Yogurt is often mentioned in diet foods. There are more than enough of these products on the shelves of our stores, but if we take the packaging and read the composition, we will see that there are not enough useful for our body: emulsifiers, dyes, preservatives and substitutes for taste, "close to natural." Therefore, many people wonder how to make yogurt themselves. Moreover, sometimes we need a natural product without fruit or berry additives (for example, as a dressing for salads).
You should not assume that without a yogurt maker you will not succeed. This device is more convenient because it maintains and maintains the desired temperature for a long time. Many brands have a timer that turns off heating, so you don’t need to set an alarm to stop the fermentation process. But this device is not indispensable. How to cook yogurt without it? A good thermos or just a warm blanket is enough.
In order to prepare a quality product, we need to have at least a general idea of ​​what yogurt consists of and what makes it so beneficial for our health. The main composition is whole milk. But the main secret of the product is not in it, but in two forms of beneficial bacteria - Bulgarian bacillus and thermophilic lactic acid streptococcus. It is these tiny creatures that destroy pathogenic and putrefactive microflora, and also stimulate the absorption of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Therefore, we need to acquire these bacteria. They are sold in pharmacies and are called “sourdough for yogurt.” They can be liquid and in powder form.
In the starter culture, the bacteria “doze off”, but getting into a favorable environment - whole milk at a temperature of +40 C - begin to multiply rapidly. Thus, the process of ripening occurs. To stop it, you just need to put the jar in the refrigerator. Having set the task to figure out how to make yogurt, you need to be responsible for the choice of milk. A sterilized product with a long shelf life is not suitable! It contains salt and stabilizers that adversely affect starter bacteria. You can take 10% cream, and baked milk will give the finished product a delicate caramel flavor.
So, we have acquired milk and sourdough. How to make yogurt at home? We boil a liter of milk, cool it to +45 C. How to check the temperature - after all, in too hot milk, bacteria will simply die, but in too cold milk they will not multiply? You shouldn’t try using your finger - you’ll bring microbes that are not at all useful inside. Press a bowl of milk to your cheek: if the skin feels heat, but bearable, then this is what you need. Pour in the leaven. If it is powdery, pour a little milk in a glass, pour in the leaven, mix thoroughly until the lumps dissolve and mix with the rest of the milk.
If you are a happy owner of a yogurt maker, pour the product into jars, close the lid and set the timer for 5-8 hours. How to make yogurt without this useful appliance? Well, do you have a thermos in your household? Pour milk and sourdough into it, close tightly with a lid and leave to ferment too. No thermos? It doesn’t matter: wrap the pan with a warm blanket or cover it with pillows to keep the desired temperature longer.
Do not think that the longer our fermented milk product stays, the better it will come out. An excess of bacteria is also useless to us. Therefore, after the specified period, you should stop the ripening process and pour the product into banks. Avoid plastic containers - it releases phenol-formaldehyde resins into the milk that contain carcinogens. You can add berries, fruits, jam to the resulting yogurt.