Bev's Easy Yoghurt (Yogurt)

Yoghurt Making

I saw the tip about buying the cheaper plain yoghurt and flavouring it with your favourite tasty sweet flavouring. Great tip, but do you realise that out of one small tub of plain yoghurt is the making of much more yoghurt?

I have two recipes for making yoghurt. I've tried and tested one of them and make it all the time, but have heard that the other is just as easy so I'll include both recipes, especially since the 2nd recipe is in US measurements...

The first recipe I have left in metric as I found it too hard to convert. I thought that since we have quite a few members from Europe and Australia, I'd leave the first recipe unconverted.

Yoghurt Recipe No 1 (Metric)

All you need is a 200g (just over 7 oz)tub of plain yoghurt. I buy the low fat ones. This one tub will make several containers of yoghurt, but will keep in the fridge until used again.

The reason I say this is almost from scratch is because you need a starter culture (that's why you need the bought yoghurt).

Ingredients:

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• 1 litre : UHT (long life liquid milk), or fresh, or made-up from powdered
• dried milk powder
• accurate cooking thermometer
• plain yoghurt with acidophilus & bifidus (this is the healthiest but just plain will do)

You can do it in the following ratios:

• 1 litre liquid milk 1/4 cup milk powder 2 tbs plain yoghurt
• 2 litres liquid milk 1/2 cup milk powder 4 tbs plain yoghurt
• 3 litres liquid milk 3/4 cup milk powder 6 tbs plain yoghurt

• 1. Warm the milk (not too hot just warm)
• 2. Add the milk powder and whisk until the lumps are gone
• 3. Bring the milk to the boil: use a double boiler or microwave it
• 4. Allow to cool to 45 degrees Celsius - use a thermometer, don't guess. If it's too hot you'll kill the yoghurt. If it's too cold it won't set.
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• 5. Add yoghurt
• 6. Stir gently
• 7. Cover with a lid and maintain heat by wrapping the bowl in towels and setting in a warm, draft free place.
• 8. Leave to set for 6 - 12 hours. 6 gives a mild flavour, 12 gives stronger flavour.
• 9. When it is to your taste, refrigerate to stop the yoghurt process occurring.

My children don't like plain yoghurt so I flavour mine with powdered sweetener, like the sachets you get from the health food store. I don't like artificial sweeteners so I haven't tried those, but remember if you use a liquid sweetener, it will make the yoghurt thinner.

p.s. On the top of my computer I have a special flat top that is specially made for the top of my monitor. It allows me to put things on top of my monitor. But it also stays really warm when the computer is on, and this is a fantastic, draft-free, warm area for my yoghurt container. This is also where I let my bread dough rise when my bread machine died. I wrap my 2 litre container with a warm towel (warmed in the dryer) and leave it on top of the computer to "do it's thing". And if the kids don't beat me to it, I actually get to eat some too!

Enjoy!

Yoghurt Recipe No 2

Preheat a heatproof dish and a well fitting lid, or thermos flask with boiling water.

Heat milk to blood heat 37C/ 98F.

Put yoghurt into a basin, add a little of the warm milk, stir well and then pour the yoghurt into the pan of milk.

Stir well, then pour into the warmed dish and cover with the lid.

Cover the container with a thick cloth and leave in a warm place, such as an airing cupboard, overnight, until the milk clots.

If a thermos flask is used you do not need a warm place!

Remember, this second recipe I haven't tried yet but I have heard it was very successful.

Not so long ago I bought a small tub of yoghurt for 79c Australian... about 61c US. Out of that I will probably get about 6 litres of Yoghurt.

I have never used fresh milk in my yogurt... only powdered milk made up.

I still follow the instructions to sprinkle the small amount of powdered milk into the made up milk, but at 47c per litre using powdered milk it makes it a very frugal recipe for yoghurt.

I know the thermometre is quite expensive, but since you will be able to use it to make candy, it's a good investment. Remember, when making yoghurt if you put the starter culture in before the milk has cooled to the proper temperature, it will kill the process and the same goes if you have let it cool too much. Too cold, and it won't grow either.

Cheers
Bev