Bacillus Bulgaricus Skyr starter makes genuine Icelandic Skyr of exceptional quality with classic Skyr taste, thickness, mild acidity and aroma. Our Skyr has a thick and creamy consistency and a characteristic mild flavor.

Our Icelandic Skyr starter is an authentic skyr heirloom starter. Each pack contains loose powder mix, in perfect proportions, of the two strains required to make the perfect Skyr — lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus.

Skyr is an Icelandic dairy product, and it’s been a staple food of Icelanders for thousands of years and has, in recent years, gained a world popularity much similar to Bulgarian yogurt.

Skyr has a slightly sour dairy flavor, though much milder than the tangy Bulgarian yogurt. It is thick and creamy, similar to the Greek yogurt, but has a milder flavor. It is thick, creamy and delicious and is best served cold.

Our Skyr starter makes genuine Icelandic Skyr of exceptional quality with classic Skyr taste, thickness, mild acidity and aroma. Our Skyr has a thick and creamy consistency and its characteristic mild flavor. Our Skyr is the only original Icelandic Skyr recipe using heirloom cultures that is available anywhere in the world.

This is a heirloom Icelandic Skyr starter with live active bacteria, which means that you can reuse skyr from your previous batch to culture your new batch, for as long as you wish.

The starter contains lactic acid cultures isolated from natural sources in ecologically preserved areas in Iceland and Bulgaria. It is fully natural and organic with no preservatives, additives, artificial colors or flavors. It contains no GMO ingredients and it is soy and gluten free.

Product Details

Type: Heirloom Icelandic Skyr starter. This means that you can make endless batches of skyr, simply reusing your previously made skyr to start a new batch.

Activity and Strength: 1 gram of starter contains at least 25 billion colony-forming unit (2.5 x 1010 CFU/g) of lactic acid probiotic bacteria strains.

100% potency guaranteed. 100% viability guaranteed.

Ingredients: Live active lactic acid cultures (lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus).

The starter contains nothing more than the strains it is made of and a very small quantity of dried organic skim milk powder. It is the medium on which the strains grow and some of it gets packaged together with them. The milk powder is completely consumed by the bacteria during incubation so there is none of it in the finished product. See some more information about our lactose free and vegan starters.

Contents: This is an heirloom starter with freeze-dried live active bacteria.

Each sachet contains loose powder mix, in perfect proportions, of the strains required to make excellent Icelandic skyr. The exact amount of starter varies per pack and is indicated, in grams, under your selected pack size on the product purchase page. More information about various pack sizes and their contents can be found here.

Packaging: Aluminum foil pouches, sealed. 100% recylable. Plastic free.

Label: Paper. 100% recyclable. Plastic free.

Details: 100% natural, No additives, Gluten free, Soy free, GMO free, Halal, Kosher.

Milk to use with: This starter is OK to use with dairy milk, non-dairy milk, vegan milk, basically any milk that you would like to turn into skyr. It is excellent for yogurt drinks and for frozen yogurts too.

Nutritional Information: Available here

Lab test data: Available on request.

Industrial size option: DVS (direct-vat set) packs for manufacturers available on request. If you require starter for vats larger than 150L contact us to place an order.

Origin: Produced in Bulgaria.

Storage

Store the Skyr starter in the FREEZER.

Use by the date indicated on the label.

Bacillus Bulgaricus starters are shipped in sealed sachets.

Transporting the packs (i.e. shipping them to you) at ambient temperatures (even in the warmest climates) is perfectly OK and will not damage the live cultures. We use a freeze-dried process that keeps the strains alive and comfortable even during long trips in hot weather.

Once you receive your starter packs – pop them in the refrigerator or the freezer for best storage.

  • 2+ years at around 0°F (-18°C) or lower (in the freezer)
  • 1-2 years at around 40°F (4°C) (in the fridge)
  • Up to 1 year at ambient (room) temperature.

Unfreezing the starter packs and freezing them again (e.g. when using only a portion) is OK to do, even multiple times.

Usage

The packs are packaged and labeled with the grams they contain and the volume those grams make when used entirely in one go.

The packs are intended for single use, or their contents could be split for multiple use.

When you split the pack, take out as much as you need to make your yogurt, then reseal and refreeze the remaining starter for later. Make sure you store the sachets in a way that prevents moisture from getting in, i.e. well closed in a Ziploc bag or wrapped around and fastened with a rubber band.

When you split the contents of the pack and use less starter amount to make smaller volumes, keep in mind that you are also reducing the total amount of yogurt that you can make from the pack (read more on that here). Refer to this page to see the gram to Liters (gallons) chart and to find out how much starter to use for different volumes of milk.

How To Make Skyr

It is super easy to make skyr using this skyr starter. You can make your own Icelandic skyr with or without the help of an yogurt maker.

When you introduce the live culture into prepared milk the streptococcus thermophilus bacteria goes into action first and prepares the perfect environment for lactobacillus bulgaricus, which starts multiplying and slowly turns the milk into genuine Icelandic skyr.

These two beneficial, transient bacteria work together in the fermentation process that turns milk into the world’s best skyr.

The process takes approximately 6-10 hours to complete.

We have described two methods for making Skyr:

  • The traditional method – if you prefer to make your skyr the conventional way, manually or with the help of a yogurt-making machine.
  • A fail proof method – if you have difficulties getting good results with the traditional method or would like to get your results faster, try this fail-proof manual method instead.

How to make Skyr instructions.

Skyr Making Instructions

Skyr is an Icelandic dairy product, and it’s been a staple food of Icelanders for thousands of years and has, in recent years, gained a world popularity much similar to Bulgarian yogurt. Skyr has a slightly sour dairy flavor, though much milder than the tangy Bulgarian yogurt. It is thick and creamy, similar to the Greek yogurt, but has a milder flavor. It is thick, creamy and delicious and is best served cold.

All you need is a pack of our starter and milk.

You can use any kind of milk you want — cow’s, sheep’s, goat’s, skim, whole, raw, pasteurized, dairy or non-dairy, it always works!

Below you can find the traditional way of making Skyr, and a fail proof way, which I personally prefer and recommend as it helps avoid the little pitfalls in the yogurt making process.


Traditional Skyr Making Instructions

Use this method if you prefer to make your Skyr the traditional way, manually or with the help of a yogurt-making machine.

This is the traditional method to make yogurt manually. If you are using a  yogurt-making machine, just follow the instructions that came with the machine.

If you are having issues with the traditional method or would like to try the failproof manual method that I like to use, then find it here.

  1. Bring the milk to a gentle boil. Milk boils at about 212°F / 100°C. Be careful not to burn it, otherwise your yogurt will inherit the burnt taste.
    Note: You are doing this in order to kill any existing bacteria in the milk, which could react with the starter strains. You are also doing it because heating the milk denatures its proteins and realigns its fat molecules in a way that makes a more superior yogurt.
  2. Let the milk cool down on its own to 110°F / 43°C. You can process it in the same container or move it to separate containers for incubation. One-quart/liter mason jars work best.
    Note: The easiest way to test for the right temperature is to dip your pinky finger in the milk – if you can comfortably hold it in for 5 seconds, then the milk is just right.
  3. Add the starter from the pack to the milk and gently stir until it dissolves.
    Note: At no time whisk. Whisking introduces air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation.
  4. Cover your containers loosely with their lids or a towel. Do not close them air-tight. Towel is better to use because it allows air to still go in, which speeds up activation a bit.
  5. Cover and wrap the containers in blankets well to minimize heat loss. Make sure there is blanket underneath them as well. Keep out of draft.
    Note: During incubation the temperature should ideally remain unchanged at 110°F / 43°C or very slowly decrease over time. 
  6. Yogurt will take about 6-8 hours to set. 
    Note: Yogurt has set when it separates cleanly from the sides of the jar when you tilt the jar. Keep in mind that the colder the environment, the longer your yogurt will take to set.
  7. Move the yogurt to the fridge and keep it there for at least 2 hrs before eating it. Cooling the yogurt will help it thicken and improve its taste.
  8. Enjoy!

Do not forget to save a cup of the ready-made yogurt to use for making your next batch! Keep that in the fridge and make sure you use it to make your new yogurt within 3-4 days to ensure all bacteria is viable and in great condition.

Make it even better!

Now that you have made your skyr, strain it to make it super thick and delicious!

For this, you can use a cheesecloth, a fine mesh sieve, a clean plain towel, etc. Fill it with your skyr and simply let it drain over a bowl for 4-12 hours. You can strain it in the fridge or on the countertop.

When ready, scoop the thick skyr out and into a jar and move to the fridge.

Enjoy!

Fail Proof Skyr Making Instructions

Use this method if you have difficulties getting good results with the traditional method.

This method will guarantee that you will always get the best results when making yogurt. It is designed to outline the small pitfalls in the yogurt making process and to make it easier for you to avoid them.

  1. Bring the milk to a gentle boil. Milk boils at about 212°F / 100°C. Be careful not to burn it, otherwise your yogurt will inherit the burnt taste.
    Note: You are doing this in order to kill any existing bacteria in the milk, which could react with the starter strains. You are also doing it because heating the milk denatures its proteins and realigns its fat molecules in a way that makes a more superior yogurt.
  2. Set aside a cup (200ml) from the milk. 
    Note: You are doing this because the milk in the cup will cool down faster than the rest and you will be able to give the starter more time to thaw and start the incubation process.
  3. Keep the rest of the milk in the container you heated it (or distribute it to the culturing containers – 1L mason jars work the best).
  4. When the milk in the cup is at 86-90ºF / 30-32ºC (it will feel lukewarm to the touch), add the starter from the pack to it then gently stir it until it dissolves, about a minute.
    Note: You are adding the starter to the milk in cup, not to the milk in the containers! 
  5. When the rest of the milk (in the containera) is ready, at 108-110ºF / 42-43ºC (you should be able to hold your pinky finger in it comfortably for five seconds), distribute the milk from the cup (the one with the starter) to the jars, proportionally to their volume.
  6. Gently stir the milk in the jars.
    Note: At no time whisk. Whisking introduces air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation.
  7. Place a blanket in your microwave (or oven).
    Note: Microwaves and ovens are thermo-insulated. By incubating inside them, you make sure you minimize heat loss. 
  8. Place the jars in the microwave on the blanket.
  9. Loosely cover the jars with their lids or a towel.
  10. Cover with and wrap around another blanket or a large towel. Make sure the blankets are covering the jars from all directions to minimize heat loss. This will make sure jars stay warm all throughout the incubation process.
  11. Leave overnight (about 8 hours). Check to make sure yogurt has set, if it hasn’t, leave it longer and check every couple of hours, until it sets.
  12. Move to the fridge and keep there for at least 2 hrs before eating it. Cooling the yogurt will help it thicken and improve its taste. 
  13. Enjoy!

Do not forget to save a cup of the ready-made yogurt to use for making your next batch! Keep that in the fridge and make sure you use it to make your new yogurt within 3-4 days to ensure all bacteria is viable and in great condition.

Make it even better!

Now that you have made your skyr, strain it to make it super thick and delicious!

For this, you can use a cheesecloth, a fine mesh sieve, a clean plain towel, etc. Fill it with your skyr and simply let it drain over a bowl for 4-12 hours. You can strain it in the fridge or on the countertop.

When ready, scoop the thick skyr out and into a jar and move to the fridge.

Enjoy!