Homemade yoghurts. How to make homemade yogurt

19.10.2019

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 the starter culture with bacteria at your supermarket, pharmacy or specialty store. healthy eating... 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 fermented milk products are 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 the 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, ready-made 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!

The fact that not all purchased products are equally useful - for a long time known fact, in this regard, it is increasingly possible to notice that young modern housewives prefer home-made products: homemade mayonnaise, cheese, kefir and even yogurt. The popularity of homemade products is not in vain so great, because the absence of thickeners, dyes and preservatives plays in our favor, and making a homemade product, for the most part, is much cheaper than buying it.

In this article, we will learn how to make yogurt at home, and consider all the nuances of this process.

How to make natural yogurt?

Making yogurt at home, at first, is not so easy, however, having dealt with the technological and microbiological details of this process, it becomes clear that making yogurt with your own hands is not much more difficult than buying it in a supermarket.

So, to begin with, we choose a starter culture: a pharmacy or store-bought liquid or powdery starter culture of lactobacilli, lactococci, or thermophilic streptococci, together - the first component of the future product. No matter how hard you try, it is impossible to prepare a yogurt starter on your own, however, concentrated cultures can be replaced with a few tablespoons of ready-made yogurt, without filler.

The second key to successful cooking is compliance with the cooking technology. Before starting cooking, it is necessary to sterilize the utensils used: a saucepan and a spoon, using steam or simply pouring boiling water over them. It is better to use a heavy-walled or double-bottomed saucepan to better keep warm. By the way, the ideal temperature for fermenting yoghurt is in the range from 40 to 44 degrees.

It takes about 5-6 hours to cook yogurt without a yogurt maker, the longer - the more sour the finished product will be, but do not overdo the delicacy, otherwise it may turn into yogurt. The consistency of the finished product is moderately thick and dense, slightly stringy, but not lumpy.

To stop cooking, at the end of the fermentation process, the pot with yogurt is placed in the refrigerator and consumed for up to 4-5 days.

How to make yoghurt at home?

This recipe describes the preparation of yoghurt without a special ferment, but on the basis of an already finished product. When buying yogurt for sourdough, be sure to pay attention to its composition: it should not contain any additives or fillers (the composition is only milk and sourdough), and the shelf life should not exceed 1 month. Also avoid past product heat treatment or referred to as a "yoghurt product".

Ingredients:

milk (fat) - 1 l;
yogurt - 100 g.

Preparation

Bring the milk to a boil, boil for about 5 minutes, and then cool to 40 degrees, do not forget to remove the resulting foam. Pour the yogurt into the cooled milk and mix well with a whisk. Further, our task is to keep the temperature at 40 degrees. This can be achieved in several ways: pour the mixture into a thermos, wrap the pan with a blanket and put on the battery, or place the container in the oven at a constant 40 degrees. In any case, the fermentation time will take on average 5-6 hours; during this period, the pan must not be opened or moved! After fermentation, we check the consistency - if the yogurt is moderately liquid, then it can be taken out and cooled, since over time it will thicken a little more.

Homemade Yogurt Sourdough Recipe

It is even more convenient to use ready-made starter cultures.

Ingredients:

Natural yogurt is often mentioned in healthy food recipes. You will rarely find it on sale, so the most the best way- learn to cook at home. The main thing is to do it right.

Homemade yogurt

Natural yoghurt has three ingredients: whole milk, Bulgarian bacillus (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) and thermophilic lactic acid streptococcus (Streptococcus thermophilus).

These microorganisms are extremely useful: they normalize the intestinal flora, stop the growth of putrefactive and pathogenic bacteria, strengthen the immune system, weakened by poor ecology and low-quality products. Stimulates the absorption of essential amino acids and vitamins (including rare K and groups B, D), calcium, iron.

Natural yoghurt should be free of preservatives, stabilizers, flavorings, colors, sugar additives and sweeteners. The shelf life of natural yoghurt is no more than a month. The problem is that during industrial production and transportation, the beneficial bacteria have very little chance of survival. And if there is a scanty amount of them in yogurt, the effect of it tends to zero.

How to make natural yoghurt at home?

If you are looking for natural yoghurt, the safest way is to make your own. I asked Irina Rozhkova, senior researcher at the Central Laboratory of Microbiology of the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry, to give step by step instructions and describe typical mistakes that we allow when we take yogurt at home.

Step 1. Buy a yoghurt starter

The leaven is sold in pharmacies. It is enough to prepare several liters of yoghurt.

Not worth it: Use store-bought yogurt as a starter, even without additives or preservatives. The fact is that due to the peculiarities of the fermented milk product, foreign polluting microflora is inevitably formed in it (most often colibacillus). When fermented, such pathogenic microflora can increase, which leads to infections and food poisoning.

Step 2. Choose milk

Ideal - pasteurized or UHT milk with a short shelf life. Dairy experts trust, for example, the products of the Obninsk Dairy Plant, Valio and Ruzskoe Milk.

Not worth it: make yogurt with sterilized milk. The European Union is already abandoning this technology: vitamins and other valuable substances in such milk are lost. In addition, a lot of salt and stabilizers are added to the sterilized beverage.

Step 3. Dilute the starter culture

Bring a glass of milk (150-200 ml) to a boil and cool to + 40-45 degrees. Add 5-7 ml of this milk to the sourdough bottle. Shake lightly. Mix the resulting liquid from the bottle with the rest of the milk. Transfer to a thermos or yogurt maker. Place in a warm place, such as near a radiator, or cover with a pillow. Ferment for eight to ten hours. Liquid sourdough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Not worth it: checking milk temperature with your finger is not hygienic. Apply the container to your cheek - if the skin is tolerant, the temperature is ideal. Do not put ingredients in a plastic container. Even with slight heating, plastic can release carcinogenic phenol-formaldehyde resins into milk.

Step 4. Prepare the yogurt

Boil and cool one liter of milk to + 40-45 degrees. Place a tablespoon of the diluted sourdough in it. Pour into glass jar, a thermos or yogurt maker and ferment for five to six hours. This yogurt can be stored in the refrigerator for five to seven days.

Not worth it: add for thickness powdered milk — useful qualities it will definitely not add to your homemade yoghurt. Do not ignore the rules of sanitary safety - always treat dishes with boiling water.

Gettyimages / Fotobank.ru

Homemade yogurt

Natural yogurt consists of three components: whole milk, bulgarian bacillus (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) and thermophilic lactic acid streptococcus (Streptococcus thermophilus).

Natural yoghurt should be free of preservatives, stabilizers, flavorings, colors, sugar additives and sweeteners. The shelf life of natural yoghurt is no more than a month. The problem is that during industrial production and transportation, beneficial bacteria have very little chance of surviving. And if there is a scanty amount of them in yogurt, the effect of it tends to zero.

How to make natural yoghurt at home?

If you are looking for natural yoghurt, the safest way is to make your own. I asked Irina Rozhkova, senior researcher at the Central Laboratory of Microbiology of the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry, to give step-by-step instructions and describe the typical mistakes that we make when we take yogurt at home.

Step 1. Buy a yoghurt starter

Denis Bykovskikh

The leaven is sold in pharmacies. In Moscow, it can also be purchased at the All-Russian Research Institute of the Dairy Industry. It is enough to prepare several liters of yoghurt.

Not worth it: Use store-bought yogurt as a starter, even without additives or preservatives. The fact is that due to the peculiarities of the fermented milk product, an extraneous polluting microflora (most often E. coli) is inevitably formed in it. When fermented, such pathogenic microflora can increase, which leads to infections and food poisoning.

Step 2. Choose milk

Ideal - pasteurized or UHT milk with a short shelf life. Dairy experts trust, for example, the products of the Obninsk Dairy Plant, Valio and Ruzskoe Milk.

Step 3. Dilute the starter culture

Step 4. Prepare the yogurt

Boil and cool one liter of milk to + 40-45 degrees. Put a tablespoon of the diluted sourdough in it. Transfer to a glass jar, thermos or yogurt maker and ferment for five to six hours. This yogurt can be stored in the refrigerator for five to seven days.

Not worth it: adding powdered milk for density - this will definitely not add useful qualities to your homemade yogurt. Do not ignore the rules of sanitary safety - always treat dishes with boiling water.

Yoghurt is delicious fermented milk product.

It turns out due to the fact that lactic acid bacteria ferment milk under certain conditions, which gives the finished product a characteristic color, taste and consistency.

In addition, yogurt is a healthy fermented milk product that has a beneficial effect on the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.

Thus, regular consumption of yogurt stimulates metabolic processes and normalizes bowel function.

How to make yogurt at home: is it possible?

Today, you can find a huge assortment of various yoghurts on store shelves, but it is rather difficult to find a truly healthy and safe product. However, yoghurts can be made at home as well, and it is not difficult as it might seem. But the advantages of homemade yoghurt in comparison with the goods sold are obvious:

1. Home-made yoghurt is a natural, environmentally friendly product, without dyes, preservatives and other chemicals, and harmful additives.

2. You can easily control the calorie content of the finished product, for this it is enough to use milk of different fat content.

3. Homemade yogurt is an opportunity to express your imagination. Experimentally, you can achieve different densities. In addition, many different variations can be made from classic yogurt, resulting in a lot of unique and interesting desserts. Use fillers such as fresh berries, fresh and canned fruit, dried fruit, muesli, cereal, chocolate, or coconut flakes.

4. Homemade yoghurt is great for making of various kinds sauces, for dressing fruit and vegetable salads... Thanks to this product, the usual salty, sweet, spicy dishes acquire new interesting tastes.

5. Homemade yogurt lasts three to four days in the refrigerator. The main condition is that the container with yogurt is tightly sealed. After this time homemade yogurt not suitable for consumption. But this fact is another proof that the product is natural and does not look like store-bought long-term storage, which, unfortunately, only has a name from real yoghurt.

6. It is noteworthy that it is not necessary to have a yoghurt maker to prepare yoghurt; the product can be prepared using improvised means, such as a saucepan, slow cooker, jar, thermos and others.

How to make yogurt at home: what is needed for this

To make homemade yoghurt, you must have two ingredients: milk and sourdough. The rest can be added based on your taste preferences.

Milk... Ideally, it is best to purchase fresh country milk, you can also purchase 10% cream. To prepare low-calorie yogurt, it is enough to take milk of 3.5-5% fat content. The main thing is that the original product is pasteurized, not sterilized, and there is no long-term storage. It is also permissible to use baked milk, the taste of the finished yoghurt will be delicate, caramelized.

Milk is poured into an enamel pan, brought to a boil, and then cooled to 45 degrees. You can use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature. If the milk is hotter than necessary, all beneficial trace elements and bacteria will simply die.

Leaven... Also for cooking delicious dessert leaven is required. You can use ready-made starter culture or "live" natural yoghurt with a short shelf life.

Let's take a closer look at what is better to buy for making dessert.

Dry starter culture can be bought in specialized stores or pharmacies, they are sold in small bottles. Two capsules are enough for a liter of milk.

The advantages of this type of starter culture are the shelf life, the resistance of bacteria and the amazing taste of the finished product.

Liquid starter cultures, unlike dry ones, are not so popular, as they have some disadvantages. Firstly, their shelf life is not so long, only 3 months, but it was found that at the end of the first month, many living bacteria simply die. Secondly, the taste of the finished product is not so delicious. Usually, yoghurt prepared on the basis of liquid sourdough turns out to be slightly sour and not very pleasant viscous consistency.

But although it is permissible to use "live" yogurt, many experienced chefs do not advise doing this, believing that when combined with milk, not only the necessary beneficial microorganisms, but also hidden pathogens will begin to multiply. And then, homemade yogurt will be no different from the desserts sold in stores. In addition, if they exceed the permissible rate, there is a possibility of poisoning and getting foodborne infectious diseases.

Therefore, if you want you to get a really useful product, use a special dry starter culture of any company for its preparation, especially since it is not difficult to acquire it.

How to make yogurt at home: cooking technology

As we already found out above, you can cook not only natural yoghurts, but also with additives, however, the cooking technology in any case starts with the classics, and it will be possible to add any fillers and additives you love to the finished product.

1. Recipe for homemade yogurt prepared in a yogurt maker

Of course, the presence of a yogurt maker makes the cooking process easier. useful product... Its undoubted advantage is that the "machine" maintains a constant desired temperature. To make yogurt in a yogurt maker, mix two capsules of dry dressing or a tablespoon of liquid dressing with one liter of milk. Pour the mixture into a container, let stand 10 hours.

2. How to make yogurt at home in a thermos

If you don't have a yogurt maker, but you want a tasty and healthy product, you can use a regular thermos for making yogurt, the main thing is that the neck is wide - it will be more convenient to cook.

The cooking technology does not differ from the previous recipe, you need to pour in milk cooled to 45 degrees, add the leaven, mix. Remove to an inaccessible place and stand for 6-8 hours without disturbing the product - the thermos cannot be rearranged, shaken, yogurt should not be stirred. The finished yogurt is poured into a sterile container and put into the refrigerator.

3. How to make homemade yogurt in a saucepan

To prepare a product in this way, you need a thick-walled saucepan that retains heat for a long time. So, warm milk mixed with sourdough is poured into the pan, and the lid is closed. Put the container on a heating pad with hot water or a hot battery and wrapped in a thick warm blanket, left for 6-8 hours. It is permissible to use a glass jar or a ceramic pot instead of a saucepan.

4. Alternative cooking options

In addition, you can cook the product in a multicooker. The technology is similar. Many modern multi-cookers have a built-in "Yogurt" mode, but if there is none, then you can use the "Heating" function.

You can also use an oven to prepare dessert, in this case the oven is heated to 40 degrees, the container with milk and sourdough is kept for 5 hours. In this case, it is better to use glass containers.

How to make yogurt at home: reasons for failure

It happens that the technology is followed, but the yogurt did not work out. Why is this happening and what could be the reason for the failure?

The main secrets of successful preparation of the product are correctly selected fresh starter culture, high-quality milk, sterile containers and a constant uniform temperature at which yogurt ferments.

In addition, the product must not be cooked in aluminum and plastic containers. All containers must be clean, including containers, thermometers, pots in which milk is boiled, spoons and other necessary utensils.

Fillers and additives: berries, chocolate and others, it is best to add not during cooking, but to an already finished product. Bacteria only need a milky environment to function properly. Sugar, fruits and other fillers will lead to the development of unnecessary yeast and putrefactive bacteria, which will spoil the product during the cooking stage.

Also, do not add starch or milk powder to thicken, this is the task of ordinary milk. The density and calorie content of the finished product depends on the fat content of the original product.

It is best to immediately remove the finished product in a cold place so that the fermentation and multiplication of bacteria stops, otherwise the finished yogurt will turn out sour.

It happens that yogurt is not fermented. Hot milk or poor quality sourdough can be the cause. Milk temperature should be 45 degrees, not more.

By the way, if the milk is too cold, then the yogurt will turn out to be too liquid or viscous.

How is yoghurt served?

Yogurt goes well with all fruits, you can serve the product with peaches, bananas, berries, pears and others. Yogurt with berries is also delicious: strawberries, raspberries, currants and others. In addition to fresh fruits and berries, you can add jam, freshly squeezed juice to yogurt.

For breakfast you can serve yoghurt with oat flakes and honey or muesli. Yogurt can be used to dress salads, ice cream and various desserts can be prepared on its basis.

As you can see, making yogurt at home is simple, the main thing is to choose the right products and containers used for cooking. Do not forget that homemade desserts are always healthier and tastier than store-bought ones. Enjoy cooking.