Making homemade yogurt is simple, healthy and delicious. What more to say? Cheap, additive and sugar free.
You may need to buy a couple of items of kitchen equipment in advance but these will pay for themselves, both in financial terms and in taste. The technique is absolutely easy.
Try it for yourself and enjoy! If you have any questions, put them in the Comments at bottom of page. If you catch the fermenting bug, try our simple recipes for sauerkraut, my favourite kiam chye (mustard greens) and pineapple tepache.
Eat Well,
Felicia
Ingredients
Whole milk, 1 litre. Use regular, full fat milk or low-fat. (Low fat makes a runnier yogurt)
'Live' yogurt, 1 large tablespoon. (or 2 if using low fat milk) Note, the yogurt must have live cultures, check the label. We like to use Total brand with live active yogurt cultures (L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei).Â
Equipment
A kitchen pot, to heat the milk
A pot for the fermentation process. We invested in a double lined thermos pot. There are alternate options.
A thermometer
A receptacle to store the finished yogurt
The Process
Step 1. Gently heat milk in a pot to 8oc (185f) degrees. Don't go above this. [10/9/24, 13:39:12] hold the temperature above 80 for 2 mins - to kill microbes and to destabilise casein ( the main milk protein) so that milk can set rapidly.
Step 2. Allow milk to cool to 45c (113f) degrees. Don't go below this. In our warm kitchen cooling takes about 45 minutes. I set my phone count down timer to 45mins and forget about it until then.
Step 3. Pour milk into your 'fermenting' pot. Add 2 tablespoons live yogurt to milk. Stir in well.
We have a lined thermos style pot for this, it can also be used to keep food warm. The point it to keep the milk and culture warm and undisturbed over a period of time to allow fermentation to take place.
Alternatively... mylar lined food boxes or delivery bags are increasingly available for purchase online, or recycle from any food delivery service. Some people have great success sealing and wrapping their pot-bowl-jar with a towel and leaving it in a warm place: a pre-warmed (and turned off) oven with the light left on, a warm cupboard. Instant Pots and yogurt makers can also be used if you own one.
Step 4. We seal pot and leave overnight, up to 16 to 18 hours; until the milk is set firm enough for your preference and at the right level of sourness. You decide. Longer makes the yogurt more sour.
Step 5. Refrigerate and enjoy!
For most people, improving health is about finding motivation and prioritising self-care with an ultimate goal of taking action. If you want to take effective and targeted steps that fit into your unique lifestyle, The Whole Health Practice is here to help. Whether your interest is healthspan and longevity, to beat chronic illness or enhance your overall well-being, our consultations and programs deliver results that are tailored to your needs.
Stay Healthy,
Felicia
Join me, or scroll down to contact us and learn more about our services:
Achieve your Health Goals
Your health (physical - mental - social) is complex and affected by multiple factors within and outside of your control. Through our personalised consultations and programs, we focus on holistic approaches to optimise your health, enhance performance and boost vitality; unique to your life and circumstances.
Take the first step and arrange an introductory call. Contact us, by phone or WhatsApp, to discuss how we can support your journey to health. We are based in Singapore and work with clients globally.
Book a Whole Health Consult to assess, identify and prioritise key factors (known and unknown) that affect your health. And receive personalised recommendations on how to address them.
Want to put recommendations into action? Learn more about our programmes for individuals or teams.
Related Resources
Ranjbar YR, Nasrollahzadeh J. Comparison of the impact of saturated fat from full-fat yogurt or low-fat yogurt and butter on cardiometabolic factors: a randomized cross-over trial. Eur J Nutr. 2024 Jun;63(4):1213-1224. doi: 10.1007/s00394-024-03352-8. Epub 2024 Feb 17. PMID: 38367032.
Savaiano DA, Hutkins RW. Yogurt, cultured fermented milk, and health: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2021 Apr 7;79(5):599-614. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa013. PMID: 32447398; PMCID: PMC8579104.
Cifelli CJ, Agarwal S, Fulgoni VL 3rd. Association of Yogurt Consumption with Nutrient Intakes, Nutrient Adequacy, and Diet Quality in American Children and Adults. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 9;12(11):3435. doi: 10.3390/nu12113435. PMID: 33182430; PMCID: PMC7696083.
Schmid D, Song M, Zhang X, Willett WC, Vaidya R, Giovannucci EL, Michels KB. Yogurt consumption in relation to mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes: a prospective investigation in 2 cohorts of US women and men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020 Mar 1;111(3):689-697. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz345. PMID: 31968071; PMCID: PMC7049530.
Companys J, Pla-Pagà L, Calderón-Pérez L, Llauradó E, Solà R, Pedret A, Valls RM. Fermented Dairy Products, Probiotic Supplementation, and Cardiometabolic Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Adv Nutr. 2020 Jul 1;11(4):834-863. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmaa030. PMID: 32277831; PMCID: PMC7360468.
Barengolts E, Smith ED, Reutrakul S, Tonucci L, Anothaisintawee T. The Effect of Probiotic Yogurt on Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes or Obesity: A Meta-Analysis of Nine Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2019 Mar 20;11(3):671. doi: 10.3390/nu11030671. PMID: 30897796; PMCID: PMC6471569.
Comments