How to Make Yogurt
Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions- the season, time of day, and how you are feeling and the state of your health.
Fresh home made yogurt is a food everyone in our household loves. My kids have yogurt as an after school snack or made into a yogurt drink. I have plain yogurt mixed with water, after lunch, several times a week to replenish the friendly bacteria in my gut. I learned this simple recipe, called takra, from my Ayurvedic teacher where you take plain fresh yogurt and blend it with spring water (20-80 ratio), and a pinch of ground cumin, and discard the froth. It’s a natural and cost effective method to keep your gut health thriving with friendly bacteria. And we know that what is good for gut health is good for the brain. Cumin is added as a digestive aid as it helps absorb nutrients.
Natural, good quality yogurt is an excellent source of:
friendly bacteria
calcium
protein
Vitamin B12
digestive enzymes
Phosphorous, potassium and magnesium
It is simple to make and the method described here requires an oven light turned on while the yogurt incubates inside the oven. I’ve used this method for years and it’s always just so nice to have fresh yogurt made at home. I’ve had very few thin, runny yogurt results that I’ve had to discard. This can happen due to the quality of the milk or starter, temperature, or other environmental factors.
I make yogurt before I go to bed. When I wake up in the morning it’s all set.
Natural yogurt will have whey, a yellowish, thin liquid. This whey is very nutritious and rich in friendly bacteria. I’ve added it, instead of water, to make my facial clay masks. It’s a wonderful tonic for the skin, and replenishes your skin’s friendly bacteria.
Yogurt Recipe
Yield: 4 cups yogurt
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Incubation Period: 6-8 hours
INGREDIENTS
3 cups milk - Use whole organic milk, grass-fed, and *unhomogenized when available
Yogurt starter- choose one of the following:
1 cup yogurt from previous batch - I used this for this batch
Natren Yogurt starter- follow instructions on bottle
1 cup plain yogurt store bought with live culture
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the milk in a medium size pot in medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches about 180°F/82°C, avoid boiling it. Let it be at temperature for 5 minutes, longer up to 10 minutes for a smoother yoghurt.
Remove from heat and transfer into a glass jar or bowl.
Let milk cool between 108-112°F / 42-44°C, but not too far below 105°F / 41 °C. If you don’t have a thermometer, touch the outside of the jar or bowl and it should feel warm to the touch, like the gentle feel of milk in a baby bottle. I’ve done the latter method a few times before I could replace the broken thermometer, and the yogurt turned out fine.
Add your starter and whisk gently all together. If you are using a powder starter, have the powder starter in a separate smaller bowl and add a few spoonfuls of the milk and stir, and then add this to the rest of the milk and whisk gently.
Place in the oven, covered with a tea towel with the light on for about 6-8 hours.
Refrigerate. Fresh yogurt contains more friendly bacteria within 24 hours of making it.
Enjoy!
* When milk is homogenized xanthine oxidase, a protein enzyme in cow’s milk, gets absorbed in our body and can cause a build up affecting cardiovascular health, whereas this is not the case with unhomogenized milk.
References
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015
Marianne Teitelbaum- Healing the Thyroid with Ayurveda, 2019
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-benefits-of-yogurt#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3