Even those children who turn up their noses from dairy products enjoy yogurt. It is rare to find someone who does not like this delicacy. Cooks joke that most delicious foods are unhealthy. But yogurt is an exception. After all, it is both tasty and healthy. Especially if you cook it yourself. Today, more and more people are learning about how to make yogurt at home. It is prepared by young mothers, athletes and simply those who adhere to the principles of healthy eating.

Products for making yoghurt

Before making yogurt at home, you should take care of purchasing the highest quality ingredients.

Let's start, perhaps with milk. Ideal for making a homemade fermented milk product is pasteurized factory-made. When buying, do not forget to pay attention to the date, otherwise, instead of the desired result, we risk getting yogurt of dubious quality. Why is it important? For all fermented milk products, including yogurt, the rule applies - the higher the fat content, the lower the acidity. Most prepared starter cultures are designed for milk with a fat content of 2.5 to 3.5 percent. Using a framework with such indicators will give maximum guarantees that everything will work out. Such milk does not need to be boiled first, because it is pasteurized. Many lovers of homemade yogurt use only raw materials from dairies to prepare their favorite delicacy. You can also use regular milk. But before making homemade yogurt, you will have to boil it and cool it to the desired temperature. It will not be possible to determine the fat content by eye. If it is known that the milk did not pass through the separator, it is advisable to dilute it with boiled water. It is impossible to buy such raw materials on spontaneous markets! The best way- purchase from familiar farmers, whose products do not raise doubts about the quality and proper control by the sanitary service. And if you use baked milk instead of regular milk, you can get a product that resembles fermented baked milk, but with a much more healthy composition.

The choice of sourdough is no less important. It's not a bad idea to try everything and choose the one you like the most. You can get it in the dairy section of the supermarket, specialized health food stores, and some pharmacies. The starter culture must be fresh, its packaging must not be damaged under any circumstances.

Physics and chemistry of the process

Those who are not only interested in how to make yogurt at home, but also delved into the technology, probably know what is happening inside the yogurt maker. Warm milk becomes a habitat for microflora. Bacteria grow and multiply by producing special enzymes. The original product completely changes its structure, acquiring new properties.

How to make yogurt in a yogurt maker

The scheme of actions is quite simple. We put the milk to warm. It is advisable to use a thermometer, because not everyone can feel the temperature. And we need it quite definite. Which one - the sourdough manufacturer will tell you. Most bacteria begin to be active in milk at a temperature of about 40 degrees.

If there is no thermometer, you can use the method that young mothers often use: pour a few drops on the inside of the elbow. The milk should be hot, but not scalding the skin. There is absolutely no need to boil the pasteurized product. If you are using regular milk, bring it to a boil under the lid and allow it to cool. Both too low and too high an ambient temperature can kill bacteria - and yogurt will not work.

The yoghurt maker, cups and all the utensils used in the process are thoroughly washed and poured over with boiling water. You can disinfect everything you need in a double boiler - hot steam will cope with unnecessary microflora no worse than boiling water.

Dissolve the starter culture in warm water, add it to milk, stir thoroughly. You can use a blender or mixer. Pour into cups. They need to be loosely covered with lids, and the yogurt maker itself must be closed. The yogurt will take 6 to 12 hours to cook. After cooling to room temperature, the glasses must be moved to the refrigerator.

What not to do

Before making yoghurt at home, there are some taboos you should pay attention to. The main rule is that nothing but milk and sourdough should be added to the yogurt maker! Sugar, fruits, berries and any other filler are put into the finished product. Any additives disrupt the fermentation process and most often lead to spoilage of the yogurt.

It is also not worth conducting any other experiments at the initial stage.

Recipe for yogurt with kefir sourdough

If there is no ready-made purchased sourdough, and the heart asks delicate dessert- no problem! In a yoghurt maker, you can prepare a wonderful product from bio-yoghurt or kefir. Will fit and homemade yogurt... To do this, dilute a glass of store-bought sour milk in milk heated to 40 degrees. This must be done carefully so that the leaven does not curdle. It is best to introduce milk into the fermented milk base one tablespoon at a time, stirring gradually. It is enough to take both liquids in equal amounts, then the mixture can be poured to the rest of the milk. The fermentation process will take 12 hours. The usefulness of such a product cannot be compared with the healing homemade yogurt. But the taste and it turns out to be excellent.

Making yoghurt in a thermos

No yogurt maker? Also not scary. Let's make it in a thermos. The proportions of the products coincide with those that are regulated classic recipe yogurt. Warmed milk with the leaven dissolved in it must be poured into a thermos and left alone overnight. In the morning, there will be a wonderful dessert inside.

How do you know that everything worked out?

Those who have just begun to comprehend the science of making homemade sour milk sometimes ask themselves the question: "Am I doing everything right?" In the absence of more experienced guides, it can sometimes be difficult to determine if yoghurt has worked out. Don't be nervous, we'll figure it out now. The main sign that something has gone wrong is the presence of "flakes". If the milk is curdled, it means that there is a technological error somewhere. This may be due to a violation sanitary requirements or temperature conditions. Simply put, unwashed dishes can help milk turn sour. And too high a temperature will only speed up the process. You do not need to throw away the sour yogurt - it will make cottage cheese. It is also suitable for making homemade cakes - in any recipe, it can replace kefir.

A pleasant smell, delicate texture, characteristic taste are the best signs that everything worked out!

Yogurt recipes: cereal, nut, fruit

It is quite possible to enjoy this delicacy in its purest form. Thick, viscous, aromatic yogurt is completely self-sufficient and tasty. But why not pamper yourself? After all, it can be turned into real delicacy! This can be done with the help of flavoring and healthy additives.

We remove fruit syrup, store jam, Condensed milk dessert, caramel topping and other chemical delights. With our super healthy yoghurt, all of this is completely incompatible! Our option: homemade jam, fresh berries and fruits, condensed milk, honey, nuts, cereals. All this can be added to the dessert. Moreover, you can throw the whole berries into a glass, or you can pre-kill them in a blender. It will turn out to be delicious fruit yogurt... From spices vanilla, cinnamon, saffron are wonderfully combined with it. You can garnish with a fresh mint leaf. Along with sweet, you can also cook salted yogurt, pouring into it grated on a fine grater fresh cucumbers, chopped greens, chopped bell pepper... It should be remembered that you can add fruits, nuts and even seasonings only immediately before use. It is not worth storing such a product in the refrigerator, since all additives contribute to further fermentation.

How to store?

Yogurt, like all fermented milk, is a perishable product. You can store it for no more than two days - and only in the refrigerator. Before making yogurt at home, it is advisable to plan the menu in advance. After all, this product is most useful in fresh immediately after cooking. It is not recommended to take a glass or two with you for a walk, especially in the summer heat! Useful and tasty product in the heat can very quickly turn into poison.

Therefore, it is advisable to eat fresh yoghurt. It is best to do this in the morning. This product is able to energize and strengthen the immune system for the whole day.

• 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 marked "Contains live cultures" on the packaging is suitable as a starter culture. Since good bacteria are killed quickly, 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

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.

Wikihow.com

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 by putting 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.

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 point, you can add powdered milk: it will increase nutritional value yogurt 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 ° С.

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 similar to custard, a cheesy 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, 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.

Modern production means high-performance equipment, automation, computers. Everything should work like a clock, and often - even more accurate. Especially when it comes to the production of yoghurts, in which, in addition to technology and automation, beneficial bacteria work.
To learn how yoghurts are made, we travel to one of the world's largest dairy factories. 1100 tons of dairy products are produced here per day.

2. The Danone Industry plant is located in the Chekhovsky district of the Moscow region. This year the plant celebrated its 15th anniversary. Investments in production amounted to over 14 billion rubles. The development of production continues.

3. From afar, only the logo and cisterns with the inscription “milk” entering the territory remind of milk.

4. In modern business, it is important to think about tomorrow. New ideas, tastes, packaging - the search is ongoing. Competitors are not asleep, in the fight for the consumer, you need to calculate everything in advance. Each employee can fill out a questionnaire with an offer right at the checkpoint. The most initiative are awarded with prizes.

5. We started our visit to the factory from the training center, where we were told brief history stamps.

6. The Danone brand was founded by the Barcelona pharmacist Isaac Carasso. He was interested in the work of the Russian scientist Ilya Mechnikov, who proved beneficial features yoghurt cultures. Lactic acid bacteria have a beneficial effect on human health. Isaac Carasso started out producing yoghurts in his laboratory, later his business grew into a modern empire.
The Danone trademark is named after the son of Isaac Daniel, who was called the diminutive name Danone. Yogurt has been a part of his son's diet since childhood, Daniel, who inherited the family business, lived for 103 years.

7. Danone now has more than ten brands. The most famous: Danissimo, Danone, Activia, Rastishka, Bio Balance, Aktual, Smeshariki, Actimel. We had the opportunity to taste the freshest products of these brands. The company also produces dairy products "Prostokvashino" baby food"Tema" and drinking water "Evian".
In Russia, Danone holds 26% of the dairy market, followed by Pepsico with 24%.
For every market Danone operates in, consumer preferences are researched. Therefore, the taste of products under the same brand differs in different countries... We love sweeter products. This applies not only to dairy products, we also love wine sweeter than Western Europeans.

8. Now more than 800 people work at the plant in Lyubuchany. Basically, these are residents of Chekhov, Serpukhov and Podolsk. Employees are transported and transported by corporate transport.
The enterprise has signed an agreement with a dairy technical school, which trains specialists for the plant.
Favorable conditions have been created for employees. They are regularly given the products of the plant, various tournaments and events are held. In the factory canteen, a lunch worth 180 rubles for workers costs 49 rubles.
A question from a child from the audience: - Do you only give them yoghurts?

9. As for the production of yoghurt itself, it is a long technological chain. At the beginning of it lies the selection of raw materials. Milk is brought from farms located within a radius of 600 km. Almost all raw materials are domestic. 10% of raw materials that are not purchased in Russia - fillers, fruits, French enzymes.
After receiving the raw material, the milk goes through several processes hidden in various tanks. The final stage is packing.

10. For the excursion we split into two groups. Children go first.

11. To make it easier to keep track of children and ensure their safety, they go by electric car.

12. Adults follow. To enter the production area, you need to wear a hair cap, robe and shoes. In addition, you must first take off your watch, jewelry. Men with facial hair are supposed to wear a mask, and women with manicures are supposed to wear gloves.
Now I'm ready to go to production. It remains only to wash your hands with soap and disinfect with a special solution.

13. Memo at the entrance.

14. There is a lot of visual agitation at the enterprise. The team must know its heroes.

15. The production area is sterile, even in the corridors. "Lanterns" under the ceiling are devices for exterminating insects if they suddenly fly inside.

16. Receiving milk is a responsible post. All milk undergoes strict input control for fat content, the number of bacteria, protein content and a bunch of other parameters. A special point is testing for three types of antibiotics that can get into milk when treating cows. Antibiotics can affect lactic acid bacteria and thus disrupt the entire technological process.

17. Igor Petrovich is honored throughout the Internet.

18. "Culture tank" - a container into which beneficial microorganisms, responsible for all products, enter.

19. The production itself looks like kilometers of stainless steel pipes and various tanks.

20. We will not see yoghurt until the very stage of packaging.

21. In addition to milk, fruit fillings are used in the production of yoghurts. They are supplied in large drums weighing about a ton.

22. All equipment is controlled from a single center, where operators are on duty around the clock.

23. The triumph of automation.

24. Selfie hemispheres are installed in the corridors of the plant. Also, these mirrors are used by drivers of electric vehicles for safe driving.

25. We go to the shop. Familiar rolls of labels are on the cart.

26. More plastic rolls are used for packaging. Manufacturing the packaging just before filling does not allow bacteria to get inside.

27. The film heats up and gets under the press.

28. Each section has a set temperature.

29. After the press, the boxes come out.

30. Lids go in parallel.

31. The boxes are filled with yogurt through the dispensers.

32. If it is required to change the flavor on the line, the flavors change from “light” to “dark”.

33. The boxes are sealed with lids.

34. The finished product goes to the tape.

35. It remains only to pack everything in boxes.

36. 15 filling lines can work at the same time.

37. At breaks, the lines are flushed.

38. One more line.

39. Rastishka is packed here.

40. The kids will be happy.

41. Yoghurts are divided into spoon and drinkable.

42. Some types of packaging are not produced in the Danone factory. Once they were made in other districts of the Moscow region, but the supplier decided that it would be easier to build a plant nearby in order to save on transportation. Now the bottles are piped from the factory to the factory. Before packing, just in case, they are treated with peroxide and washed with hot water.

43. The most common bottles are made by themselves.

44. Bottles are blown out of these preforms. Depending on the task, bottles of different shapes and sizes can be obtained from the blank.

45. Covers are separately.

46. ​​Guess what is being poured here?

47.

48. Shrink-wrap labels are placed on the bottles after filling.

49. A moment - the bottles take on a familiar form.

51. Two lines work simultaneously.

52. Can be packed on pallets.

53.

55. Before the products arrive at the warehouse, you need to check the quality of the packaging and the product itself. Packaging control is carried out visually.

56. To control the quality, the responsible employee takes a couple of bottles from the pallet and tries it.

57. In place of the seized samples, bottles are placed from the line, after which the pallet is tied with tape.

58. Also, control samples from each batch are sent to the laboratory. Some are checked, and some are sent to rooms that are maintained at temperatures that simulate different storage conditions. If there are any quality claims, the first thing to do is examine the control samples. It is very appropriate to draw an analogy here.

59. There is a room with a temperature of + 30 ° C.

60. It is believed that three days in this room is equivalent to the entire shelf life at the required temperature of + 4 ° C.

61. Now that's exactly it. The only thing left to do is to photograph a poster with the plant's strategy for the coming years. The goals are stated to be serious. Good luck.

62. By the time we returned, the children were already at the training center, where they refreshed themselves before the return journey and examined the playful qualities of the packaging.

63. Thank you so much for the educational tour to Danone staff and the community mosblog .

P.S.
And one more report from a young participant, short in content, but long in preparation.

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Best used fresh cow's milk... In order to reduce the fat content of this product, I first collected the cream from it. You can buy sourdough bacteria at your supermarket, drugstore, or health food store. It is worth choosing a trusted manufacturer. From the dishes you will need a saucepan, spoons, containers for pouring the finished product.

Milk yogurt at home: a recipe with a photo step by step

Cooking time: 10-12 hours

Servings: 2 liters

Ingredients:

• Milk - 2 liters.
• Sourdough - 1 package
• Powdered sugar - to taste
• Yogurt additives - fruits, jams, dried fruits, nuts, etc.

Step-by-step photo recipe on how to make yogurt from milk at home without a yogurt maker:

Highly important point making yogurt at home is the sterility of the utensils used, since dairy products it is a suitable habitat not only for beneficial bacteria, but also for dangerous microorganisms. Therefore, all used appliances must be boiled or sterilized in an oven or double boiler.

Boil milk for several minutes. To prevent it from burning, pour a little water into the bottom of the pan. We collect the formed foam. When using store-bought pasteurized milk, it will not be superfluous to bring it to a boil again.

Then the milk should be cooled to a temperature of 38-45⁰С. If you don't have a thermometer, you can dip your finger into the milk and count to ten. If the milk is hot, but does not bake, then you can proceed with further actions.

Slowly add the starter culture in the form of a powder to the milk so that it is evenly distributed in the liquid, stirring with a spoon.

If a yogurt maker or a slow cooker is used to prepare yoghurt, then it is enough to place the preliminary preparation in the bowl and select the required mode. But for the preparation of yoghurt, you can do without special electrical appliances. For this, dishes with milk must be wrapped in a warm blanket or towel and left in a warm place for 8-10 hours. You can also use a thermos.

After the time has passed, the yoghurt should have a thick consistency. In order for its appearance to become more attractive, the finished yogurt must be knocked down with a whisk or blender.

The resulting yogurt can be sweetened icing sugar, also add any fruit or jam.

The finished product must be placed in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Thanks to this, it will acquire a denser consistency, and live bacteria will live in it longer. Bon Appetit!