homemade Garden Vegetable Soup click here.

Serving the German Kartoffelgemuese Sour Potatoes

 

Traditional Dauphine Potatoes

Traditional Dauphine Potatoes

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Traditional Dauphine Potatoes

The Traditional Dauphine Potatoes are a mixture of a choux and mashed potatoes. They are fried in vegetable shortening or oil. The potatoes are called Dauphine Kartoffeln in Germany.

Ingredients for the Traditional Dauphine Potatoes:

  • 500 g (1.1 lb) of potatoes, net weight after peeling and cooking
  • 60 g (2.11 oz) of butter
  • 1/8 l (4.22 oz) of water
  • 60 g (2.11 oz) of flour, all-purpose
  • 2 eggs, XL
  • 1 egg yolk, XL
  • pepper
  • salt
  • nutmeg (optional)
  • vegetable shortening OR oil, for frying

Preparation of the Potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, add water and 1 teaspoon of salt and boil for 20 minutes. Place the boiled potatoes in a colander and let them evaporate for 20 minutes. Press the potatoes through a potato press or mash them with a potato masher.

Boiling potatoes for Traditional Dauphine Potatoes      Preparing potatoes for Traditional Dauphine Potatoes

To make the choux, mix the water with the butter in a saucepan and heat it up until the butter is melted. Add the flour into the liquids and stir until a dry ball is formed. Turn the heat off and let the choux cool down a little.

Preparing Choux for Traditional Dauphine Potatoes      Finished Choux

Add the eggs and the egg yolk one at a time to the flour mix and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the pressed potatoes to the choux and mix until the ingredients are combined. Spice the potato mix with pepper, salt, and nutmeg to your personal taste. Let it stand for about 10 minutes.

Forming and frying the Dauphine-Potatoes:

Cover a cutting board with baking paper. Use a decorating bag with a wide star tip. Fill the potato mix into the bag and pipe stars about 1 inch in diameter onto the paper covered cutting board. You also could use two teaspoons to form little balls. Use an angled spatula or a knife to place the shaped potato stars/balls into the vegetable shortening/oil.

Heat up the vegetable shortening or oil to 180°C (360°F). Deep fry the stars/balls until golden.Take the balls out of the saucepan and place them on a kitchen paper towel. Serve immediately.

Frying the Traditional Dauphine Potatoes      Finishing Traditional Dauphine Potatoes

You could also change the recipe while adding 2-3 tablespoons of grinded cheese like parmesan or Gruyère and/or parsley – chives to the potato mix.

To try the German Croquettes Recipe click here.

 

 

Poached Egg Recipe

Poached Egg Recipe

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Poached Egg Recipe – Verlorene Eier

To prepare the Poached Egg Recipe can be a challenge. If the water is too cold, the egg yolk will separate from the egg white. If the water is too hot, the egg whites will harden too fast. It takes a little practice to make a perfect poached egg. The Poached Eggs are called Verlorene Eier in Germany.

Ingredients and kitchen tools for Poached Egg Recipe:

  • frying pan OR pot with top and a with a wide opening
  • cups or small glass bowls
  • whisk
  • skimmer
  • paper kitchen towel
  • eggs (about two eggs per person)
  • water
  • 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

Preparation of Poached Eggs:

Fill the frying pan or pot with water about 5cm — 2in. Add vinegar to the water and bring it to a boil.

In the meanwhile prepare the eggs. Place the eggs in the cups, one cup per egg. When the water boils, turn the heat down to medium. Stir with a whisk in circles to create a whirlpool. Carefully slide the egg from the cup into the whirlpool. Continue, until you have used all the eggs. Cover the pot and turn the heat down so the water simmers. After about three minutes, the eggs are ready. Take them out with the help of a skimmer spoon and place the eggs on a paper kitchen towel to dry.

   Preparation Poached Egg Recipe   Finishing Poached Egg Recipe

Poached eggs are a favorite for breakfast and often served with bacon. Poached eggs are also an excellent topping for salads or meat or on top of Oma’s Meat Patties-Frikadellen.

Poached Egg Recipe

 

Homemade Quark Recipe

Homemade Quark Recipe

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Homemade Quark Recipe – So easy to make

There are different ways of preparing Homemade Quark. I tried several variations using different  ingredients, but below is the recipe I like best. Quark has a great flavor and consistency. This Homemade Quark Recipe is prepared with milk and buttermilk. It makes about 400g – 450g (14.1oz – 15.87oz) of quark.

Ingredients for Homemade Quark Recipe:

  • 1 l (1.05 qt) of whole milk
  • 500 ml (16.9 oz) of buttermilk (I prefer the whole milk buttermilk, but the low fat buttermilk works too)

Preparation of Quark:

Use a Pyrex dish with a glass lid. Pour in the whole milk and mix in the buttermilk. Cover with the lid and let it stand for about two days at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 35°C – 100°F.

Take the lid off the glass dish and place the mixture on the lowest rack of your oven for about two hours. Take it out of the oven. Place a sieve on a bowl large enough for the milk mixture. Line the sieve with a cheesecloth or a kitchen towel (which I prefer) and pour the milk mixture into the sieve (see picture). 

If your oven temperature does not go as low as 35°C – 100°F, place the glass dish with the milk mixture for about two hours in warm water. Use a thermometer to check the temperature. When the water cools down, fill it up with more warm water until the water has reached the recommended temperature again. Sieve the mixture as described above.

 img_7825   img_7829   Making homemade quark recipe

Lift the corners of the cheesecloth or kitchen towel and twist them until you have kind of a sack. Make sure not to press too hard because the quark will come through. Let the quark drain until it has reached the consistency you like (2-3 hours). If the quark is too dry, add some of the whey back into it. If it is too wet, let it drain a little longer. You can also add some whipping cream to the finished quark. Your quark is ready to be chilled in the refrigerator.

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You can serve the quark in the morning for breakfast. Spread it on your toast and top with your favorite marmalade or jam or add some fruits to it. Add chives and salt to serve it with boiled potatoes. Quark is also great to use it in cheesecakes or Oma’s Vanilla Cheese Pudding dessert.

Homemade quark recipe