Homemade yogurt is a DIY project that requires quite some time and effort. It’s not as simple, fast or efficient to make it on your own when buying store-bought options, but there are benefits worth considering for those who take their vitamins seriously enough!
Milk
To boil or not to boil? That entirely depends on the type of milk you are using for making the homemade Yogurt. Fresh milk must be boiled before use. It cannot culture without being sterile; however, pasteurized dairy has been previously heated and only needs warming before the yogurt-making process begins – no need to go through all that trouble!
The type of milk you use to make yoghurt can significantly impact the result. Cow’s milk gives mild, medium-consistency yogurts, while black goat’s lymph provides more flavour with richer flavouring capabilities than either cows or white goats but still sets less firm when compared to Side by Side.
Adding the starter for homemade Yogurt
To make yogurt, you need active cultures. The easiest way to get them is by using some starters from previous batches as a jumping-off point for new ones!
If you are not too experienced with making it yourself save bits and pieces of each batch so they can turn into starters, too – remember two significant points when utilizing these: 1) Make sure there’s enough liquid in the container 2-) Keep at room temperature (not higher than 65 degrees).
Old starter vs Fresh starter
Instead of using an old yogurt as your starter, opt for something fresh. A newer product will have milder flavours and less sourness than what you could achieve with a more experienced provider like yourself!
Live and active cultures are a huge benefit to making your yogurt, but it’s essential you know what kind of bacteria is present. If store-bought yogurts list “active Cultures” or “Live Cultures”, they contain live organisms that will help grow the taste of this delicious food!
How to make mild taste and sour taste homemade yogurt
The rule of thumb is one tablespoon starter per litre (5 cups) of milk if you want your yogurt to be mild and not too sour. If it’s more preference for the tangy taste, I recommend increasing that amount to up to 4 tablespoons at once!
The Incubation period for the Yogurt
You need to keep your starter covered in a warm place. For milk, turn it into yogurt after adding the starter; you should pour it into pots and cover it with lids or blankets, do not move the pot!
Incubating your milk with a starter will affect the consistency and flavour of yogurt. The longer you keep it, the thicker and more sour-tasting yours should be! It is recommended to check after 4 hours to see if there’s anything else that needs attention before turning it out into containers for storage at room temperature (or even refrigerating).
The incubation period for yogurt is greatly affected by the temperature. On cold days, you may need up to 10-12 hours before your milk becomes yogurt, and on hot days, it can happen in just a couple of hours!