Continuing Adventures in Home Made Yogurt
I had an appointment with my RE this morning for an ultrasound to see what the cyst on my ovary is doing. While I was there, I learned a whole lot more about making my own yogurt. Hmmm, that's a very bizarre statement, I realize, so I'll talk about the other stuff later. Right now I'm just going to talk about yogurt, because I'm leaving this unlocked so that I can link it to my yogurt post. I've recently discovered that people who are not on my friends list actually follow my blog for the recipes. Who'da thunk it?
Anyway, my ultrasound tech is Indian, and she and I have become pretty good friends. She told me this morning that she's never had store bought yogurt and that she was born knowing how to make her own. They eat a lot of yogurt. She's going to bring me a culture that's been alive for years (yay! I am SO excited!), and she gave me all kinds of tips and advice.
HERE is the original recipe for crock pot yogurt.
If you would like to sweeten your yogurt: remove the two cups of warm milk and whisk in the starter. BEFORE returning it to the crock, add your sweetener to the milk remaining in the pot. You can use sugar, sweetener, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc. Mix well. Return starter to the crock, stir it all to mix well, wrap and let sit as usual.
If you would like to add fruit to your yogurt at cook (the advantage to this is that it's a natural sweetener AND the fruit flavor permeates the entire yogurt): remove the two cups of warm milk and whisk in the starter. Return to the crock and stir well to mix. Gently add whatever fruit you would like (she suggested banana, mango, strawberries, and pineapple--not all at once, of course) and try to distribute it evenly along the bottom. Wrap and let sit as usual.
If you would like to flavor your yogurt: remove the two cups of warm milk and whisk in the starter. BEFORE returning it to the crock, add your flavor (vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest, etc.) to the milk remaining in the pot and mix well. Return starter to the crock, stir it all to mix well, wrap it and let sit as usual.
If you would like THICKER yogurt: Whisk in powdered dry milk with your starter, return to crock and stir to mix well. Wrap and let sit as usual. Experiment with amounts until you've reached the thickness you desire.
If you strain yogurt for thickness, save the whey for baking, mixing oatmeal, etc.
If you're interested, they do make powdered dry SOY MILK.
Anyway, my ultrasound tech is Indian, and she and I have become pretty good friends. She told me this morning that she's never had store bought yogurt and that she was born knowing how to make her own. They eat a lot of yogurt. She's going to bring me a culture that's been alive for years (yay! I am SO excited!), and she gave me all kinds of tips and advice.
HERE is the original recipe for crock pot yogurt.
If you would like to sweeten your yogurt: remove the two cups of warm milk and whisk in the starter. BEFORE returning it to the crock, add your sweetener to the milk remaining in the pot. You can use sugar, sweetener, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc. Mix well. Return starter to the crock, stir it all to mix well, wrap and let sit as usual.
If you would like to add fruit to your yogurt at cook (the advantage to this is that it's a natural sweetener AND the fruit flavor permeates the entire yogurt): remove the two cups of warm milk and whisk in the starter. Return to the crock and stir well to mix. Gently add whatever fruit you would like (she suggested banana, mango, strawberries, and pineapple--not all at once, of course) and try to distribute it evenly along the bottom. Wrap and let sit as usual.
If you would like to flavor your yogurt: remove the two cups of warm milk and whisk in the starter. BEFORE returning it to the crock, add your flavor (vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest, etc.) to the milk remaining in the pot and mix well. Return starter to the crock, stir it all to mix well, wrap it and let sit as usual.
If you would like THICKER yogurt: Whisk in powdered dry milk with your starter, return to crock and stir to mix well. Wrap and let sit as usual. Experiment with amounts until you've reached the thickness you desire.
If you strain yogurt for thickness, save the whey for baking, mixing oatmeal, etc.
If you're interested, they do make powdered dry SOY MILK.