Make yogurt with a yogurt maker in 9 simple steps
How to make yogurt with a yogurt maker?
It is easy and beneficial to make yogurt with the help of a yogurt maker. An electric yogurt maker can help you to make delicious yogurt within two hours. The process of making yogurt in a yogurt maker is quite simple. Here are the steps by which you can make yogurt with the help of the yogurt maker:
Yogurt starter recipe
- First, you need to determine the amount of milk you would need to make the yogurt: You must read the machine’s instructions carefully to determine the amount of milk you would need to make the yogurt. You can use whole milk or skimmed milk. Heat the milk at around 200 F / 100°C until it shows no frothing.
- Allow the milk to cool down: You should use a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. It would be best if you allowed the milk to cool down till it reaches the temperature of 105 F / 40°C. This milk is called tempered milk.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of yogurt culture with the tempered milk in a blender for 10 seconds: This is one of the essential steps to making yogurt. Let the yogurt culture mix well with the tempered milk in a blender. This will allow the lactic acid bacteria to get evenly distributed in the milk, which will cause the fermentation of the milk.
- Pour the starter culture into the remaining tempered milk: After pouring the starter culture into the remaining tempered milk, stir for about five minutes.
- Transfer the milk into containers carefully: After the tempered milk is thoroughly mixed with the yogurt culture, carefully transfer the milk into a clean container. Now put the container filled with milk in the yogurt maker. (We recommend: Rommelsbacher JG 40 Yogurt Maker)
- Read the instructions: On buying a yogurt maker, you will get an instruction booklet. After transferring the milk containers inside the yogurt maker, you must read the instructions properly.
- Jiggle one of the milk containers after about 8 hours: After about eight hours, jiggle one of the milk containers to find the ready yogurt. You will understand if the yogurt is firm by jiggling the container.
- Put the container in the refrigerator: When you are sure the yogurt is ready, take the container from the yogurt maker and place it in the fridge. Allow the yogurt to cool down. You can add additional flavors to the yogurt at this stage.
- Save a part for the next batch: You can save a small amount of the yogurt for the next set.
Following these nine simple steps, you can make yogurt with the yogurt maker at home.
What is a yogurt starter?
The starter is a collection of bacterial cultures that will ferment the milk’s inherent lactose sugars into lactic acid, thickening and souring the milk simultaneously. There is a plethora of alternatives. You can use a basic store-bought yogurt with live active cultures or freeze-dried starter cultures, which look like powder. Store-bought yogurt is more straightforward, and you get some more yogurt out of it, but your options are restricted to what’s on store shelves. There are many options for freeze-dried starting cultures. I’ve had a positive experience with Cultures for Health goods. They sell primary yogurt cultures and cultures specialized in certain yogurt styles, such as Greek and Bulgarian yogurt and a few heirloom variants. Some of the heirloom varieties they offer are mesophilic, which means they work at room temperature (rather than the more common thermophilic cultures used in most store-bought yogurt, which require a warmer environment); this can take longer and often results in runnier yogurt than thermophilic cultures. During my testing, I got inconsistent results when creating some mesophilic cultures, as shown in the photo above. Some of the samples were divided into various layers of curd and whey.
Where to buy a yogurt starter?
This is the one to get if you’re searching for a no-fuss yogurt starter that produces thick, creamy, and fantastic yogurt. Our starter contains lactic acid bacteria extracted from natural sources in Bulgaria’s biologically conserved zones. It makes yogurt of outstanding quality, with a fragrance and flavor, unlike anything you can buy or prepare with any other yogurt starter. Our starter is highly long-lasting and does not require refrigeration during shipping. The freeze-drying procedure we employ ensures that the live bacteria are Active when you begin creating yogurt. The yogurt starter comes with simple instructions that provide success every time. With or without the use of a yogurt maker. Remember, making yogurt is simple!
What is heirloom yogurt?
Numerous heritage yogurts ferment at room temperature. Here’s an explanation of the distinctions between store-bought and heritage yogurt, as well as information on the several types of mesophilic yogurt cultures.
TYPES OF HEIRLOOM YOGURT
There are numerous heirloom yogurt cultures, each with a distinct flavor and consistency. They are from various places and are most likely the result of local variances in bacteria and yeast.
The yogurts that are most found include:
- Filmjolk is a rich, mellow, and cheesy yogurt from Scandinavia.
- Matsoni is a mild, thickened yogurt from the Caucasus.
- Kefir: Milk kefir has a more robust, sour flavor than Masoni. It is grown from grains produced by a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It hails from the Caucasus as well.
- Viili is a sweet-flavored gelatinous and ropey substance. It originates in Scandinavia.
- Piimä: a sour, buttermilk-like Scandinavian beverage.
The most challenging aspect of making mesophilic yogurt is where to buy these types of starter cultures. You may always buy it online if you don’t know somebody who can share their culture.