It’s National Dairy Month, and surely enough for celebration? After all, we consume copious amounts of dairy on a daily basis, some of it wholly consciously like in the early-morning (or late-night) bowl of cereal, in those two or three cups of coffee, perhaps in that cheeseburger for lunch, and some of it without even knowing.
As it turns out, whipping up a batch of own homemade yogurt is actually a relatively simple procedure, and it doesn’t require any specialist equipment – just milk, and live cultures – or more specifically lactic acid bacteria.
The process goes like this: heat the milk in a pan – making sure it reaches 185°F. This is crucial to break down or denature the milk’s whey proteins for a thicker, denser, and smoother finished product. The hot milk is then cooled down until very warm – this is equally important as too high a temperature will kill the bacteria and there’ll be no yogurt to be had. The bacteria cultures you add can take the form of the last batch of homemade yogurt you made, or if it’s your first foray into yogurt-making, you can use some shop-bought yogurt – just as long as you read the ingredient list and ensure that there are live cultures in your pot of choice. The milk mixture now needs to be kept very still – in a non-reactive container, an earthenware pot is ideal, and warm. Once the yogurt has set, it needs to be refrigerated for a few hours, or overnight, to slow down the production of acid and to firm up and tighten its structure. Once that’s done, simply pour off any liquid sitting at the top of the set curd, and there you have it, delicious homemade plain yogurt! If it’s a Greek-style product you’re after, you’ll need to wait another 4 or 5 hours. Decant the yogurt into a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth, and place over a large bowl. The liquid whey will drain out of the yogurt into the bowl leaving behind a thick, creamy and silken mixture.
