As we know, yogurt is formed from milk and bacteria; it’s good to consume if you have stomach and digestion problems. You can also prepare yogurt at home with commercial yogurt. It contains the necessary bacteria to ferment and achieve that creamy texture. Yes!!! The yogurt also contains the bacteria that divide and multiplies with time under favorable conditions and change the milk into yogurt.
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How to make homemade yogurt
Yogurts are formed from the fermentation of milk, thanks to the bacteria introduced into the milk. In this way, to create homemade yogurt, you only need two bacteria:
Lactobacillus d. Bulgaricus
Beneficial bacteria are found in the digestive tract. Intestinal bacteria are referred to as gut flora or microbes. The function of ures is to ferment the lactose (milk sugar) to produce lactic acid, which causes the milk to clot or form the soft gel characteristic of yogurt.
Streptococcus thermophilus
Streptococcus thermophilus are used as so-called “probiotics,” the opposite of antibiotics. “Friendly” bacteria such as Streptococcus thermophilus can help us break down food, absorb nutrients, and fight off “unfriendly” organisms that might cause diseases such as diarrhea.
This type of bacteria, good for our body, falls into probiotics. You can find it in supermarkets, health food stores, and perhaps the odd pharmacy. You will probably find it under the name ” yogurt ferment.” You can also order it online on platforms.
How to make homemade yogurt in a yogurt maker
Yogurt makers are very cheap containers, usually made of plastic, containing cups to prepare yogurt and making it easier for you to make homemade yogurt. Next, we explain step by step how to make homemade yogurt in a yogurt maker :
- Mix a liter of milk with probiotics or yogurt ferments. Add to the mixture, if you want, add about three tablespoons of sugar.
- Fill the yogurt maker cups with the mixture of milk and bacteria.
- Cover the yogurt maker and turn it on.
- Wait at least 8 hours to remove the yogurts, and then let them rest in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
It is advisable to prepare the yogurts at night so that the milk is fermented while you are sleeping, without waiting for it to be ready. If you have doubts about how much bacteria you have to add, the container you buy will indicate the proportions according to the milliliters of milk.
How to make homemade yogurt without a yogurt maker
Do not worry if you do not have a yogurt maker because you can also create a homemade yogurt without problems. To prepare this recipe, you just have to follow the following step by step :
- Add a liter of milk to a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- When the water starts to bubble, turn off the heat, remove the saucepan and let the milk cool down.
- Once the milk has cooled down, add the yogurt ferment and mix well. You can also add three tablespoons of sugar if you want.
- Next, introduce the mixture into different containers and cover them.
- Then, let the product rest for 12 hours in a place with a temperature of 25º C.
- After that time, the milk will have successfully fermented, and you can now enjoy your homemade yogurt. However, before taking it, let it rest in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours.
- You can also preheat the oven at maximum power for 5 minutes, turn it off, and insert the containers with the yogurts. In this case, you will also have to wait 12 hours.
How to make homemade yogurt with a thermomix
The good thing about the Thermo mixer is that you add the ingredients, and the device takes care of everything else. If you have a thermomix and want to take advantage of it by creating homemade yogurts, follow this simple step by step :
- Mix a liter of milk with yogurt ferments and, if you want, also add three tablespoons of sugar.
- Then, put the mixture in the thermomix.
- The thermomix will heat the ingredients to an optimal temperature, so we will only wait 8 hours.
- After that time, we will have our homemade yogurts ready! Of course, before consuming them, let them rest in the refrigerator between 3 and 4 hours.
- However, keep in mind that each thermomix is different, so depending on the model we have, the steps to follow should vary slightly. Some of these more modern devices have an automatic mode to prepare yogurts.
How to make homemade yogurt in a pressure cooker
Another option if you don’t know how to make homemade yogurt is to use a pressure cooker. Next, we explain how to do it step by step :
- Heat a liter of milk over medium heat.
- Once it starts to boil, turn off the heat and let the milk cool down.
- When it is cold, add the bacteria that you have previously bought. You can also add if you want, 3 tablespoons of sugar.
- Then, introduce the mixture in different containers in equal parts.
- Next, take the pressure cooker and fill it halfway with water.
- Next, bring the water in the pressure cooker to a boil.
- When it is already boiling, turn off the heat and quickly introduce the containers of your homemade yogurt.
- Leave them in hot water for a minute.
- After a minute, carefully remove them and empty the water from the pressure cooker.
- Finally, cover the yogurts, put the containers back into the pressure cooker, and cover it with its lid and a blanket to conserve heat.
- After 8 hours, the yogurts will be ready.
It is recommended to leave the pressure cooker inside the oven, without heating, to avoid drafts. It can also be helpful to let the yogurts settle later in the fridge for between 4 and 6 hours.
How to make creamy homemade yogurt
Now that you know the different ways to make homemade yogurt, you can add slight variations to the recipe so that the texture of your yogurt is just right. For example, if you want to make a creamy homemade yogurt, you can add 100 ml of liquid cream to the mixture so that the texture is smoother and 50 g of powdered milk to prevent the result from being too liquid.
If your ideal texture is firm, you should only use skimmed milk instead of whole or semi milk. Being fat-free, skimmed milk will make the yogurt less smooth and creamy but firmer, more curdled.
How to make homemade drinking yogurt
Preparing a homemade drinking yogurt is very simple. You just have to follow the steps mentioned above, and instead of letting the yogurt rest in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours, you can leave it at room temperature and drink it. Of course, you must take this type of yogurt immediately since if you want to keep it in the fridge, it will curdle.
If you want to drink the yogurts, it is not recommended that you leave them out of the fridge for many hours because they could go wrong and would no longer be suitable for consumption. Of course, do not use milk or skimmed yogurt; it could curdle very quickly since then. You can also add 100 ml of liquid cream to the mixture to make the result more fluid and smooth.
Different flavors milk
Nowadays, yogurts have large varieties and flavors in the market, but you can also prepare them. Like banana, strawberry, chocolate, oatmeal, coconut flavor, yogurt also enhances the nutrients and benefits of plain yogurt.
Just blend your interested fruit ingredient like strawberry, banana, etc., and then mix them into your prepared yogurt.
Or you can mix the blended fruit in the milk while preparing for yugart.
Also read: How to make corn on the cob