How to make Greek yogurt in a yogurt maker. How to make Greek yogurt at home

In terms of its composition, taste, consistency and useful properties, Greek yogurt is similar to Georgian yogurt and Mechnikov's yogurt. If we compare it with ordinary yoghurt, then it is denser ("the spoon is worth") and more concentrated. This is no coincidence - in the manufacture of Greek sour dairy product 2 times more milk is used, in addition, it is squeezed much harder, and there is practically no milk whey, no lactose, or sugar in it. The latter is three times less than in regular yogurt.

Yogurt composition

In 100 g non-fat yogurt: 4 g sugar, 10 g protein (equivalent to 40 g chicken breast), 6 g of cholesterol, 33 mg of sodium, 10% of the daily value of calcium. Greek yogurt is high in magnesium, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. But the main thing, of course, is live lacto- and bifidobacteria.

The calorie content of Greek yogurt is 53 calories.

Benefits of Greek Yogurt

The uniqueness of Greek yogurt lies in the combination of its characteristics:

  1. Low calorie content, low sugar content and high amount of protein make it ideal for weight loss, metabolic disorders, diabetes mellitus (maintains a stable blood sugar level), vascular and heart diseases.
  2. The high content of calcium and probiotics improves immunity, eliminates inflammatory processes in the intestines, diarrhea and constipation. Yogurt protects against osteoporosis and supports weakening muscles.
  3. Living bacteria in large numbers normalizes the process of digestion and assimilation of food, and helps to prevent certain cancers.
  4. Greek yogurt helps with depression and age-related changes. It makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight, optimism and a sense of well-being after 50.
  5. The beneficial properties of the product, such as the prevention of kidney stones and stomach infections, are awaiting confirmation. Not everything has been studied and openly yet; other pleasant surprises may await us.

Doctors recommend using fermented milk product up to 3 servings a day, but it's better to start with one. Greek yogurt is especially good in winter when colds are common. Greek yogurt is a product; it has just begun to appear on our market, while in other countries it has been used for a long time and actively.

Is there too much yogurt?

The fact that a thick fermented milk drink appeared in our country later than on the market of other countries has its advantages. The fact is that, in addition to the benefits, the researchers have learned quite well and harmful parties yogurt, and today we can consume it more consciously.

The old truth - too much good is bad - works here too. This is due primarily to calcium. Excess calcium, which is abundant in yogurt, impairs the absorption of iron and zinc, increases the risk of kidney stones, calcification in the blood vessels, and prostate cancer if prone to it.

Another caveat concerns the filler craze. As manufacturers add fillers in the form of syrups, the sugar content of the product increases dramatically, and the main benefit of Greek yogurt is negated.

How to make Greek yogurt at home

Ingredients:

  • Milk (cow, goat or sheep) - 800 ml
  • Natural yogurt (or sourdough) - 130 ml

Important: milk should not be pasteurized and boiled, otherwise live beneficial bacteria will not remain in it.

  1. Heat the milk to a temperature of no more than 40-45 degrees Celsius.
  2. Dissolve natural yoghurt without any additives or starter in warm milk.
  3. Cover the Greek yogurt mass and wrap in a towel to maintain the original temperature.
  4. In about 7-8 hours the yoghurt will “ripen” and reach the required consistency. It is important not to shake or stir it, because in this case the whey will begin to separate, and the exfoliated yogurt will lose its thickness.
  5. Set aside the required amount for the starter from the resulting liquid mass for use next time.

On a note:

  • For a thicker Greek yoghurt, strain it through a sieve lined with a double layer of gauze or thick cloth.
  • Gently pour in the resulting product and leave it alone for a couple of hours. The result is about 400-450 ml of thick yogurt and the same amount of whey that can be used for baking, drinking or beauty masks.
  • Greek yogurt can, if desired, be sweetened with honey, enriched with berries or fruits, and mixed with chocolate pieces.

How to cook with a yogurt maker

Why do many people prefer to cook in a yogurt maker? The device keeps the temperature most suitable for fermentation, has cups, which is convenient, and cooking in it is more comfortable and carefree. You can choose even the simplest option, and it will make it easier for you to prepare the product.

In a simple yogurt maker, it looks like this: at the stage of adding sourdough to milk, you pour the entire product into glasses, and in a yogurt maker it languishes for about 8 hours, reaching the desired state. Then you cool it down and just put it in the refrigerator. Fast and convenient, and it always works good yogurt, in contrast to the manual method, which often fails due to the fact that it is not possible to maintain the desired temperature regime.

  1. After making yogurt, do not eat it right away - put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two, and it will become even tastier.
  2. Suitable for sourdough: Greek yogurt itself or other live yogurt that does not contain preservatives and dyes, sour cream (sour), yogurt, yogurt. Sour cream is not the best way as it does not contain Bulgarian sticks that ferment yoghurt. But even if you use ordinary sour cream, and then make a new one from the prepared yogurt, over and over again the yogurt will be saturated with the necessary bacteria and it will turn out better.
  3. Don't eat all the yogurt, don't forget about the sourdough, and leave it for the next batch.
  4. It is better to cook 2-3 servings of yoghurt at once, as the heat remains longer in a large volume of milk, and the bacteria “work” more actively (this applies only to the manual method).
  5. To determine the correct moment to add sourdough to milk, you need to either put your finger in it and count to 10, or grab the jar with your hands and also count. If the temperature is comfortable for you (milk and the jar are not scalded), then it's time to add.
  6. For the preparation of real Greek yogurt milk will take 2-3 times more product "at the exit", as it is filtered from the whey. Calculate the portion you want based on this.

Greek yogurt in cooking

The Greeks use their yogurt wherever possible: they eat and drink it just like that, add it to dishes made from meat, fish, vegetables, knead dough on it, come up with original dessert drinks.

It is often used as a substitute for sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese or oil, as it is thick and dense and is suitable for making dressings and sandwiches.

Prepared to marinate the kebab - use Greek yogurt. Do not like fatty meat - pour it over with yogurt, marinate in it - this sauce perfectly neutralizes fat. And paradoxically makes tough and dry lean meat "fatter" (softer, more tender).

At least one of the yogurt-based dishes has achieved real world fame - this is the dip dzaziki, or tzatziki sauce. Those who have been to Greece know its special refreshing taste!

And another 100 + 1 applications, for example:

  • women use Greek yogurt as a cosmetic, wash their hair and wipe their face;
  • ulcers and allergy sufferers dine with them in the office;
  • Greek yogurt is used in medicinal purposes from constipation, poisoning and high fever, stress and constant fatigue syndrome.

How to choose yoghurt in a store?

If you live in a big city and you are lucky enough to find Greek yogurt, do not rush to buy it, first check the quality:

Pay attention to the shelf life: it should not exceed 4-6 weeks;
- study the composition: milk should not be pasteurized, dyes, thickeners, preservatives should be absent, the fat content of the product - within 2-4%, protein - at least 10%.

It is better to eat open packaging immediately and not store it.

Important: European producers of Greek yogurt use thickeners, so it is safer in terms of composition to cook the product at home yourself.

Initially, Greek yogurt was made exclusively from sheep's milk, but with the development industrial production cow's milk was also widely used for its production. The fact is that the concept of "Greek" is associated not so much with the type of milk used, but with a special technology for its production.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF GREEK YOGHURT FROM CONVENTIONAL YOGHURT?

A feature of Greek yogurt is a thicker consistency due to the increased protein content (10% or more) in the product. This is achieved by the fact that ready-made ordinary yoghurt is additionally dehydrated by throwing the curd onto a dense cloth to drain the whey. The result is a thick creamy product that resembles fatty sour cream in consistency or curd cream... By the way, many peoples of Russia also had a similar recipe for obtaining a thick fermented milk product, which was called "suzma".

HOW MUCH DOES A REAL GREEK YOGHURT COST?

If by the word "real" we mean not the country of origin, but the correct production technology (without the use of stabilizers imitating the density and other additives), then such yoghurt simply must cost at least two to three times more than ordinary natural yoghurt. If you are aiming to buy "native" Greek yogurt, and again real, and not an imitation, then get ready to pay 5 times more for it than for ordinary classic yogurt.

ONLY 500 GRAMS OF GREEK YOGHURT PER DAY AND YOU WILL LOSE 22% OF YOUR OWN WEIGHT IN 5 MONTHS.

It was these results that were announced in Tatyana Malysheva's program "Living Healthy", which aired on May 24, 2013. You can watch the recording of this broadcast.

HOW TO COOK GREEK YOGHURT AT HOME

To make Greek yoghurt at home, you will need milk (it is better to take ultra-pasteurized milk) and a special dry yoghurt starter culture. Since the yield of ready-made Greek yogurt is much less than that of ordinary yogurt (from 1 liter of milk - (350 - 400) g of yogurt), it makes sense to use the yogurt starter Yoghurt, which can ferment 3 liters of milk at a time.

Milk must be heated to a temperature of 38 - 40 ºС, thoroughly mixed with the starter culture and left alone to ferment at the same temperature for 8-10 hours. To maintain the desired fermentation temperature, you can use a modern yogurt maker electric oven, a slow cooker with the "yogurt" function, or an ordinary good thermos with a wide neck. If you do not have a suitable device at home, then it will do. ordinary saucepan, which to keep warm will need to be well wrapped in crumpled newspapers, foil and a warm blanket.

After the end of fermentation, the resulting curd must be transferred to a colander lined with several layers of gauze, or a fine sieve and left to drain the whey. You can do this later by chilling the resulting yoghurt in the refrigerator. The draining time of whey will greatly depend on the nature and structure of the initial curd (the more viscous, viscous curd, the longer the whey will drain) and can take up to 9-12 hours. Therefore, try to organize this process in a cool place to slow down the vital activity of bacteria and prevent the formation of excess acidity.

If you want the whey to drain in just a couple of hours, then we recommend using Normoflor and Normolact starter cultures, which do not contain thermophilic streptococcus, for fermentation. Of course, in terms of the bacterial composition, it will no longer be yogurt, but there will be much more benefits in such a product, since the composition of these starter cultures is 100% represented by special probiotic cultures.

Yogurtel starter culture house

Thanks to unique composition, which Greek yogurt has, it is without exaggeration - an ideal dish. It contains the vitamins and nutrients needed for health in optimized proportions.

Despite the huge assortment, this fermented milk product is more useful than its counterparts. Among other things, sugar content is excluded from the composition of the dessert, so it will not harm people with diabetes.

Yoghurt cheese or Greek yogurt is also called "labana" or "dahi". This type of composition is classified as filtered, since it undergoes fabric or paper filtration during the manufacturing process. Due to this, the drink is given a dense consistency, the characteristic sour taste is preserved.

A quality product contains natural milk and a starter culture consisting of Bulgarian bacillus and thermophilic streptococcus. Products containing extraneous ingredients - powdered milk, pectin, preservatives and other additives are clearly not yogurt.

Thanks to the helpful and nutritional properties yogurt in Greek, dishes with its use are better absorbed and quickly saturate the body.

Homemade Greek food retains its beneficial properties for 2-3 days when placed in the refrigerator. The maximum shelf life of the production version is up to two weeks.

How is Greek yogurt different from regular yogurt?

First of all, for the high protein content - more than 10%, at which the Greek dessert has a rich creamy consistency, in appearance similar to thick sour cream or curd cream.

Unlike the usual dessert, Greek - natural product, in the composition of which the presence of stabilizers and other additives is not observed. Thanks to filtration, the content of carbohydrates, calcium and sugar decreases, but there is more protein than in the "traditional" one.

How to choose a yoghurt starter

Starter cultures are distributed through supermarkets, pharmacies or grocery stores. Study the bacterial composition carefully before purchasing. The name in most cases is indicated in Latin. By the quantitative component of the product, it is clear how many varieties are contained in a particular package. The higher this indicator, the more useful the composition.

Quality is determined by the number of CFUs per gram. The more CFU, the better. And also CFU at the end of the shelf life should be at least 107, because the higher the degree, the more in the bacteria.

When buying a starter culture, make sure that it has been stored in proper conditions (in the refrigerator), since the shelf life cannot exceed one year at temperatures up to +10 degrees, and when frozen, this period increases to two years.

The best starter culture consists of bacteria grown by selection. Over-fermented organisms evolve and lose the ability to "take root". A high-quality sourdough is distinguished by a pure white color, while over-fermented ones have a beige tint.

The principles of preparing a fermented milk product

To obtain yoghurt in Greek, sheep (traditional), goat or cow's milk is used, combined with live bacteria. After fermentation, it is mandatory to undergo filtration, thus obtaining the required consistency. Then the finished food is packaged and sent to store shelves for sale.

In most European countries, mass-market yoghurt like Greek is made using special thickeners.

With the receipt healthy dessert any housewife can easily cope, because this requires only milk and sourdough. Do not forget about the dishes, which must be clean, otherwise unnecessary and even harmful bacteria will get into the product.

And also a real homemade yoghurt product turns out to be of high quality if 3 rules are followed exactly:

  1. In the process of making Greek yogurt, only live bacteria are added to the milk.
  2. Precisely maintained temperature required to obtain a tasty product.
  3. Do not use metal containers as stainless steel kills live bacteria.

Serum that appears on the surface of the product with or without bubbles indicates that the homemade product is prepared according to the rules and is natural.

Classic yogurt in a slow cooker

Thanks to such a wonderful device as a multicooker, preparing a Greek dessert with a classic taste becomes quite easy and simple. The reason for this is that a home assistant allows you to maintain the required temperature regime for a long time.

Compound:

  • liter of natural milk;
  • packaging of starter culture.

Preparation:

  1. In a separate saucepan, the milk is brought to a boil, after which it is cooled to 40 degrees and mixed with the sourdough.
  2. The composition is poured into the multicooker bowl, the "Heating" mode is set. Before placing the mixture, the dishes are poured over with boiling water.
  3. Yoghurt is fermented within 8 hours. In order not to create a temperature difference, do not open the device under any circumstances.
  4. The finished dessert is filtered and placed in the refrigerator compartment for two hours to cool.

Cooking without sourdough

If you don't have time to go shopping and buy starter culture, you can use a jar of purchased yogurt in the refrigerator.

Products:

  • liter of natural milk;
  • a couple of Art. l purchased Greek drink.

Preparation:

  1. The milk heats up to 85 degrees and cools down to 45.
  2. In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp. l. Greek yogurt and 5 tbsp. l. warm milk.
  3. The resulting mixture is poured into a saucepan and mixed. Only without fanaticism!
  4. The container with the components of the dish is neatly wrapped in a warm blanket, placed in a thermo bag or placed by the battery for 8-10 hours.
  5. The finished dessert is kept in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before use.

Milk based recipe

To prepare Greek yoghurt using cow's milk, keep in mind that the required 30 degrees for the correct fermentation of curdled milk will be maintained in a bulky dish (at least 2 liters). For cooking less than the specified amount, you will need a thermostatic yogurt maker or thermos.

Products:

  • liter of fresh natural milk;
  • 150 ml live yoghurt or starter starter sachet.

Preparation:

  1. The milk is heated to 40 degrees.
  2. Starter culture is poured into a clean container, which is diluted with 1/3 of the milk. Everything is mixed and supplemented with the rest of the milk.
  3. If a saucepan wrapped in a blanket is used, the mixture is exposed to heat for 6-8 hours. Be careful! If the contents are shaken or mixed, the original thickness will be lost and the whey will separate (stratification).
  4. After the time has elapsed, the fermented product is removed to the refrigerator for cooling.

For a rich dessert, drain the whey with a colander and thick cloth. In a few hours, almost half a liter of whey will separate, which is used to prepare dough, grooming masks, or simply as a thirst quencher. The yoghurt is stirred.

Fruit yogurt in a slow cooker

An easy multicooker yogurt recipe with added fruit will give you the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful low-calorie breakfast.

Compound:

  • a liter of milk with a fat content of 3.2%;
  • 200 g live yogurt;
  • 200-300 g of any fruit or berries.

Preparation:

  1. The portioned jars are thoroughly washed and calcined in the oven or microwave.
  2. The peel is removed from the fruit, after which they are crushed using a blender. The berries are additionally rubbed.
  3. The milk is brought to a boil and cooled to 40 degrees.
  4. Live yogurt and berry / fruit puree are laid out in the liquid, everything is mixed until smooth.
  5. The finished mixture is poured into portioned jars, which are carefully placed on the bottom of the bowl, previously covered with a cloth napkin.
  6. 1/3 of the cylinders are filled warm water, the appliance closes and switches to Yogurt mode.
  7. After 7 hours, the containers are removed from the bowl of the device and put away for 5-6 hours in the refrigerator for cooling.

To all Bon appetit and health!

Mediterranean cuisine is considered the healthiest. The traditional dairy dish on the Greek menu is yoghurt. This natural product is loved not only in Greece, but also abroad. What is the composition of Greek yogurt, what are its beneficial properties and what is the calorie content?

What is Greek Yogurt?

In the Mediterranean countries, this fermented milk product is made from sheep or goat milk. V mass production cow's milk is most often used for the base of this dairy product. Is a filtered yoghurt cheese. During the manufacturing process, the Greek dairy product is filtered to remove the whey.

In consistency, it turns out to be thick, homogeneous and light. There is nothing artificial in the composition of the product, but only natural ingredients. This type of dairy product contains:

  • live bacteria cultures;
  • bifidobacteria;
  • lactobacillus;
  • lactic acid coca.

For preparation, use cow's, goat's or sheep's milk and combine it with live bacteria. After receiving almost finished mass it is filtered. This results in a thick consistency. The product is now ready to eat. All-natural Greek yogurt shouldn't have a long shelf life. If the packaging indicates that the shelf life is no more than a month, then it is completely natural.

After the fermentation process, there is no milk whey, sugar or lactose left in it. However, it contains valuable live bacteria and is high in calcium, protein and magnesium. The Greek product has a characteristic creamy taste with a pleasant sourness.

Beneficial features

Besides the pleasant taste and natural composition greek yogurt attractive and many other features... It is fat-free and minimal in carbohydrates. Its composition is based on proteins (46%) and calcium (25%). In finished form, such a milk mass resembles a cocktail of beneficial microorganisms, with which you can heal the body.

All of these properties of Greek yogurt have made it a popular staple among proponents. diet food... The high amount of protein and lack of fat attracts those who want to lose weight and take care of their health.

High calcium content helps to strengthen bones, and also helps to speed up metabolic processes in the body. Calcium, together with probiotics, helps to strengthen the immune system, eliminate constipation and diarrhea, and remove inflammatory processes in the intestines. Calcium supports weakening muscles and eliminates the risk of osteoporosis.

Protein acts as a stabilizer for blood glucose. This is very important for those on a rigid diet, as this protein intake prevents hypoglycemia. A large number of living bacteria normalizes the digestive processes. The consumption of such a product is a good prevention of some types of cancer.

Greek yogurt is very beneficial for people suffering from kidney stones, stomach infections... It helps well with depressive conditions and age-related changes.

However, such fermented milk food, in addition to benefits, can be harmful. The high calcium content in the product with excessive consumption of yogurt is harmful to health. It is worth paying attention to the composition of the product, since sometimes it can contain various fillers. In its pure form, natural mass is much more beneficial.

How to make Greek yogurt?

For us, this food is still a rarity and it is almost not on store shelves. It can be made at home using a recipe. To cook greek homemade yogurt you will need readily available components:

  • 800 ml of milk (cow or goat);
  • 140 g starter culture, you can also take natural yogurt.

Fresh milk must be poured into a saucepan and heated until warm. It is impossible to bring milk to a boil otherwise it will not contain valuable for the body useful properties... Then sourdough or natural yogurt is added to the milk. Everything is thoroughly mixed and left for several hours. Cover the pot with a tight lid and wrap it with a blanket or towel so that the product does not cool down. The container must be placed in a warm place for 7-8 hours, otherwise yoghurt will not work.

To get it a good product , the container must not be touched, for example, stirring or banging. He must remain calm and warm. When time passes, the mass is filtered through a fine sieve, cheesecloth. The finished product will turn out without whey, but you should not eat it right away. Yogurt is placed in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then it will be ready to eat.

Low-fat milk can be used to make low-fat Greek yogurt. Such a product is especially useful if there are health problems or those who are on a strict diet.

Doctors consider Greek yogurt product of longevity... They recommend including it in your daily diet. Not everyone has the opportunity to buy it in the store, so the question arises of how to replace Greek yogurt or how to prepare it. The recipe is simple, so you can prepare it at home if you wish. You can replace it with low-fat sour cream, kefir or ordinary natural yoghurt.

The calorie content per 100 g of this fermented milk product is 66 calories. His the energy value expressed in the following indicators:

  • proteins - 5 g;
  • fats - 3.2 g;
  • carbohydrates - 3.5 g.

It is always useful to include such a low-calorie product in your diet, especially for women after 40-50 years... If you do this regularly, you can lose weight well and provide the body with calcium and other beneficial substances. Low fat Greek yogurt also contains fewer calories... Given its minimal carbohydrate content and lack of lactose, it is a great way to shed those extra pounds.

Fermented milk product in many countries replaces mayonnaise and sour cream. Due to this, the calorie content of the prepared dishes is reduced. It is often used in the preparation of many dishes in Greek cuisine, as well as other countries of the world.

Supporters healthy eating have long appreciated the benefits of Greek yogurt. Its low calorie content makes it possible to include this product in the diet of weight watchers. The thick consistency of Greek yogurt makes it a substitute for sour cream and mayonnaise. It is favorably distinguished from these products not only by low energy value, but also by the presence of beneficial bacteria in the composition, high content of calcium and protein, delicate taste... Done correctly, it does not collapse when heat treatment... You can stew meat in it, make casseroles with it. Many people use it as the basis of a cream for a cake and dessert with fresh berries and fruits, season with it vegetable salads... In Greece itself, they make thick sauce spread on bread.

If you compare the cost of Greek yogurt and other fermented milk products, the desire to buy it may disappear. In addition, no one knows for certain whether thickeners and preservatives were added to the product during production. It will be much safer and cheaper to make Greek yogurt at home. If you follow the directions in the recipe exactly, this culinary experiment will be crowned with success even with an inexperienced housewife.

Cooking features

If you have experience in making any fermented milk products at home, then you can easily make Greek yogurt. The technology is the same: sourdough is added to warm milk, the container with it is wrapped so that the warm environment necessary for the development of beneficial microorganisms remains as long as possible. They wait several hours, then the finished product is put into the refrigerator and used for its intended purpose. Nevertheless, despite the seeming simplicity, the process of making Greek yogurt at home has many subtleties. You need to know them if you expect to get an acceptable result.

  • Milk for making Greek yoghurt requires whole milk that has not been sterilized. If antibiotics were added to the milk during production, it will not be fermented.
  • For beneficial microorganisms to begin to multiply, milk must be warm, but not hot. The optimal temperature is 40–45 degrees. First, the milk is heated to about 70-80 degrees, not allowing it to boil, then cooled. Dip your finger in the milk and try to keep it there for more than 10 seconds. If this turns out to be impossible or succeeds with difficulty, then the milk needs to be cooled a little more.
  • For the preparation of Greek yoghurt, you can purchase a special sachet starter culture. One such bag is enough for fermentation of 1–1.5 liters of milk. This sourdough is sold in many supermarkets, and you can also order it in online stores. You can replace it with ordinary natural yogurt (for example, "Activia"), yogurt, Mechnikov's yogurt and other fermented milk products, for the preparation of which the Bulgarian stick is used. Sour cream will not work for this purpose. After making homemade Greek yogurt, it is recommended that you leave a portion of it for use as a starter for the next serving. Then every time the yoghurt will be tastier and healthier.
  • It is recommended to ferment large portions of milk (2–3 l) at a time, then it will cool more slowly, which will allow better development of beneficial bacteria, thanks to which you will get a thicker and higher quality product.
  • During fermentation of yoghurt, rearrange the container with products from place to place, move it, do not shake it, this will disrupt the process.
  • The essential difference between the preparation of Greek yoghurt and ordinary yoghurt is in its expression. For this, yoghurt is placed in a colander covered with gauze, set over a saucepan and left for 2-3 hours. If you are making Greek yogurt in a yogurt maker using a special starter culture, you can do without expressing.

Putting Greek yoghurt in the refrigerator for a few hours after cooking makes it even thicker and tastier.

The classic Greek yogurt recipe

  • milk - 2 l;
  • Greek yogurt or other fermented milk product containing Bulgarian bacillus - 0.4 l.

Cooking method:

  • Pour some milk (20–40 ml), heat it up to make sure it doesn't turn sour - you don't always know how to taste it. If the milk is not fresh enough, it will curdle.
  • Heat the remaining milk over low heat. As soon as you notice that it is about to simmer, remove it from the heat.
  • Let the milk cool slightly and pour into a clean 3-liter jar.
  • Cover the jar with a clean lid or cloth and wait for the milk to cool down to a comfortable temperature. You can check the readiness of milk for fermentation as follows: grasp the jar with your palms, slowly count to ten. If you weren't uncomfortable, the milk has cooled down enough. If it's too cold, the bacteria won't work, so try not to miss it when the milk is at the right temperature.
  • Add the fermented milk product used as a sourdough to the milk. Mix gently.
  • Put the jar in the oven, turn it on, setting the minimum heating - the temperature in the oven should not exceed 50 degrees. If your oven gets hotter, you will not be able to use it. Then the jar will have to be closed and wrapped in a woolen blanket or other warm materials. The wrapped jar is tucked into a corner where no one will disturb it. Some housewives put it under the kitchen table or under the bed.
  • If you are cooking Greek yogurt in the oven, you can remove it from the oven after 6 hours. If the jar is wrapped up in the room, you will have to wait longer - 8-12 hours. After the specified time, the yogurt is poured into a colander, covered with gauze and set over a saucepan, left for 3 hours.

The strained yogurt is transferred to a clean jar and put into the refrigerator. Serum is used for the preparation of any dishes or for cosmetic purposes. You can ferment milk not only in a jar, but also in a saucepan. Some people use a thermos for this. Its capacity is usually less than 3 liters, so the amount of ingredients used must be proportionally reduced.

Greek yogurt in a yogurt maker

  • milk - 1 l;
  • sourdough for preparing Greek yogurt - 1 sachet.

Cooking method:

  • Heat the milk to 40–45 degrees.
  • Pour out 100 ml of milk, mix it with the sourdough.
  • Top up the rest of the milk, mix well.
  • Pour milk into special cups.
  • Turn on the yogurt maker for 8 hours.
  • After the indicated time, evaluate the thickness of the product. If it seems too runny, run the yogurt maker for another 1-2 hours.

After that, it remains to remove the cups of homemade Greek yogurt in the refrigerator.

Greek yogurt in a slow cooker

  • milk - 1 l;
  • sourdough (yogurt or yogurt) - 150 g.

Cooking method:

  • Heat milk to a temperature slightly higher than the temperature of the human body.
  • Mix it with sourdough.
  • Place in a container smaller than the multicooker bowl.
  • Place a cloth on the bottom of the multicooker bowl, place a container of milk on it. The fabric is needed so as not to scratch the multicooker bowl. If the container with yogurt itself is glass, then the fabric will also be needed so that the glass does not crack when heated.
  • Pour warm water into the multicooker bowl, it should cover two-thirds of the container with milk.
  • Switch on the machine by selecting the Yogurt program. If there is no such program, the “Multipovar” function will do. The temperature will then have to be set manually, 40 degrees are required. If your appliance does not have this function as well, cook yoghurt in the warming mode. Cooking time in any of the named programs is 6 hours.
  • After the end of the program, carefully remove the container with yoghurt from the multicooker bowl.
  • Place cheesecloth folded in 2-3 layers in a colander, set it over the pan.
  • Transfer the yogurt to a colander and forget about it for 2 hours.

It remains to arrange the yogurt in jars and store it in the refrigerator. Homemade Greek yogurt has a shelf life of 72 hours. The method of preparation of the product does not affect this period.

Greek yogurt is high in calcium and protein, with almost no sugars and lactose. The fat content of the product rarely exceeds 4%. All this makes it in demand among people who adhere to the principles of healthy eating. If you have doubts about the quality of store-bought Greek yogurt or if it seems too expensive for you, you can make it at home. While the technology for making homemade Greek yogurt has many nuances, it is not complicated. By carefully following the instructions, even a novice cook will cope with the task, and using kitchen gadgets it is even easier.