Why yogurt is good for you and here's a step-by-step guide to make your own yoghurt using the most basic kitchen equipment without any yoghurt maker

Make yogurt one of your body's best friends

A good natural yogurt not only great for overall health and wellness, it is packed with beneficial probiotics and is an excellent source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins B2 and B12.   Well, we may be consuming yogurt very often, but not all of us are really aware of its benefits. Knowingly or unknowingly, yogurt affects our health in many ways. There are many lesser known ways in which we can use yogurt to take the most out of it. 

To motivate you to include yogurt in your daily diet, here are 10 proven health benefits:
1. Supports Healthy Digestion
2. Lowers the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
3. Lowers the Risk of Colorectal Cancer
4. Increases Bone Density & May Help Prevent Osteoporosis
5. Supports Weight Loss and Increases Fat Loss
6. Boosts the Immune System
7. Reduces High Blood Pressure
8. Reduces Bad Cholesterol
9. Regulates Moods
10. May Help Treat Chronic Pain & Brain-Related Illnesses
Do click here for more indepth info of yogurt goodness.

I started making my own yogurt more than 15 years ago and my children started taking homemade yogurt since they were kids.  My youngest girl is a 'yogurt princess' since young.  She never gets tired of eating yogurt!!  At the rate they consume yogurt, I would have burnt a  big hole in my pocket if I would have bought it.  So, that's how I started making my own homemade yogurt 15 years ago!!!  It's pretty easy and I am sure most people know how to make yogurt.  There are numerous ways to make yogurt, and everyone seems to have their favorite method.    However, my method is the simplest as I only used the most basic kitchen tool without the need of any crockpot, yogurt maker, heating pad, etc.

This post is actually specially written for a special friend who had tried making yogurt before but, alas, unsuccessful.  So, here's a step-by-step guide for her and all those out there who have not been successful in homemade yogurt.

Culturing time is an important factor in making good yogurt. The amount of time the yogurt cultures depends on your taste and texture preference. In general, the longer yogurt cultures, the more tart and thick it will become.

Ingredients :

- 1 litre of pasteurized milk (I used Farm Fresh milk)

- 1 cup of store bought unflavored yogurt - for first timer (I used my previous batch of yogurt)

Tools :

- 2 or 3 sterilized glass containers (I poured boiling hot water over clean containers and set aside to dry)

- pot (I used vision pot)

Method :

1)  Pour milk into pot and boil over low fire.

2)  Keep stirring to prevent the milk from scorching at the bottom of the pot.

3)  See, the milk has started to heat up.

4)  Once small bubbles start to form, you can off the heat.

5)  Set it aside uncovered (or use a food cover) till the milk is just comfortably warm enough to the touch.  

6)  Then, add the unflavored yogurt (it can be from your previous batch or store bought) into the pot of warm milk. 

7)  Gently stir and mix well so that the yogurt dissolve well into the milk. 

8)  Pour the inoculated milk into the containers, cover and leave it at room temperature to be fermented. (Do reserve some of the homemade yogurt - about a cup, for your next batch of homemade yogurt).  It takes about 6-8 hours depending on the weather.  

9)  After about 6-8 hours (or  longer, if the weather is cool), the yogurt should be firm. See how the spoon sits steadily on top of the freshly made yogurt!  Sometimes you can see some slight yellowish, viscous liquid on the top of the yogurt. This is whey and it's edible!. Do not throw it away.

10)  Cover and keep in the refrigerator.  It stays good between 2 to 3 weeks.  (This pic was taken the following day and just out of the refrigerator).  However, we tend to finish these 3 bowls of yogurt within a week or sometimes, within 3 days!!!!!

All thumbs up to homemade yogurt!!!

See.... the yogurt is firm and it's homemade!!!

Homemade yogurt is creamy and delightfully yummy!!

Homemade yogurt is healthy and inexpensive too....

Have a healthy and happy week ahead.  Cheer!!

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