Yoghurt
My best friend’s Mum has been making her own fabulous yoghurt for years and I was always intrigued as to the process of turning milk into thick, delicious, tangy yoghurt.
Home made yoghurt, when made correctly, is in a world of its own in terms of flavour and texture. But it is also really good for your body as it has no preservatives or additives and it is full of good bacteria that can really nourish and aid in intestinal function.
After doing a lot of research, having lots of batches of awful yoghurt, giving up, deciding to try again, and talking to my friends mum wondering why mine wasn’t as good as hers, I came up with a way of making yoghurt that works for me every time.
INGREDIENTS
a sterilised large glass jar that holds about 2 1/2 cups of liquid
a milk thermometer (you can get one of these pretty cheaply at the supermarket)
a container that fits your jar in
Skim milk or Full Cream milk (enough to just about fill your jar)
Powdered skim milk about 2-3 tablespoons
2 tablespoons of plain natural yoghurt with cultures ( I usually use Pauls Natural Yoghurt in the blue tub)
Clockwise from left; Sterilised Jar, Skim Milk Powder, Skim Milk, Incubation Container, Thermometer, Commercial Yoghurt
METHOD
Make sure your glass jar is clean and sterile. I do this by filling it up with boiling water and leaving it for 10 minutes. Do the same with the lid you dont want any foreign bacteria in your milk.
Fill the jar almost to the top with skim milk, but leave some room for other ingredients. Stir in about 3 tablespoons of Powdered milk. You will need this if you are using skim milk because it will add milk solids and help the yoghurt to set nice and thick.
Now you need to heat the milk. You can do this on the stove top just pour the milk into a small saucepan and over medium heat take it to 80 degrees celcius then pour it into the jar and let it cool to about 48 degrees celcius.
Alternatively you can leave it in the jar and heat it in 1 minute bursts (make sure you stir to get even heat distribution) until it reaches 80 degrees celcuis and then let it cool to 48 degrees celcuis. (this is what I do and it is much less messy)
Scalded milk at 80 degrees celcius...
...and cooled to 48 degrees celcius
When the milk mixture is cooled to 48 degrees celcius stir in about 2 tablespoons of store bought yoghurt (stir well until there are no lumps). Put the lid on tightly and place your jar inside the larger container.
Fill the container with Hot tap water making sure the jar in completely immersed
Your tap water should be around 45-50 degrees.
Yoghurt in incubator container filled with hot tap water at 50 degrees celcius
Place the container in a dark, warm place where it will be undisturbed. I usually put it back into the microwave (off) because it is insulated and wont let the heat escape as easily as it would if it were sitting on the bench.
Every 3 hours change the hot tap water, being VERY careful not to jostle or tip the yoghurt you must treat it like a baby. If the yoghurt is moved around too much or too roughly it will not set properly.
After about 7 hours you will have a yoghurt that is set and quite mild tasting. If you are happy with this, place it in the refrigerator until it is well chilled before eating (usually overnight).
If you prefer your yoghurt to have a more tangy flavour allow it to sit in the hot water for 8 or 9 hours before refrigerating. The longer you leave it the thicker and tangier it will be.
When you are ready to make your next batch just use a big spoonful of your previous batch as a starter (instead of the Pauls Natural Yoguhurt).
VARIATIONS
While I have not successfully varied the base recipe, there are a lot of ways that you can flavour the yoghurt to eat it. You can mix in fresh or frozen berries or fruit, drizzle it with honey or eat it with your museli. Its yummy in a banana smoothie and it is also a great, healthier option instead of sour cream on mexican dishes an in other recipes.