Homemade Yogurt

Making yogurt at home is simpler than you might think and requires only two basic ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 liter of milk (whole or semi-skimmed, for a creamier yogurt)
• 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (which will act as the starter, make sure it contains live lactic ferments)

Preparation

1. Sterilize the utensils you will use, including spoon and jars, to avoid contaminating the yogurt with unwanted bacteria.
2. Heat the milk in a pot until it reaches about 85 °C, almost to the boiling point. This process kills any unwanted bacteria and alters the milk proteins to make the yogurt denser.
3. Next, let the milk cool until it reaches about 43 °C-46 °C, an optimal temperature for the growth of the yogurt’s lactic ferments.
4. At this point, take the two tablespoons of yogurt and mix them with a small amount of lukewarm milk to dilute them, then add the mixture to the rest of the milk.
5. Pour the milk into sterilized jars. You can use a thermos, a yogurt incubator, or simply wrap the jars with blankets to keep them warm.
6. Let the jars rest in a warm place, ideally around 43 °C-46 °C, for eight to twelve hours. During this time, the lactic ferments will do their work and the yogurt will begin to thicken.
7. Once the yogurt has reached the desired consistency, place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to stop the fermentation process and cool it.

Fun Facts

Yogurt is a very ancient food and its origins are still uncertain. One theory holds that it may have been discovered in the Middle East during the Neolithic period when milk transported in animal stomachs, which served as natural containers, coagulated due to the combined action of heat and naturally present lactic ferments.

The taste of homemade yogurt can vary depending on the type of milk used and the starter. You can experiment by adding honey, fruit, or natural extracts to flavor your yogurt once it’s made.