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4 Things You Should Know About Making Your Own Yogurt

Many people love yogurt and have use it for different purposes. This delicious, healthy milk product can be used in various ways no matter what time of the day you are making food. You can make your own frozen yogurt and use it as a dessert, add it to your chicken during meal preparation and even add fruits into it for your breakfast. 

Even with this realization, many people love it but do not know how to make their own yogurt. When making homemade yogurt, it’s important to ensure that you are keen on several steps. These include the ingredients, preparation all the way to how you will preserve it. The entire process involved in making yogurt is an interesting one. Here’s a deeper insight on things you should know about making your own yogurt.  

The right milk to use

Milk is the main ingredient used in making yogurt. Because there are different types of milk, each with its’ own fat and protein percentages you need to be sure of which one you should use. The primary types are whole milk containing 3.25% milk fat, reduced-fat milk containing 2% milk fat, low-fat milk containing 1% milk fat, fat-free milk also known as skim milk, organic milk to lactose-free milk.

Though any type of raw milk is good, the best would be raw, full-fat or unpasteurized milk. It will give your yogurt a better taste and the ability to last longer. Ultra-pasteurized milk is normally completely sterilized by heating up to 280°F to kill almost all of the bacteria that hasn’t been killed using normal pasteurization.

The right temperature(s)

When making your own yogurt, the temperature is an important factor in ensuring that you make the best yogurt. It includes processes like adding the culture and letting the yogurt rest, all of which require specific temperatures. The first step in yogurt-making is boiling the milk. The milk you are using needs to be heated to the right temperature of around 180°F and then poured into canning jars. Once your yogurt is ready, don’t incubate it right afterward because this might destroy the microbes affecting its shelf life. Cool it to 115°F before adding the culture.

The importance of cultures

When making your own milk, the culture used should be a good culture. You need to introduce active cultures from yogurt which acts as your starter. The culture, as well as the milk used for your homemade yogurt, determines the flavor of your yogurt. This requires you to buy yogurt that contains live active yogurt cultures as one of the ingredients. Live cultures ensure that the milk turns into yogurt.

The right vessel

You need to choose a good container for your yogurt. The container for your yogurt needs to be able to retain heat during its rest. Glass or metal bowls are not capable of retaining the heat and this could prevent your yogurt from setting up. You can either use a heating pad, a dehydrator, a crockpot, a yogurt maker, an oven or large ceramic bowls which you should seal to act as your incubator. Find the best yogurt makers on Village Bakery.

Though there are a few people who add powdered milk, it’s best not to include it in your yogurt. If you want thicker yogurt, pour your yogurt into a fine-mesh cheesecloth set and then wait until it has the right consistency.

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