Yogurt is a fermented milk product, which is obtained due to the fact that the lactic acid bacteria that make up yogurt, under certain conditions, ferment (ferment) milk (milk sugar lactose), giving the product a characteristic taste, color and texture.

Yogurt is considered a useful product, since lactic acid bacteria friendly to the human microflora help to establish and maintain the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, normalize bowel function, and stimulate metabolic processes.

Due to the fact that yogurt bacteria ferment lactose, yogurt, like most fermented milk products, is digested and absorbed better and easier than milk. Quite often, people who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein can consume yogurt (but if you are affected by a similar problem, it is better to consult a doctor first).

So, the essence of the production of yogurt is that live yogurt fermented milk cultures are introduced into milk (usually this is, more on yogurt cultures will be discussed below). A suitable constant temperature is created (optimally - 42-45 ° C, this is important to consider, since bacteria die at t above 50 ° C), which lasts for 8-12 hours. During this time, bacteria ferment milk sugar, and yogurt is obtained. To complete the fermentation process, get the best consistency and keep the bacteria alive after the required time, the yogurt is cooled to ~ t 5 ° C. As you can see, the process is quite simple and quite feasible at home.

Before continuing the article, I suggest you take part in a short survey.

Homemade yogurt (how to make yogurt at home in a yogurt maker and without).

Now consider the process of making yogurt at home in more detail. For the preparation of yogurt, we also need a starter culture from lactic acid bacteria. (About some reasons for failure, for example: yogurt curdled, too much , very sour taste, )

Milk.

If you have the opportunity to use fresh village milk, the quality and safety of which you are sure of, that's fine, but it must be boiled for several minutes. If you are using industrial milk, then I prefer pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized. Pasteurized milk is also recommended to be preheated to 90 ° C, ultra-pasteurized milk is safe and completely ready for use, it does not require boiling, it is enough to heat it to the desired temperature. The foam formed during heating of milk must be carefully removed. Then the milk must be cooled to a temperature of ~ 38-45 ° C. This is the optimal temperature, but if you do not use a thermometer, then to determine the temperature “by eye”, drop a few drops of milk on your wrist. Milk should be hot, but not scalding. In this case, underheating is better than overheating, because at t more than 50 ° C, as I mentioned earlier, lactic acid bacteria begin to die. For product safety reasons, heating milk for making yogurt is recommended by all yogurt maker manufacturers and by most recipes. In practice, if you take pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized milk at room temperature (I would recommend boiling fresh milk anyway, especially if you give yogurts to children), ferment it with industrial yogurt and place it in a yogurt maker, then you will still get yogurts (without a yogurt maker I have not experienced this option, and if I use dry sourdough, then I heat the milk).

To boil or heat milk, use a stainless steel saucepan with a thick bottom or, if the stove allows, a ceramic or glass one. It is better not to use enameled dishes, as milk burns very quickly in such dishes.

By the way, you don't have to use cow's milk. You can also ferment goat, sheep, soy, and possibly some other milk.

Leaven.

You can use it as a starter, you can find it in pharmacies or buy it in stores selling healthy foods, including online stores. The composition of such a sourdough usually includes the classic yogurt bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bulgarian stick, and Streptococcus thermophilus, thermophilic streptococcus. It is prepared according to the instructions. At the same time, the taste and texture of yogurt may differ from the usual store. Yogurt sometimes turns out to be more viscous, slippery, this happens due to a violation of the cooking technology. And you can use natural yogurt (or bio-yogurt) of industrial production. One standard cup of yogurt (~125 ml) per liter of milk. The main task is to mix the sourdough and milk as best as possible, to do this, add a small amount of warm milk to the sourdough, stir thoroughly until a homogeneous consistency is obtained, and then dilute the resulting mixture in the rest of the milk, mix thoroughly again. For the next batch of yoghurts, you can use homemade yoghurt as a starter. There is an opinion that yogurt can be re-fermented 4-10 times, but it must be taken into account that we cannot provide sterile conditions at home, therefore, with each re-fermentation, the composition of yogurt changes and not always for the better.

Tableware.

Warm milk, which should be at a temperature of 42-45 ° C for 6-12 hours, is an ideal breeding ground for not only beneficial, but also harmful microorganisms, so special attention should be paid to the cleanliness of dishes. Before use, all the necessary utensils must be doused with boiling water, and if possible, then sterilized, for example, in a double boiler.

Yoghurt maker.

A yogurt maker, and other electrical appliances that allow you to make yogurt, is a great solution for those who often pamper their family with homemade sour-milk products. The main advantage of this device is that it maintains the optimum temperature throughout the fermentation of yoghurt, which ensures a very good result. The yogurt maker takes up little space and comes with convenient jars-lids for yogurt. The yogurt maker reduces your direct participation in the preparation of yogurt to a minimum: mix milk with sourdough, pour it into jars, press the "pour" button. and that's it! After 8-10 hours, enjoy the result (the consistency will be optimal if you put the yoghurts in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours after fermentation).

Making yogurt without a yogurt maker.

After we have mixed warm milk and sourdough, we need to create a constant temperature for yogurt ~ 42-45 o C for 6-10 hours. This can be achieved in several ways:

• you can use a thermos;
• you can cover the container with yogurt with a warm blanket (and cover it with a pillow) and leave it next to the battery;
• you can arrange yogurts in portioned jars, tighten with cling film, put in a flat shape, carefully pour warm water into the mold, water should not get into the yogurt, tighten the whole mold again with foil and put in a warm place without drafts (for example, in a tighter turned off, but preheated to 50o oven).

Whether you are making yogurt in a yogurt maker or not, do not disturb the yogurt as much as possible during the ripening process: do not stir, do not open, do not shake.

The preparation time for homemade yogurt is approximately 6-10 hours, depending on how well you manage to maintain the required temperature and on what consistency and taste you would like to achieve. At a constant optimum temperature, 6-8 hours is enough; at a falling temperature, 8-10, and possibly 12 hours are required. The longer the yogurt ferments, the more acidic it becomes.

In order to competently complete the fermentation process, yogurt must be cooled, as mentioned above, you need to put the product in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. In this case, you will not only get a denser and more delicate texture, but also extend the shelf life of yogurt by preserving live bacteria in it.

Yogurt keeps well in the refrigerator for 7-8 days.

Additives for yogurt (sugar, fruits, nuts, muesli, etc.).

Natural yoghurts are great, but what if you like sweet yoghurts or yoghurts with fruits, chocolate, muesli, etc.?

Of course, you can add all these sweets to yogurt at the moment when you lay it out in portioned cups before sourdough, but there is one but!

Yogurt bacteria ferment milk sugar, lactose, but if you add sugar or sweet fruits to yogurt before the end of the fermentation process, the bacteria will switch to the fructose contained in these products and begin to ferment not lactose, but, say, fruits. And citrus fruits and other fruits with a high content of fruit acids, such as, for example, kiwi, do not combine with milk at all. And upon contact with these fruits, the milk will curdle even before the fermentation process begins. Therefore, it is much more useful (and safer) to introduce all kinds of additives (fresh fruits, jams, syrups, jams, muesli, nuts, dried fruits, cookies, chocolate) already into ready-made yogurts, well, or at the time of completion of the fermentation process, before cooling.

By the way, if you decide to sweeten the finished yogurt with sugar, then it’s better to first dissolve it in a small amount of water or make syrup, or take powdered sugar so that it doesn’t “creak” on your teeth.

Vanilla yogurt.

If you are preparing vanilla yoghurts and using not vanilla sugar, which is also possible, but a vanilla pod, then after making a longitudinal cut on the pod, lower it into milk and heat the milk together with vanilla. When you arrange the yogurts in cups, then dip a small piece of vanilla pod, which warmed up with milk, into each cup. Pieces of the pod will need to be removed from the finished yogurt before use. If you clean the pulp of the pod and add it to milk, the flavor will be more pronounced, and the pod itself, after heating in milk, can not be added to cups with yogurt, but immediately removed, but there will be small black particles of vanilla in the yogurt. According to my feelings, this does not spoil the taste in any way, and the appearance of yogurt turns out to be unusual, colorful. However, some children, and even adults, are suspicious of such yogurt.

Fat content of yogurt. Creamy yogurt.

The fat content of homemade yogurt depends on the fat content of the milk in which you prepare the yogurt, as well as whether you add cream to the milk. The less fat milk you use, the more low-fat yogurt, and therefore the less high-calorie product, you will receive.

Creamy yogurt (cream is added to milk during its preparation) is more dense and tender. Cream can be added directly to milk before fermentation, but be careful. If you heat milk with cream to high temperatures, then the cream may melt, separate from the milk, float to the surface in greasy spots similar to melted butter. And then, when you add the starter, mix everything well and pour the yogurt into fermentation jars, a hard greasy film may form on the surface of the finished yogurt. It's not scary, after the fermentation and cooling process is completed, just carefully remove this film from the yogurt. Such a film often appears when you use fresh milk "from under the cow" and not completely skimmed cream remains in the milk.

To avoid the formation of a greasy film on creamy yogurt, use industrial (that is, already thermally processed) cream and add it to milk before fermentation, when the milk has already cooled down to t 38-42 o C. I already wrote above that if you use a yogurt maker, then yoghurts will turn out, even if you don’t heat milk at all, but simply take it at room temperature, while you can replace part of the milk with cream, for example, take 200 ml of cream and 800 ml of milk and mix it all well. In this case, you will not have a fatty hard film, the only question is trust in the milk producer and the safety of the product.

Cream can also be added to ready-made yogurt, this will also make it more tender (this option is not suitable for people suffering from milk protein intolerance and lactase deficiency).

Thickness of yogurt.

If you need a dense, thick yogurt, you can use the following methods:

• add a few tablespoons of milk powder to milk before fermenting;
• add peptin or agar-agar to the finished yogurt before cooling;
• add cornstarch to the finished yogurt (1 tsp per standard serving cup 125-140 g). It will also make the yogurt more tender.

Yogurt bacteria.

The history of fermented milk products, and in particular yogurt, has more than one thousand years, but Bulgaria is considered the birthplace of modern real yogurt, where yogurt is also called “sour milk”. It was in Bulgaria that the yoghurt fermented milk cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, bacillus bulgaricus (named after Bulgaria), and Streptococcus thermophilus, thermophilic streptococcus, were first discovered, studied and used.

Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, a famous biologist, Nobel Prize winner, studying the issues of aging, found that at the time of the study, out of 36 countries studied, Bulgaria had the largest number of people who had reached 100 years old. For every 1000 people, there were 4 centenarians. In his studies, he associated this fact with the regular use of Bulgarian sour milk by the inhabitants of the country, and, accordingly, yoghurt cultures of Bulgarian sticks, which have such a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora and the body as a whole.

In this way, real yogurt should only contain milk and starter cultures including Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus However, the composition of yogurt is currently not regulated by law in many countries. In addition to yogurt bacteria, or instead of them, lactobacilli or bifidobacteria are used, for example, Lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus bifidus, etc. Of course, these bacteria can also be very useful for the body, they also ferment lactose, contributing to a very tender yogurt-like mass, but this is no longer yogurt and a yoghurt product. In addition, some types of bacteria die after the fermentation of milk, and it is already difficult to call such yogurt “alive”. And there is a category of "yogurts" made using a culture called pima, "pima" makes the "yogurt" mass so thick that it is no longer necessary to add any thickeners to the product, say, natural peptin. This significantly reduces the cost of production, but! The mass turns out to be “slippery” and rather unpleasant in taste, so it is generously flavored with sugar and fruit puree. Can this product be called "yogurt"?

When buying yogurt, read the label.

Thus, when choosing natural yogurt in a store, carefully read the label and pay attention to the following:

• the shelf life of “live” natural yogurt should not exceed 1 month, and indeed, in this case, the shorter the shelf life, the better;
• to increase the shelf life, yogurts are often pasteurized, while the yogurt bacteria die, to be honest, such yogurts should be labeled "heat-treated";
• the composition of yogurt - the less components (especially preservatives, stabilizers, sweeteners, dyes, etc.) in the composition, the better, ideally - milk and yogurt sourdough. By the way, manufacturers rarely write down information about which yogurt cultures are used, but if there is a label indicating the presence of a “live yogurt culture”, this is better than nothing;
• the content of lactic acid bacteria in yogurt at the end of the shelf life should be at least 10 7 CFU (colony-forming units, 10 to the seventh power) per 1 g of the product;
• yogurt must be kept in the refrigerator;

And once again about the sad, giving preference to sweet and fruit yoghurts, still do not flatter yourself with the hope of the high benefits of such yoghurts, especially fruit ones, because fruits have at least undergone heat treatment, and therefore have lost the lion's share of their benefits, but in order to, lactic acid bacteria did not ferment fruit sugar, the manufacturer most likely had to add a number of chemicals to the product.

Summary. What are the benefits of homemade yogurt?

• You can make absolutely natural yogurt without artificial additives, colors, preservatives.
• You can adjust the calorie content and consistency of yogurt by choosing more or less full-fat milk (yogurt calorie table - at this link).
• You can make sugar-free yoghurts using, for example, natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, Jerusalem artichoke syrup, fresh fruit or vegetable juices and purees, and add muesli, fiber, nuts, and dried fruits.
• Pouring yogurt on fresh seasonal fruits or using it as a salad dressing will only increase the usefulness of your table.
• By using special yoghurt starters (eg dry starter cultures), you can be sure which yoghurt bacteria your yogurt is enriched with.

The use of yogurt in cooking

Finally, a few words about how yogurt can be used in cooking.

In addition to traditional, natural or sweet yogurts, as well as yogurts with the addition of all kinds of fruits, yogurts go well with various herbs (dill, parsley, mint, etc., etc.) and spices. Yoghurts can be salted, peppered, garlic is added to them, they make a wonderful sauce or salad dressing.

At high temperatures, yogurt curdles, so if you add it to hot dishes, then in order for it not to curdle, yogurt must be at room temperature, it is better to add (mix) it at the very end of cooking, when the temperature is no longer so high or the dish is simmering on very low heat.

And although hundreds of types of yogurt are sold on store shelves today, a truly high-quality product can only be prepared in your own kitchen.

You probably won't add preservatives that extend shelf life indefinitely, and you won't need artificial flavor enhancers either.

In this article, we share easy ways to make yogurt at home without a yogurt maker, with a yogurt maker, in the oven, and even in a thermos.

How to make homemade yogurt in a yogurt maker - step by step recipe + table

PHOTO INSTRUCTIONS	STEP DESCRIPTION
	Heat 100-150 g of milk to 40 degrees and mix with dry sourdough
	Leave the resulting liquid for 10 hours in a yogurt maker, then keep it in the refrigerator for another two hours.
	Bring the rest of the milk to the same temperature, add two tablespoons of the resulting sourdough, mix
	Pour into cups in a yogurt maker and cook for six hours

A delicious fermented product can also be prepared in a yogurt maker, and in the latter, if it is not equipped with a program of the same name, it probably has a “Heating” mode.

On average, it takes 10-12 hours to cook, so it’s more convenient to fill the gadget at night in order to send the product to the refrigerator in the morning.

Portion cups can be considered an additional convenience of the yogurt maker as such - you simply pour milk into them, close the lid, and when the time is up, send the dishes to cool. For cooking you will need 1 l milk and 1 bag of dry sourdough.

Fermentation in a slow cooker - recipe + photo step by step

PHOTO INSTRUCTIONS	STEP DESCRIPTION
	Prepare dishes for the future product - wash and sterilize small glass jars or cups thoroughly
	Pour the sourdough into the milk and stir
	Pour into containers, put in a multicooker bowl, then fill it with water Set the program "Heating" for 6 hours When the timer goes off, do not remove the product immediately, let it cool inside the multicooker
	Cover jars with lids and refrigerate Your delicious and healthy homemade yogurt is ready.

Oven yogurt - recipe + photo

PHOTO INSTRUCTIONS	STEP DESCRIPTION
	Boiling or heating milk Add the yeast and mix thoroughly Pouring liquid into containers
	Heat the oven to fifty degrees We send the jars inside and cover with gauze or a towel As the oven cools down, turn it on again, bring it to the desired temperature and turn it off.
	After 8 hours, the finished product is sent to the refrigerator

This homemade fermentation recipe can be considered the most time consuming - the process will take approximately 7-8 hours and will require you to warm up the oven from time to time.

How to make yogurt at home without sourdough?

To do this, you will need a liter of milk and a jar of ready-made store-bought yogurt without content and fruit fillers. The label must contain the inscription "Contains live bacteria", they are responsible for the fermentation process.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Boil milk or warm it in a thick-walled saucepan
2. Cool to 40 degrees, stirring occasionally with a spoon so that foam does not form on top
3. In one cup, dilute the yogurt until smooth.
4. Pour into a saucepan with warm milk and mix again
5. Close the pot with a lid and wrap it in a large towel.
6. We move it to the oven, leaving the lighting lamp on.
7. Fermentation will take approximately four hours.
8. The longer you keep the product in the oven, the sourer it will turn out.
9. We take out the pan, carefully drain the whey that forms on the surface
10. Pour yogurt into containers and send to the refrigerator

Tip: the finished homemade product can be stored for about a week. If you add berries, fruits and granola immediately after preparation, the period is reduced to two days.

For the next starter, you can use your own yogurt, but after three or four cycles, you need to update it with store-bought, because. lactic bacteria tend to grow old.

Homemade dairy products are much healthier than store-bought ones.

How to make Greek yogurt at home?

Greek yogurt, also known as yogurt cheese, labana or dahi, differs from traditional yogurt in a thicker consistency - it is additionally filtered through a cloth to remove whey.

In the Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, labana is eaten not only with fruits, but also with olives, olive oil, and they like to generously sprinkle with ground thyme.

It is also used for cooking other dishes due to its ability to not curdle at high temperatures.

To cook it at home, we take one and a half liters of milk and a bag of sourdough:

1. Bring the milk to a boil, remove the pan from the heat.
2. Cool to 40 degrees and mix with sourdough
3. Pour into a thermos or jar, carefully wrap
4. Waiting for six hours
5. We move the yogurt into several layers of gauze and let the whey drain
6. To get a thicker consistency, add ready-made sour cream or cottage cheese
7. It remains to decorate the laban with your favorite flavors - fruits with nuts or olives and herbs, for example

This product is literally made for diet food.

Features of making homemade yogurt

To prepare a homemade fermented milk product, you will need two things: and sourdough, which can be purchased at any pharmacy or supermarket. Instead of the latter, store-bought yogurt is also allowed.

But when choosing a product, you should pay attention to the duration of the shelf life - for better souring, it should be minimal.

And the composition is as simple as possible, close to natural, without flavor enhancers, dyes and additives.

It is also worth considering the following subtleties:

1. Choose the right milk. Ideally, it should be "live" rustic. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase farmers' products, buy pasteurized. But not the one that does not turn sour even open for six months. The expiration date should not exceed a week. We boil homemade milk, heat pasteurized milk to 90 degrees.
2. For lactic acid bacteria to multiply actively, and the taste of yogurt was tender and soft, it is better to pour the starter when the milk has cooled to 40 degrees.
3. You can adjust the fat content of the product yourself- for more fat you need milk with a high percentage of fat and vice versa.
4. The difference between dry and liquid shop starter consists mainly in its shelf life - it is not recommended to store liquid for longer than three months. Also, the yogurt itself from it turns out to be more sour in taste and viscous in consistency.
5. For re-cooking there is no need to use store-bought sourdough - you can get by with a glass of personally prepared product.
6. After fermentation it is recommended to shift the yogurt into a glass dish and send it to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Before eating, you can add fruits, nuts, etc. to it.
7. In order not to destroy the structure, it is not recommended to mix and shake the already fermented product.

You can ferment goat milk at home

Is it possible to make homemade yogurt only from cow's milk?

Of course not. Adherents and popular people know that goat is considered softer and healthier. Although it is fatter than cow's, it is practically hypoallergenic, easily absorbed by the body, it has little lactose.

But there are many useful trace elements, incl. the cobalt that is necessary for vegetarians, which is part of it, and the ability to strengthen immunity is simply fantastic.

How to make goat milk yogurt at home? Very simple: all the recipes below are suitable for both cow and goat. The choice is entirely up to your taste preferences.

Homemade yogurt maker will make the cooking process easy and comfortable

Causes of failure in cooking

It seems that you did everything according to the rules, but for some reason the yogurt did not turn sour.

Here's what could have caused the failure:

1. Stale starter culture, milk, non-sterile containers or non-compliance with the recommended temperature regime
2. Fillers, additives and sugar- never add them during cooking, because. Bacteria need a milky environment to grow
3. Too hot or cold milk- its temperature should vary from 39 to 45 degrees
4. Low-quality store-bought yogurt without live bacteria if you cooked without sourdough
5. Using plastic or aluminum utensils; for home fermentation, glass is considered ideal, as well as thick-walled pots that can retain heat for a long time

Yogurt can also be the basis for homemade ice cream

A useful homemade product, combined with fruits, berries and muesli, it can be used to make sauces and salad dressings.

With regular use, it normalizes the intestinal microflora, fights intestinal disorders, strengthens the immune system and increases the body's resistance to viruses. And, of course, it is a dietary product that promotes weight loss.

How to make yogurt at home, you will also be prompted by this detailed video recipe:

In a modern supermarket you can find a large assortment of fermented milk products. Various packages, tastes and prices of yoghurts, sour cream and kefir leave no room for imagination. The main question that all yogurt lovers ask is the assessment of its quality and benefits.

Homemade yogurt - how to make?

Store-bought fermented milk products contain impurities and preservatives that adversely affect their beneficial properties. To leave any doubts about the yogurt you plan to consume, you can make it at home from natural products. There are many recipes for making yogurt - a healthy and tasty product, but the principle of preparation is the same for everyone.

The main thing for homemade yogurt is how to make it while retaining all the beneficial properties of fermented milk products. In order for the difficult mission of preparing such a product to be crowned with unconditional success, you will need:

• Milk;
• Leaven;
• Banks;
• Pan.

Yogurt tastes better with higher fat content. Starters can be different - you can use sour cream, store-bought yogurt or special starter powders that can be purchased at any pharmacy. Yogurt for sourdough is chosen without dyes and flavors, and most often they take natural white, with a shelf life of no more than seven days. Starter cultures that are sold in a pharmacy are used according to the instructions and recommendations indicated on the package. Even a young and inexperienced housewife can make yogurt at home.

Whole milk is preliminarily brought to a boil and cooled to a temperature of 40 degrees. This temperature is considered optimal for the correct "work" of the starter. The sourdough is mixed with milk, and the resulting mixture is poured into sterile jars. You can put milk to ferment on a battery or in a pot of hot water, but it is difficult to achieve a high quality product in this way. It is also quite difficult to achieve the optimal temperature for proper and fast fermentation without special devices.

Cooking in a yogurt maker

For convenient, quick and proper preparation of a homemade fermented milk product, it is best to use a special electrical appliance. The peculiarity of such a device is that it maintains the temperature necessary, optimal for proper fermentation, throughout the entire period of preparation of yogurt. In addition, many yoghurt makers are equipped with a timer that turns off the device after the end of the cooking process. How to make yogurt in a yogurt maker is described in detail in the instructions for the device.

The dishes that come with the yogurt maker are convenient, have lids in the kit, and allow you not only to conveniently dose the dairy product, but also after cooking it is convenient to store it in the refrigerator.

Cooking in a multicooker

Let's see how to make yogurt in a slow cooker with and without an additional option? Many modern models have a special function for making yogurt. In this case, you need to follow the instructions and after preparing the milk and sourdough, poured into portioned jars, turn on the necessary program for making yogurt. The slow cooker itself will regulate the temperature and cooking time of the fermented milk product.

How to make yogurt in a slow cooker

You can make homemade yogurt in multicooker models without a special function. To do this, you need to prepare a slow cooker and portioned jars. Pre-heated and mixed milk with sourdough is poured into sterile containers. Jars are covered with cling film and secured with rubber bands.

In the bowl of the multicooker, it is necessary to lay a small cotton towel on the bottom, on which prepared jars are placed. Water is added to the multicooker bowl to the level of the milk mixture so that when heated, the water does not cover the portioned containers. The multicooker must be turned on in the "Heating" mode and set for about 20 minutes. After the heating is completed, the multicooker must be turned off and wait about an hour without opening the lid. Then we repeat the “Heating” mode for another 20 minutes, turn off the multicooker and leave the containers to cool completely. Ready yogurt is removed for two hours in the refrigerator to solidify.

Yogurt can be prepared without additives or with different flavors. Sweet yogurt can be obtained by adding sugar, honey, condensed milk to milk before fermentation. You can also add various fresh fruits, jams to yogurt. To do this, you can take a small amount of milk and grind the fruit in a blender until smooth.

yogurt recipes

There are two main recipes for making yogurt. The first recipe is based on the preparation of the product without the use of special starter cultures. For cooking, choose a jar of store-bought yogurt without fillers.

So, how to make yogurt, a recipe for making a homemade product:

Ingredients for making homemade yogurt without special starters:

• Store-bought yogurt (secondary starter) -100 grams.

In the process of cooking, milk (if it is store-bought) simply needs to be heated to 40 degrees, and if milk is homemade, it must be brought to a boil and cooled to a temperature of 40 degrees.

The average fermentation time for homemade yogurt is 6-8 hours. It is not necessary to keep more than the allowable time, as the product will turn out sour and tasteless.

Ingredients for preparing yoghurt with a special starter culture:

• Milk, high fat - 1 liter;
• Portion of sourdough - 1 pack.

The cooking process is similar to the previous recipe, only dry sourdough is used instead of liquid yogurt. After preparing delicious homemade yogurt, 150 grams can be left for re-sourdough. It is recommended to update the starter with frequent use once a month.

Homemade yogurt recipe step by step

Let's start making yogurt by sterilizing the jars.

Now you need to heat the milk to 85 degrees and make sure that it does not burn.

Bring the milk to the desired temperature and remove it from the heat.

Now we lower the pan into the sink or other convenient container with cold water and cool the milk to 50 degrees.

It's time to add the starter.

Add store-bought yogurt to a small bowl.

Add 2 cups chilled milk.

Stir the contents of the bowl and add it to the pan with the rest of the milk.

We mix so that in the future the yogurt turns out to be equally good in all containers. And pour into jars.

We close the lids - make sure that they tightly close the neck of the cans.

Pour water into a travel refrigerator to the level of three centimeters, the water temperature is 50 degrees.

Close the lid and leave for about three hours.

After three hours, we take out the jars and put them in the refrigerator to cool. Yogurt, in principle, is already ready, but you can wait longer and it will turn out thicker.

This is how the yogurt that you made yourself should look like.

A little patience and it turns out that making delicious homemade yogurt is not so difficult.

Gettyimages/Fotobank.ru

homemade yogurt

Natural yogurt consists of three components: whole milk, Bulgarian stick (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) and thermophilic lactic streptococcus (Streptococcus thermophilus).

These microorganisms are extremely useful: they normalize the intestinal flora, stop the growth of putrefactive and pathogenic bacteria, strengthen the immune system, weakened by poor ecology and low-quality products. Stimulate the absorption of the most important amino acids and vitamins (including rare K and groups B, D), calcium, iron.

Natural yogurt should be free of preservatives, stabilizers, flavorings, colorants, sugar additives and sweeteners. The shelf life of natural yogurt is no more than a month. The problem is that during industrial production and transportation, beneficial bacteria have very little chance of surviving. And if there is a meager amount of them in yogurt, the effect of it tends to zero.

How to make natural yogurt at home?

If you want natural yogurt, it's safest to make your own. I asked Irina Rozhkova, Senior Researcher at the Central Microbiology Laboratory of the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry, to give step-by-step instructions and describe the typical mistakes we make when we take yogurt at home.

Step 1. Buy a Yogurt Starter

Denis Bykovskikh

Sourdough is sold in pharmacies. In Moscow, it can also be purchased at the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry. It is enough to prepare several liters of yogurt.

Not worth it: use store-bought yogurt as a starter, even without additives and preservatives. The fact is that, due to the characteristics of a fermented milk product, an extraneous contaminating microflora (most often E. coli) is inevitably formed in it. When fermenting, such pathogenic microflora can increase, which leads to infections and food poisoning.

Step 2. Choose milk

Ideal - pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized milk with a short shelf life. Dairy experts trust, for example, the products of the Obninsk Dairy Plant, Valio and Ruzskoye Moloko.

Not worth: make yogurt with sterilized milk. The European Union is already abandoning this technology: vitamins and other valuable substances are lost in such milk. In addition, a lot of salt and stabilizers are added to the sterilized drink.

Step 3. Dilute the starter

Bring a glass of milk (150-200 ml) to a boil and cool to + 40-45 degrees. Add 5-7 ml of this milk to the starter bottle. Shake lightly. Mix the resulting liquid from the bottle with the rest of the milk. Pour into a thermos or yogurt maker. Place in a warm place, such as near the radiator, or cover with a pillow. Ferment eight to ten hours. Liquid sourdough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Not worth: checking the temperature of milk with your finger is not hygienic. Apply the container to your cheek - if the skin tolerates, the temperature is ideal. Do not pour ingredients into a plastic container. Even with slight heating, plastic can release carcinogenic phenol-formaldehyde resins into milk.

Step 4: Prepare the Yogurt

Boil and cool to + 40-45 degrees one liter of milk. Put a tablespoon of diluted sourdough in it. Pour into a glass jar, thermos or yogurt maker and ferment for five to six hours. This yogurt can be stored in the refrigerator for five to seven days.

Not worth: add milk powder for density - this will definitely not add useful qualities to your homemade yogurt. Do not ignore the rules of sanitary safety - always treat the dishes with boiling water.