Aunt Hélène's 24 hour Yogurt

Why would I make 24 hour yogurt?  The difference in my health using 24 hour yogurt and some of my other bothersome ideas is just worth it.  24 hour cultured yogurt has much less milk sugar than milk, and I do not get along with lactose at all.  I don't like it either.  But I like lots of things that are made with milk, like ice cream, and if I use yogurt and sweeten with honey or an artificial sweetener in the ice cream, I don't go through the roof when I eat it.  The yogurt culture eats the milk sugar, but it really needs to have 24 hours to do the job, which one is unlikely to find in commercial yogurt.  Then you have something you can use in place of milk in recipes, and it's also low carb.  I have made this from powdered milk too, and it came out surprisingly palatable.  And it's a good idea to eat half a cup or so of yogurt every day to keep the gut flora happy.  Therefore, those who have lactose intolerance could find 24 hour yogurt beneficial.  

The first lesson in making yogurt is to have a yogurt maker.  I have one that will make yogurt in two quart amounts and one that makes it in cute little one serving cups.  "Surely a yogurt maker isn't necessary!" you cry.  Well, I have in the past heated the oven to its lowest heat, waited about half an hour until I thought it was about 150º, and put it in there for 24 hours.  It worked but it was touchier.  Just get a yogurt maker.   A cooking thermometer is helpful.  

The second lesson is the starter.  Plain Dannon yogurt makes a fine starter.  I get the Yógourmet powdered starter online.  A commercial brand plain yogurt would be OK for most people but people on the SCD diet should look at the two I use.  






Then I heat the milk to 160º.  Why?  Well it needs to be 100º anyway to start the culturing.  But if one heats it to 160º be sure to let it cool down to about 100º or it may kill the starter.  Then you'll have a strange thing in 24 hours cultured with stuff from the air.  

At about 100º put the milk in the yogurt container and mix in the starter.  Put it in the yogurt maker and remember to take it out in 24 hours.  Past this time and the yogurt begins to separate.   

This can be kept in the refrigerator for surprisingly long periods, especially if the container has little air in it.  

Another nice way to eat yogurt is to put flavoring in it.  There are all sorts of nice ways of flavoring it.  I bought freeze dried strawberries and blueberries, then boiled them in a little water and honey, and mixed it in the yogurt.  It's delicious.  I bought bakers chocolate with a high level of cocoa, no sugar, melted it, mixed it with honey and flavored the yogurt with chocolate.  I have just put vanilla and sweetener in yogurt.  Or eaten it plain.  Sometimes one needs a treat.  

Once you have made the yogurt there are lots of other things you can do with it, like making a yogurt cheese.  

I also have made yogurt with soy milk.  Why?  Uh.  Well, I just did.   I guess to try to avoid dairy sometimes.