Making Yogurt at Home

A Healthy and Delicious Substitute for Cream and Mayonnaise

© Elaine Walker

Oct 3, 2007

Yogurt can be made at home with cow’s milk, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, buffalo or soya milk. Each will have a slightly different flavour.

Two Ingredient Yogurt Recipe:

Ingredients:

• One pint of milk . (Full cream milk, semi-skimmed or skimmed.)
• Three or four heaped teaspoons of yogurt at room temperature, to get the culture started. It should be “live” plain yogurt.

Method:

1. Heat the milk to 90 C or 190 F. This re-pasteurises and kills off any unwanted microbes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to cool to 43 C or 110 F.
2. When the temperature is right (test with a cooking thermometer, or dip your little finger into it. If you can keep it there and count to 10 then the temperature is right), add the yogurt, stirring it well into the milk.
3. Pour into the thermos flask and screw on the lid tightly. This works just as well as a store bought yogurt maker. Leave in a warm place such as an airing cupboard for 8 to 10 hours. Remove and put into a new container and place in the fridge where it will continue to set.
4. If a thicker consistency is preferred, strain the yogurt through muslin in a sieve. It will be more like Greek Yogurt. Note, however, that this does not work well if you have used soya milk.
5. After making the first batch, keep some aside to start the next lot. Yogurt should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge where it will last for up to 5 days.

Secrets of Success to Making Yoghurt at Home

• The success depends on the temperature. Yogurt that is kept too hot will kill off the “live” cultures. Too cold and the cultures will not grow.
• Sterilize your measuring jug, thermometer (if you have one), measuring spoon and the thermos flask. You can do this by putting them into boiling water for 10 minutes or putting them through a dishwasher.

Health Benefits of Yogurt

• It is ideal to use as a healthy substitute for cream, cream cheese or mayonnaise.
• For people with a low tolerance for milk products, yogurt is more readily digested, providing the important calcium and vitamins needed.
• Low-fat yogurt and skimmed milk yogurt do not raise blood cholesterol levels and are acceptable to many diets.
• The “live” cultures are beneficial in creating good bacteria for the gut and intestines, and may help to prevent Candida, whilst boosting the immune system.

Use the Homemade Yogurt Daily:

• for breakfast with granola or fruit
• in desserts with honey or jam
• to make frozen yogurt with chocolate
• on baked potatoes
• to make a yogurt soup
• in smoothies
• in dips with avocado or cucumber
• in dressings with dijon mustard
• in pasta sauces, with herbs ( although care should be taken when heating yogurt as it separates)

Cucumber and Yogurt Dip

Greek Yogurt Dessert

Breakfast Cereal with Yogurt

Yogurt Smoothie

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