How to make yogurt at home
How to make yogurt at home
Yogurt (also yoghurt or yogurt) is a creamy and sour taste food, derived from milk, by inoculation of specific lactic ferments (Lattobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) and fermentation process, during which the lactose is transformed in lactic acid. The term derives from the Turkish yoğurt, from the verb yoğurmak, which means “to mix”. It is good to specify that any type of milk can be used for the production of yoghurt, from soy milk, of totally vegetable origin, to other vegetable or animal milks. Moreover yogurt is a probiotic food, that is a food that favors the intestinal bacterial flora helping the natural immune defenses of the human organism.
You can easily prepare the yogurt using the milk enzymes already present in commercial yogurt. Or buying lactic ferments directly in the pharmacy. One sachet is enough to convert a liter of milk into yogurt. To make this fermentation you need some tools including: a kitchen thermometer, a blanket, a non-stick pan and clean and sterilized jars. The temperature of the starting milk must be around 40 ° C (in the absence of a thermometer, dipping a finger, it is evaluated hot but not so much to burn).
The starting ingredients are: one liter of fresh whole and organic milk and freeze-dried lactic ferments bought in the pharmacy or a jar of whole yoghurt.
To start, it is necessary to heat the milk at a temperature of 40 ° C without exceeding it (the optimal temperature is 37 – 38 ° C. In fact above 50 ° C there is a partial inhibition of the milk enzymes.The first operation consists in removing a patina with a spoon superficial that is created on milk.
At this point we need to prepare the jars, proceeding like this: in each jar is added a small teaspoon of natural whole yoghurt at room temperature and to this are added two tablespoons of heated milk; at this point this first mixture must be mixed and amalgamated. Now the remaining quantity of milk is added to each jar until it is completely filled, after which the jars must be sealed and left to ferment for 8 hours. To maintain a good fermentation temperature, the classic system of covering them with a blanket is recommended. When the fermentation is complete, the yogurt should be placed in the fridge and stabilized. You must wait 12 to 24 hours before tasting it. The consumption of this product, having no additives and preservatives, should be carried out within a week at the latest.
The nutritional value of yoghurt varies according to the type of milk used (skimmed, whole, vegetable, etc.). Below we report the values and contents referred to a yogurt obtained from whole cow’s milk. Home-made yoghurt does not primarily contain additives and stabilizers that are not beneficial to human health at all.
• Values for 100 grams:
• proteins: 3.8 g –
• fats: 3.9 g –
• carbohydrates: 4.3 g –
• minerals (especially calcium) –
• B-complex vitamins –
• pantothenic acid –
• vitamin PP –