Where did the honest yogurt that could be cut with a spoon go? Today it is the same modified starch, gelatin or guar gum. But the problem is that these thickeners turn a healthy product into a completely unsuitable product.
Why do you want “live” yogurt and not just the white stuff?
Yogurt is one of the best foods for our gut, which as we know is the seat of our immunity. The right ones contained in it help us digest, fight against flatulence and clean our skin.
But for it to work, the cultures in the cup must be really alive. When yogurt is artificially thickened and stabilized to last forever on the shelf, its true health benefits are often overlooked. Even worse, more and more people are talking about . Homemade gives you absolute power over what you spoon up.
A perfect breakfast is just a step away. Just add nuts, some fruit, flakes or maybe chia seeds.
Milk alchemy in the kitchen
What will you need? You can get by with little and that’s how it should be. You also don’t need any expensive devices that will just take up space on the line. It’s basically just containers that maintain the right temperature. All you need at home is:
- 1 liter of whole milkideally it should be fresh pasteurized milk.
- 2 to 3 spoons of plain plain yogurt with a live culture. All plain yogurts should work, but by trial and error you will soon find that there are big differences,
- jars with caps that are very clean or sterilized.
- First, heat the milk to approximately 80 °C, i.e. just below the boiling point, small bubbles will start to form. This will destroy unwanted bacteria.
- Then let it cool to a temperature where you can hold your little finger in it but it will burn, i.e. ideally around 42 to 45°C. If you have a thermometer, you don’t have to guess anything.
- Mix the yogurt into the warm milk of approx. 42 °C and now the main part comes. You need to keep it at this temperature for several hours.
Method – water bath (container in a container)
Place glasses or other closed containers with yogurt in a pot of warm water (approximately 45 °C). Cover the pot and keep an eye on the water. When it cools down, pour off a little and pour hot. It’s a little fiddly, but the result is worth it.
Method – under the duvet
Our grandmothers used to do this. Wrap the warm mixture in closed jars properly in several towels and then in the thickest blanket or duvet you have at home. If your house is cold, add to them thermophor or pet a hot water bottle. Leave this pack to rest undisturbed for 6 to 8 hours.
Method – in the oven
If you have an oven that can hold a low temperature, put the jars in there. The goal is to keep the temperature inside at a stable 35 to 40 °C, which is completely sufficient for the bacteria.
Yogurt is usually ready in 4 to 10 hours. The bacteria need more time if you have mixed in only a little yogurt. After several hours, the yogurt is also more acidic, but the amount of probiotics is higher.
Try different variations and see what works for you. Just chill the finished yogurt in the fridge. It usually lasts a week.
Extra thick homemade yogurt
If you want the yogurt so thick that a spoon will stand in it, let the finished yogurt drip through a cheesecloth. This will get rid of the excess whey and create something that looks remarkably like Greek yogurts.
But it’s useless. Honest homemade yogurt is full of good things and whey contains protein and only a fool would do without it. After all, it is the whey that is sold as a protein for athletes.
