Thick? Yes! Creamy? Yes! Super kind on the purse strings? Absolutely! I’d like to point out that I’m completely stoked to have mastered the art of homemade yoghurt making. After the success I had with my dairy free coconut yoghurt I thought I should have a go at the real deal. I have battled away banging pans, sterilising implements, using a steam oven, a hot water bottle, heating milk, cooling milk, different types of milk (who would have known the humble cow could produce so many!) to some degree you really can’t go to far wrong but today I bring you the simple, straight forward method that came up trumps. Coming to work each morning is such a pleasure right now as the two liter bowl I made is slowly being devoured by topping off my current autumnal breakfast favorite of porridge spiced up with a few raisins, cinnamon and honey. It just gets better and better each time I dig in.
The number of gourmet yogurts that are available these days is incredible, and they are so delicious that somehow one always appears in my trolley, naughty supermarket pixies! But now there are no excuses because with 10 minutes preparation, 2L of milk and some microbiology magic I have slashed my yogurt bill by a good 75%! But what about those delicious fruit fusions that really make a yogurt sing? This orange compote is an absolute beauty and will last in the fridge alongside your yogurt for at least a week.
The addition of skim milk powder increases the milk solid content of your yogurt which results in a thicker set because those lovely friendly bacteria have more lactose to ferment. You can play around with the amount you use depending on the thickness you require. Another great tip is for kiddies lunches; freeze cubes of a sweetened fruit puree and pop one in a jar, fill with yogurt and pack in their lunch. The fruity ice cube will help to keep the yogurt chilled and it will be nicely defrosted ready to stir through by lunchtime.