How to make yogurt at home: subtleties and cooking mistakes

Making yogurt at home is not difficult. And for this, it is not necessary to have a yogurt maker, although it simplifies the fermentation process.

To achieve the desired result, it is necessary to follow the cooking technology and not to make mistakes.

Details

What you need to know to avoid mistakes

5 factors affect the production of yogurt - milk, sourdough, temperature and time of fermentation, presence/absence of foreign bacteria. Failure to observe them most often leads to failure.

pardon 1. Inappropriate milk.

The taste and consistency of yogurt depends on the quality of milk. Ideally, milk should contain the maximum amount of protein, the minimum amount of foreign bacteria and should not contain antibiotics.

pardon 2. Too high/low fermentation temperature.

The fermentation temperature should be 38–42 degrees. The lower the temperature, the slower the bacteria work. And in a cold room, their development can stop completely. At a temperature above 45 degrees, the vital activity of bacteria suffers, and with severe overheating, they die.

pardon 3. Temperature changes.

The more stable the fermentation temperature, the better. If all conditions are met (stability and optimal temperature range), you can get the finished product after 7-8 hours.

pardon 4. Low-quality leaven.

The taste, consistency and thickness of yogurt depend not only on milk, but also on leaven. Therefore, you should not save on sourdough starter.

pardon 5. Foreign bacteria.

The milk must be fresh, and the cooking utensils must be clean and dry, as extraneous bacteria are present in water droplets.

If they "capture" the breeding environment, they will suppress the yogurt bacteria, after which the milk will simply sour or turn bitter.

Cooking technology

If you don't have a yogurt maker, you can make yogurt at home by following the technology below.

Step 1. Heat the milk to a temperature of 35-38 degrees. It is best to do this in a water bath.

Step 2. Add the starter according to the manufacturer's instructions. If it is not possible to buy sourdough, you can pour in some yogurt from the store. The main thing is that it is natural, without sugar, flavorings and other additives. 150-200 g of yogurt is enough for one liter of milk.

Step 3. Place the milk container in a warm place. You can put it in a pan with warm water and wrap it well with a blanket, put it near a hot battery, heat the oven to 45 degrees, turn it off and leave the milk in it.

After 8-10 hours, the yogurt will be ready.

Remember to add sugar, honey, and fruit before use. Bacteria quickly convert sugar into acid. The more sugar, the more sour the final product will be. Yogurt should be stored in the refrigerator.