Yoghurt: Encyclopedia II - Yoghurt - Home-made yoghurt

Yoghurt - Home-made yoghurt

Home-made yoghurt is consumed by many people throughout the world, and is the norm in countries where yoghurt has an important place in traditional cuisine, such as Bulgaria, Turkey, and India. Yoghurt can be made at home using a small amount of store-bought plain live active culture yoghurt as the starter culture. One very simple recipe starts with a litre of low-fat milk, but requires some means to incubate the fermenting yoghurt at a constant 43°C (109°F) for several hours. Yoghurt-making machines are available for this purpose. A run of the mill heating pad found in a pharmacy for muscle aches (set at medium), with a pot of tepid water on top to place the milk in, works fine. As with all fermentation processes, cleanliness is very important.

• Bring the milk to 85°C (185°F) over a stove and keep it there for two minutes, to kill any undesirable microbes.
• Pour the re-pasteurised milk into a tall, sterile container and allow to cool to 43°C (110°F)
• Mix in 120ml of the warmed yoghurt and cover tightly.
• After about six hours of incubation at precisely 43°C (110°F); the entire mixture will have become a very plain but edible yoghurt with a loose consistency.
  • If a precise means of temperature control is not available, put the culture in a warm place such as on top of a water heater or in a gas oven with just the pilot flame burning. An electric oven with the light on may work nicely, depending on the bulb size. The further below 43°C (110°F) the temperature, the longer it will take for the yoghurt to solidify; you can tell it is done when it no longer moves if you tilt the jar.

In Japan, Caspian Sea Yoghurt is a very popular home-made yoghurt. It is believed to have been introduced into the country by researchers in the form of a sample brought back from Georgia in the Caucasus region in 1986. [1] This Georgian yogurt, called Matsoni which is mostly made up of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Acetobacter orientalis[2] has a unique viscous, honey-like texture and is milder in taste than many other yoghurts.

Caspian Sea yoghurt is particularly well suited for making at home because it does not require any special equipment and cultures at room temperature (20–30°C) in about 10 to 15 hours, depending on the temperature. [3] In Japan it is possible to buy a freeze-dried starter culture at big department stores or online, but many people obtain a quantity of the yoghurt from a friend and start making their own yoghurt from that.

• General instructions: sterilise all utensils, containers and lids in boiling water prior to use.
  • From freeze-dried starter: stir starter into 500ml of milk. Make the next batch as below (from the actual yoghurt as the starter).
  • From yoghurt: In winter, use one part yoghurt to four parts milk. In summer use one part yoghurt to nine parts milk.
• Place the lid gently on top of the container so as to allow some air in, but prevent contamination. Leave in a clean dry place for 10-15 hours or until thick. In summer, this may be less than 10 hours and in winter, longer than 15 hours.
• Some thickening of the yoghurt will also occur in the refrigerator.
• The yoghurt can be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 week or longer.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Home-made yoghurt", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki