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Many people are surprised when I tell them that I make my own yogurt. But in reality it is cheaper than you think, and much easier than you think!
What I love about making my own yogurt is that I can control what goes into it. I can use the type of sugar I want. or leave sugar out completely. I can use fresh, organic fruit to flavour it.
To top it off, homemade yogurt is full of healthy bacteria!
Also, rather than using a thickener, I use a higher fat yogurt. Another option is to strain the yogurt (more on that later) to make a thicker, creamier Greek-style yogurt.
Some people use electric yogurt machines, but I choose to use the (much cheaper) Yogotherm yogurt maker. Really, all it does it insulate the yogurt as it ferments.
To make your first batch, you can use a yogurt starter, such as Yogourmet, shown below. After that, you can use your existing yogurt to start your next batch (much cheaper)!
The basics are as follows*:
1. Bring 1 litre of milk to it's boiling point.
2. Allow to cool to 25 Celsius
3. Mix starter with a small amount of cooled milk until starter dissolves.
4. Mix that small amount of milk into the rest.
5. Pour into Yogotherm and leave at room temp for 12-18 hours.
6. Put finished yogurt in the fridge.
*Just in case, always follow the recipe on your starter, in case it differs from mine.
But see? It is so simple! And from this you can have your morning yogurt, yogurt smoothies, frozen yogurt...and the possibilities go on!
This is really cool! One of my friends back home used to do this and swore by it that it was WAY better than the yogurt you buy in the store. So it only takes a day for the milk to become yogurt? Also, what kind of container does it sit in inside the Yogotherm? Is it a big tub or individual little pots? Super cool!!!! :) Love reading your posts! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is so much better! It is a little "sour" if you don't sweeten it, but a little honey or stevia and you're good to go. This yogurt maker makes one big tub, but I like that it isn't electric, so no plugging in-and a much less expensive unit to buy.
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