Supporters of healthy eating have long appreciated the benefits of Greek yogurt. Its low caloric content makes it possible to include this product in the diet of weight-lifting people. The thick texture of Greek yogurt allows you to replace them with sour cream and mayonnaise. It is favorably distinguished from these products not only by the low energy value, but also by the presence of beneficial bacteria, a high content of calcium and protein, and a delicate taste. Properly done, it does not collapse during heat treatment. You can stew meat in it, make casseroles with it. Many use it as a basis for cake and dessert cream with fresh berries and fruits, and they fill up vegetable salads. In Greece itself, it is made of thick sauce, which is spread on bread.
If you compare the cost of Greek yogurt and other dairy products, the desire to buy it may be lost. Moreover, no one knows for certain whether thickeners and preservatives have not been added to the product during production. Much safer and cheaper to cook Greek yogurt at home. If you exactly follow the instructions in the recipe, this culinary experiment will be crowned with success even by an inexperienced hostess.
Cooking Features
If you have experience cooking any dairy products at home, then you can make Greek yogurt without difficulty. The technology is the same: ferment is added to warm milk, the container with it is wrapped so that the warm environment necessary for the development of beneficial microorganisms is maintained as long as possible. Wait a few hours, then the finished product is removed in the refrigerator and used for its intended purpose. Nevertheless, with seeming simplicity, the process of making Greek yogurt at home has many subtleties. They need to know if you expect to get an acceptable result.
- Milk for making Greek yogurt requires whole, non-sterilized. If antibiotics were added to milk during production, it will not be able to ferment it.
- For healthy microorganisms to multiply, milk must be warm, but not hot. The optimum temperature is 40-45 degrees. First, the milk is heated to about 70-80 degrees, not allowing it to boil, then cooled. Dip a finger in the milk and try to keep it there for more than 10 seconds. If this proves impossible or is difficult, then the milk needs to be cooled a little more.
- For cooking Greek yogurt, you can purchase a special starter bag. One such bag is enough for fermenting 1-1,5 l of milk. Such a starter is sold in many supermarkets, it can also be ordered in online stores. It can be replaced with ordinary natural yoghurt (for example, “Activia”), yoghurt, yogurt of Mechnikov and other dairy products, for the preparation of which Bulgarian stick is used. Sour cream for this purpose will not work. After cooking homemade Greek yogurt, it is recommended to leave part of it for use as a starter for the next batch. Then each time the yogurt will be tastier and healthier.
- It is recommended to ferment at one time large portions of milk (2-3 l), then it will cool down more slowly, which will allow better development of beneficial bacteria, due to which you will get a thicker and more qualitative product.
- During the fermentation of yoghurt, rearrange the food container from place to place, move it, do not jiggle it, it will disrupt the process.
- The essential difference between the preparation of Greek yoghurt and the usual one is in decanting it. For this yogurt is placed in a colander covered with gauze, set over the pan and left for 2-3 hours. If you are making Greek yogurt in a yogurt maker using a special starter, you can do without pumping.
If after cooking Greek yogurt is removed for several hours in the fridge, it will become even thicker and tastier.
Classic Greek Yogurt Recipe
Composition:
- milk - 2 l;
- Greek yogurt or other fermented milk product containing Bulgarian sticks - 0, 4 l.
Method of preparation:
- Pour some milk (20-40 ml), heat it to make sure that it does not start to turn sour - it is not always possible to recognize the taste. If the milk is not fresh enough, it will be curtailed.
- Heat the remaining milk over low heat. As soon as you notice that it is going to boil, remove it from the heat.
- Allow the milk to cool slightly, pour into a clean three-liter jar.
- Cover the jar with a clean lid or cloth, wait for the milk to cool to a comfortable temperature. To check the readiness of milk for fermentation can be as follows: clasp the jar with your hands, slowly count to ten. If you were not uncomfortable, the milk is cold enough. If it is too cold, the bacteria will not work, so try not to miss when the milk reaches the desired temperature.
- Add the fermented milk product used as a starter to the milk. Stir gently.
- Place the jar in the oven, turn it on, setting the minimum heat - the temperature in the oven should not exceed 50 degrees. If your oven heats up more, it won't be used. Then the bank will have to close and wrap with a blanket or other warm materials. A wrapped can is taken away in a corner where no one will disturb it. Some housewives put it under the kitchen table or under the bed.
- If you are cooking Greek yogurt in the oven, you can remove it from it after 6 hours. If the bank is indoors wrapped up, it will take longer to wait - 8-12 hours. After the specified time, the yogurt is poured into a colander, covered with gauze and set over the pan, left for 3 hours.
Strained yogurt is put in a clean jar and put in the fridge. Serum is used for the preparation of any dishes or for cosmetic purposes. Milk can be fermented not only in a jar, but also in a saucepan. Some use a thermos for this. Its capacity is usually less than 3 liters, so the amount of ingredients used must be reduced proportionally.
Greek yogurt in a yogurt maker
Composition:
- milk - 1 l;
- starter for making Greek yogurt - 1 bag.
Method of preparation:
- Heat milk to 40-45 degrees.
- Pour 100 ml of milk, mix it with sourdough.
- Top up the rest of the milk, mix well.
- Pour the milk into special cups.
- Turn on the yogurt maker for 8 hours.
- After a specified time, evaluate the thickness of the product. If it seemed too liquid, run the yogurt maker for another 1-2 hours.
After that, it remains to remove the cups with homemade Greek yogurt in the refrigerator.
Greek Yogurt in a Multivariate
Composition:
- milk - 1 l;
- yeast (yogurt or matsoni) - 150 g.
Method of preparation:
- Heat the milk to a temperature slightly higher than the temperature of the human body.
- Mix it with sourdough.
- Place in a container that is smaller than the bowl of the multicooker.
- At the bottom of the multicooker bowl, lay a cloth, put a container of milk on it. The fabric is needed so as not to scratch the multicooker bowl. If the yogurt container itself is glass, then the fabric will also be required so that the glass does not crack when heated.
- Pour warm water into the bowl of the multicooker; it should cover two-thirds of the container with milk.
- Switch on the unit by selecting the “Yoghurt” program. If there is no such program, the “Multipovar” function will do. The temperature then has to be set manually, it takes 40 degrees. If your device does not have this function, prepare yogurt in heating mode. Cooking time in any of these programs is 6 hours.
- After completing the program, carefully remove the yogurt container from the multicooker bowl.
- In a colander, place the gauze folded in 2-3 layers, place it above the saucepan.
- Put yogurt in a colander and forget about it for 2 hours.
It remains to decompose the yogurt in jars and store in the refrigerator. Shelf life of homemade Greek yogurt is 72 hours. The method of preparation of the product is not affected by this period.
Greek yogurt contains a lot of calcium and protein, there are almost no sugars and lactose. Product fat content rarely exceeds 4%. All this makes it popular among people adhering to the principles of healthy eating. If the quality of store-bought Greek yogurt makes you doubt or it seems too expensive to you, you can cook it at home. Despite the fact that the technology of making homemade Greek yogurt has many nuances, it is not complicated. Carefully following the instructions, even a novice cook will cope with the task, and with the use of kitchen gadgets it is even easier.
