How to make thick homemade yogurt

Yogurt lovers will love this!

Making yogurt at home is incredibly satisfying and fun. With a Luvele Yogurt Maker you can make authentic yogurt at home that tastes infinitely better than its store-bought counterparts and is so much better for you. You will save money, create less waste, and benefit from a time-honoured fermented food that has more probiotics than anything you can buy. When you make yogurt at home you can completely customise the process. You have total control over the quality of milk, the length of fermentation, the probiotic strains used, and the consistency. Depending on the type of milk used, homemade yogurt can be anything from drinkable to set firm in the jar.

HOW TO MAKE THICK HOMEMADE YOGURT

There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of spooning into a jar of perfectly set, thick yogurt. The texture of Greek yogurt is a benchmark for yogurt lovers and yogurt makers alike. Store-bought Greek yogurt is thicker because it has been strained for a short time to remove some of the liquid whey. If you would like all the yogurt feels or Greek style yogurt, (without having to strain it) employ this one step in the method.

HEAT THE MILK FOR LONGER

When preparing the milk, heat it to approx. 82° C (180° F), and maintain the temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Heating denatures the milk proteins, so they set together in firmer curds. The little bit of evaporation that occurs during the extended heating also contributes to the thickening process.  

It can be a challenge to hold milk at a high temperature for such a long time but don’t get too caught up on the precise temperature. If the milk accidentally simmers briefly, don’t panic – reduce the heat and continue. Be sure to use a large saucepan. When milk boils it can raise and spill over quickly. To ensure a continuous, pre-boil temperature, it can be helpful to use a wok ring to create distance between the flame and pot.

For especially thick homemade yogurt we recommend this method which includes dry milk powder together with extended heating. For additional tips on thickening homemade yogurt read this post.

FAILSAFE TRADITIONAL DIARY STARTER CULTURE

Yogourmet is one of the most popular starter cultures on the market and is available all over the world. Both the Original Yogurt Starter (yellow box) and Probiotic Yogurt Starter (green box) make lusciously thick homemade yogurt that is creamy and pleasantly tangy. One box contains 6 x 3 grams single serve sachets of dairy based starter culture. One sachet can be used to make up to two litres/quart of yogurt. We used the Probiotic Starter Culture with six active bacterial cultures (Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus).

Yogourmet has changed the packaging in some countries, rest assured that the ingredients and quality remain the same.  

FERMENTATION TIME

The Luvele Yogurt Maker puts you in control of the bacterial quality and the taste. A short fermentation will produce a milder tasting yogurt than one left for 24-hours. The Original Yogourmet starter culture makes yogurt in a little as 5 hours. The Yogourmet Probiotic Starter Culture recommends 9-15 hours. For a therapeutic homemade yogurt, we suggest overriding the specified time and fermenting for up to 24-hours. The resulting yogurt will taste a little tarter but have considerably more good bacteria. The fermentation time is entirely yours. Experiment with the incubation time and discover the level of tartness that is right for you.

INGREDIENTS

Yogurt Starter culture (amount specified on the packet)
Milk (up to 2 L/2.1 qt)

PREPARATION

Before you begin it is important to sterilise the Luvele yogurt making glass jar, lid, and any utensils you use, in hot water. Pouring boiling water over everything is sufficient. The danger of not sterilising is that other bacteria may overpower your starter culture and affect the quality of your yogurt.

METHOD

1.   Measure Quantity
Measure the appropriate quantity of milk to fill your Luvele yogurt maker and pour into a large, clean saucepan.

2.   Heat and hold the milk at 82°C (180°F) 
Use a thermometer. Note, as you become more confident with heating milk to make yogurt you will be able to judge when the milk is nearing 82°C (180°F) because it will begin to swell and rise in the pot (just before it simmers). Hold the heat at this temperature for 20-30 minutes.

3.   Cover the milk & let cool to below 42°C (107°F)
It is fine if the milk cools down well below 42°C or even goes cold, it just mustn't be too hot. Temperatures above 43°C will kill the starter culture. Tip: You can actively cool it by filling a sink, or bowl with cold water and setting the pot of heated milk in the cold water.

As the milk cools a layer of skin will form on the milk.  There is no harm leaving it in. It does not produce lumpy yoghurt. If you are using unhomogenised milk, the skin will include the cream, which is rich and delicious. You don't want to miss out on this!

4.   Add the starter culture and gently whisk it in.
Each yogurt starter culture will come with different instructions. Please follow the instructions unique to your starter culture and use the amount specified. Alternatively, stir in a quarter of a cup of homemade yogurt from a previous batch (per litre of milk).

5.   Pour the milk into the yogurt making glass jar and put the lid firmly on.
Place the glass yogurt jar into your yogurt maker.  

6.   Pour water slowly into the base.
The water must not be filled over the ‘tall line’ indicated on the inside wall of the maker.

7.   Place the cover lid on top. 
The milk is now ready to begin fermentation.

8.   Set the time & temperature.
Use the digital control panel to set the temperature to 38° C (100° F), and the time either, according to the starter culture instructions or for up to 24-hours. Note: only choose to incubate longer than 24-hours if you are using a unique blend of probiotic strains in your starter culture or when the method specifies 36-hours.

9.   When the timer goes off, the fermentation is complete.
Condensation will have collected under the cover lid. Please take care removing it and allow the water to drip into the water bath, instead of your bench!

10.  Switch the yogurt maker off and remove the yogurt jar.
Straight from the maker the yogurt will be runny and warm. Depending on the milk you used, there may be a layer of cream on top of the yogurt. Be gentle with the warm yogurt and don’t stir it or else it won’t set in a perfect white mass.

11. Place the jar in the fridge for at least 6 hours to chill and set.
Add your fruit, and sweeteners to individual servings for total flexibility or add a splash of vanilla and liquid sweetener to the jar after chilling.

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