How to make homemade yogurt

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The bacteria in yogurt are beneficial for digestion. But the store often has too much sugar and other additives. If you don't like it, make yogurt at home.

What to make homemade yogurt

• 1 liter of milk;
• 50-100 g skimmed milk powder (optional);
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons of prepared live culture yoghurt or freeze-dried yoghurt starter.

You can take any milk: cow, goat, soy, whole or skim milk.

Unsweetened yoghurt without flavors and additives and with the note "Contains live cultures" on the package is suitable as a starter culture. Since beneficial bacteria are quickly killed, try to choose the freshest yogurt available. Try several options until you find the one that tastes best to you.

You can also use freeze-dried yoghurt starter. It is usually sold online and works even better than ready-made yogurt.

In a pinch, sweet flavored yogurt will do. Just remember that it will affect the final taste of your product.

How to make yogurt

1. Heat milk to 85 ° C

It is best to do this in a water bath: this way the contents of the pan will not burn, and you will not have to stir it often. If you don't have a thermometer, 85 degrees is the temperature at which milk begins to froth.

UHT milk can only be heated to 40-45 degrees and skip the next step.

2. Cool the milk to 40–45 ° С

The easiest way to do this is to put it in cold water: this will reduce the temperature quickly and evenly. If chilling at room temperature or in the refrigerator, be sure to stir the milk frequently.

It is possible to determine whether the liquid has reached the desired temperature without a thermometer: with a finger. If the milk is hot, but no longer burns, then it's time to start sourdough.

3. Warm the leaven

Simply remove the store-bought yogurt you will be using from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature while the milk cools.

4. Mix the starter with milk

Use a whisk or blender to spread the bacteria evenly. If fiber remains in the mixture, it is likely that you heated the milk too much or too quickly.

At this stage, you can add milk powder: it will increase the nutritional value of the yoghurt and make it thicker.

5. Grow bacteria

The mixture of starter culture with milk will need to be kept for 6-8 hours at a temperature of 38-40 ° C.

The most convenient way to do this is in a yogurt maker. Simply pour the mixture into a container and place in it.

But an oven is fine too. Preheat it to the required temperature, turn it off and put the container with the yogurt mixture inside. Turn on the oven from time to time to maintain the same temperature. This method is quite tedious, since you need to constantly monitor so that the oven does not overheat.

Yogurt is easier to cook in a slow cooker. Pour boiling water over a bowl and pour the milk and sourdough mixture into it. If you are cooking in jars, put them in a multicooker and cover with water almost to the brim. Use the Yogurt setting or turn on the heating for 6-8 hours. Please note that the heating temperature must not exceed 40 ° C. If it is higher in your model, turn on the heating for 15-20 minutes, and then turn it off for an hour so that the yogurt does not overheat. Repeat the procedure 5-6 times.

In the microwave, the process is about the same: set the temperature to 40 ° C and put the mixture on for 6-8 hours. If there is a Fermentation mode, use it.

If you don't have any of the above, place the container of the mixture on a sunny windowsill or in a large container of warm water.

Gradually, the consistency of the mixture will become like a custard, a cheese smell will appear, and whey will come out on top.

It can be simply poured, used in baked goods, or eaten with yogurt.

6. Check the readiness of the yoghurt

After 6-8 hours, shake the container lightly: the finished yoghurt under the whey should have a homogeneous consistency. The longer you hold it, the thicker it will be.

7. Strain the yogurt through cheesecloth

So the serum will come out of it, it will become thicker. Cover the colander with gauze and place in a large container, then put the yogurt into it, cover with a plate and put in the refrigerator. In a couple of hours, you should have Greek yogurt. And if you leave the mixture overnight - very thick yogurt, similar in consistency to cream cheese.

What's next

You can eat homemade yogurt with jam, honey or maple syrup, fruits or berries.

Use some of the resulting product as a starter for the next portion. You can store yogurt in the refrigerator for no more than 5-7 days.