Homemade Yogurt

酸奶

Yogurt is an effective way to get probiotic bacteria on a daily basis, and improve our gut microbial health. All you need is fresh milk and some starter yogurt (from store bought  yogurt).  

Ingredients

500ml fresh milk 

3 heap tablespoons plain and unflavoured Greek yogurt (starter)

Method

1. Put the milk in a pot (covered) and heat over medium heat until it is just below boiling point (small bubbles form around the edges).

2. Remove the pot from heat and let it sit until you can dip your finger into the milk for 5 seconds without burning your finger. If you need to use the pot for something else, transfer the milk to a wide mouth stainless steel container/thermos flask (which can retain heat) where you will be storing the yogurt.

3. Transfer 100-200ml of milk to a small bowl and add the yogurt starter. Stir until smooth and transfer this back to the pot/container/thermos flask with warm milk. Stir to mix in, cover the pot/container/thermos flask with lid and keep it warm by wrapping it with a towel. 

4. Let the yogurt sit for 4 hours (Singapore weather). It should set by then, if not leave it (wrapped) for another hour. Note that the yogurt will be tangier the longer it sits. 

5. Store the yogurt pot/container/thermos flask in the fridge. 

Note that even though you used Greek yogurt as a starter, your homemade yogurt is not considered as "Greek" yogurt unless you strain it to remove the whey. I find that straining is not necessary as whey is nutritious and I can still get thick/creamy yogurt by increasing the amount of starter.