Making yogurt at home is a resourceful and a healthy thing to do. Try it once, you'll never go back to store-bought. Eaten daily for breakfast, blended into smoothies, stirred into curries or soups, you'll soon find many uses for this ancient staple. Think of it as a dietary friend with benefits!
Benefits you can Feel
Everyone's heard of the advantages of the Mediterranean Diet. One component of that food pyramid is the use of yogurt where we might use sour cream or heavy cream instead. Yogurt is an excellent source of bone-building calcium. Made with reduced fat milk, you get the protein of dairy without the fat and very little of the lactose that makes some people uncomfortable.
The bacterial cultures Lactobacillus bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus) and Streptococcus thermophilus (S. thermophilus) in yogurt provide many health benefits. The live cultures and active cultures help restore digestive function.The microflora may also reduce lactose intolerance. The lactase that intolerant folks lack in their system, but which you can get from yogurt, breaks down the lactose which causes discomfort.
Other health benefits include:
- Vitamins B-2, B-12 and vitamin D, for bone density,
- At least one study showed a reduced risk of high blood pressure,
- May help prevent or heal arthritis and the inflammation that occurs due to it,
- Has been show to counter H.Pylori the bacteria responsible for many ulcers,
- Probiotics may increase resistance to, and speed healing from infections.
Benefits you can Count
Rather than pay upwards of $4.00 US for one container of premium Greek-style yogurt, one can make it at home for about 1/3 of the cost. Buying good organic, local milk means you control quality, too. Choose 2% and you're reducing fat as compared to whole milk yogurt. Ever read a label on a container of yogurt? Many are loaded with additives and sugar. Why pay for what you don't want anyway?
How to Make Inexpensive, Delicious Greek-style Yogurt
Get ready to experience what Harold McGee calls "the everyday miracle of fermentation." Fermented foods have so many health benefits. This is a simple way to enjoy a little friendly fermentation in your daily diet.
Start with the best quality Greek-style yogurt. A small container will do. Say "buh-bye" to this section of the dairy case -you'll not be returning once you try this at home! Use this as your "starter." Try 2% Organic, local hormone-free milk.
- Heat 2C milk till it's steaming and starting to bubble. If you have a thermometer this will be around 180-190 degrees.
- Take off the heat, allow to cool to 120 then mix with starter (2 TBSP).
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap, swaddle with 2 kitchen towels.
- Keep in oven with light on (no other heat is necessary) for 4 hours or over night.
- Awake or return to find the miracle of homemade yogurt. That's it!
- To make it Greek-style: Place cheesecloth or a basket style coffee-filter in a strainer, over a bowl.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours until you see the sort of pale chartreuse liquid gathering in the bowl. That's the whey. If you have pigs, they love it. Or, you may use it to make homemade ricotta. Or, water your plants or bake some bread. The whey is filled with Riboflavin.
- The thickened yogurt is perfect to eat as is, or swirl in some jam, chop of fresh fruit or use it to sauce your next sustainable seafood dish!
- Don't forget to save a couple Tablespoons for starter for the next batch!
Straining out the whey to make Greek-style yogurt removes even more of the lactose or sugar which can be helpful for those with insulin issues. Straining the whey is not necessary but it results in a creamier, richer, premium-style yogurt. Use yogurt in place of all or some of the mayonnaise in recipes, use in saucing, in dips. Yogurt made at home is refreshing and just slightly tart, not sour and watery like store-bought.
Other resources for fermentation:
- Sandor Katz' Wild Fermentation (Chelsea Green, 2003)
- Alex Lewin's Blog Feed Me Like You Mean it
- The Canvolution!
The secret? It's just that simple!
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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