Yogurt

Yogurt with maple syrup and mint

I love making my own yogurt, because it is very healthy and easy to make. Store bought yogurt with mixed in fruits is often high in fructose. Sometimes it can contain artificial flavors and additives. Since I started making my own, I cannot stand the over-sweet taste of store bought fruit yogurt!

All you really need is a starter culture, which can come from store-bought plain yogurt. Make sure the yogurt contains active bacterial cultures. A candy thermometer is also very useful to make sure that your yogurt is at the right temperatures. Invest in one, as it becomes very useful and it can be quite inexpensive (I got mine for ~7$)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk (I use 2%)
- 1 tablespoon already made plain yogurt
- Sterilized jar

• In a deep saucepan, heat the milk until it has reached 90°C (195°F). Do stir with a spoon to avoid scorching at the bottom. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

• Leave the milk's temperature to drop to about 38°C (100°F). You can dip the saucepan in a bowl of cold water if you are impatient.

• Mix in the plain yogurt slowly and pour in the jar. Close tightly.
  

• Leave the jar for 12-14 hours at a warm place between 32°C (90°F) and 43°C (110°F). I usually leave it on a medical electric heating pad. You can use the candy thermometer to find the right setting. You can also leave it in your oven if you can bring the temperature that low.

• Verify the consistency of your yogurt, refrigerate and serve once chilled!
  

I wrote down the measurements for one cup of milk. Of course, if your jar can hold more, you can double/triple/quadruple the recipe. I usually make 3 cups at a time.

Good serving suggestions: honey, maple syrup, vanilla, fresh fruits, shredded coconut, roasted rolled oat, mango puree to make mango lassi!

If the taste is too sour, reduce the bacteria developing time to 10 hours or less. Your yogurt may be less thick. Sometimes the kind of starter yogurt can change the taste. Use a less sour one.