The earliest records of milk fermentation come from ancient Egypt and Babylon, where it was carried out around 3000 BC. It was also a popular process in ancient India. Later, this type of drink was popular with the Turks and Bulgarians, who fermented sheep's, cow's, goat's and even buffalo's milk. Interestingly, the name of yogurt is probably derived from the former because the drink was called ya-ut, which literally means sour milk.

Today's yogurts probably look and taste completely different from the ones the ancients drank, but if they were able to create this delicacy under such unfavorable and non-sterile conditions, it means that we shouldn't have much problem with it either!

How to make yogurt at home?

To prepare yogurt at home we will need:

- milk - can be pasteurized, preferably with a fat content of 3.2%,

- yogurt starter, which you can easily find in our offer,

- a container that we can seal tightly.

 

 

Get to work!

1) Boil the milk and let it cool down to 37-43°C.

2) If you have yogurt bacteria in a vial, you can pour a little bit of milk into it. Then thoroughly mix all the mixture by shaking the vial. Pour this mixture into the container with milk. If the bacteria are in a sachet, you can pour a little bit of milk into a glass, add bacteria, mix everything with a spoon and pour it into a container with milk. REMEMBER that the maximum temperature of milk should be 43°C. Higher temperatures can kill the bacteria.

3. the milk with the given bacteria cultures can be left in the pot, poured into a jar or thermos. However, it is important to insulate it well, e.g. with a towel or blanket. The point is that the temperature given in the first point should remain for the next 8-10 hours. Therefore, it is worth putting them in a warm place. The process cannot take place in an aluminum dish.

It is quite helpful to have a yogurt maker. Thanks to it, maintaining the recommended temperature for several hours and you will not have to worry about the proper development of bacteria.

4. after the above mentioned time, pour the ready yogurt into a container in which you will store it. It should be drinkable for up to 5 days, as long as it is stored in the refrigerator.


If you went through each of these steps, you can congratulate yourself - you just made your first yogurt!
Don't be alarmed if you see a liquid similar to cloudy water on the surface of your yogurt. This is whey, which contains proteins, minerals and calcium. You can simply pour off the excess whey. If there isn't enough, you can mix it into the finished yogurt.


Even three yogurts on one sourdough starter!


If you have made yogurt according to the above points, then you should know that you do not need a new sourdough starter to make the next batch of yogurt. You can inoculate your milk with previously made yogurt up to three times! Just repeat all the steps, with a slight modification of the second point, where instead of a sourdough starter you simply use half a cup of yogurt from earlier fermentation.

 

Why drink yogurt?

The health benefits of eating yogurt have been known for a long time, but it's always good to be reminded of them!
Yogurt bacteria have an important function in our body. First of all, they support the work of the intestines, so they can help you lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight. In addition, the microbiome is one of the pillars of our immunity, so a good work of bacterial flora in our body makes us not so susceptible to diseases. It also positively affects blood pressure and reduces the risk of diabetes.

 

Pictures 1 and 3 taken by Racool_studio - pl.freepik.com