Yoghurt maker

Adding Milk Powder

I add half a cup of full cream milk powder to almost 1 litre of skim milk for my yoghurt. I was originally using skim milk powder, but the full cream milk powder gives consistently thicker yoghurt.

Using Powdered Starter

My preferred starter is the Easiyo sachets. The sachets are designed to be used with water, but I use two generous tablespoons of the sachet with skim milk.

I was originally using some yoghurt from my previous batch to make each new batch. I found the results highly variable; sometimes the yoghurt wouldn’t set properly, and sometimes it had hidden pockets of liquid in it.

Using the powdered starter gives more consistent results. I have also had success freezing some of the yogurt from good batches and using the yoghurt ice cubes as starter.

My Basic Yoghurt Recipe

• almost 1 litre UHT skim milk
• 1/2 cup powdered full cream milk
• 2 tablespoons plain Easiyo sachet

1. Mix all the ingredients in the yoghurt jar and shake well.
2. Put the yoghurt jar in the Easiyo thermos with hot water.
3. Leave for 8-14 hours.

Home made frozen yoghurt

I used this recipe from David Lebovitz for my lemon frozen yoghurt, without the citric acid. I used 1kg of my home made full cream yoghurt, which I drained for a couple of hours to make it thicker.

We don’t have an ice-cream machine. I pour the yoghurt mixture into a plastic container with a lid, and put it in the freezer. Once it starts to freeze, I get it out every hour or so and mix it with a stick blender. The texture is a little icy, not as smooth and creamy as ice-cream, but still soft enough to scoop easily.

I have tried a few different starter cultures for my yoghurt, and so far they’ve all been successful, but with slight variations in flavour and consistency. I’ve been surprised to notice pockets of liquid in some batches, but this doesn’t seem to impair the yoghurt.

Experiment 1: Easiyo sachet

• 1 sachet of Easiyo powder;
• cold water.

Being new to yoghurt making, I decided to start with an Easiyo sachet. It couldn’t be easier. I mixed the sachet with water, in the yoghurt jar, and put the jar in the yoghurt maker. Seven hours later I had yoghurt.

Experiment 2: Using previous yoghurt as starter

• almost 1 litre UHT skim milk at room temperature;
• 2/3 cup skim milk powder;
• 2 Tbs of plain yoghurt.

This is the method I use most often. I use some yoghurt from my previous batch as the starter for the next batch. Apparently the yoghurt cultures weaken over time, so I use new starter every four batches or so. For my new starter I use some of the Easiyo powder (see experiment 3 below).

Experiment 3: Using Easiyo powder as a starter

• almost 1 litre UHT skim milk at room temperature;
• 2/3 cup skim milk powder;
• 2 Tbs of plain Easiyo powder.

I keep the left over Easiyo powder sealed in the fridge. I have used it twice now, and both times have worked.

Experiment 4: Full cream yoghurt

• almost 1 litre UHT milk at room temperature;
• 2/3 cup skim milk powder;
• 2 Tbs of plain Easiyo powder.

I like skim yoghurt with my breakfast, but I made a batch of full cream yoghurt to turn into frozen yoghurt (it’s in the freezer now, so more on that later). The full cream yoghurt came out much thicker and creamier than my usual skim variety. I think I’ll buy full cream milk powder next time and see how that affects my skim yoghurt.

Yoghurt making process

The general process for making yoghurt is the same regardless of the method you choose:

1. Half fill the yoghurt jar with milk.
2. Add the other ingredients and stir well. Don’t shake it at this stage, or you will end up with lots of foam.
3. Fill the jar to the top with milk, and shake well.
4. Place the jar in the yoghurt maker with hot water.
5. Leave for 6-24 hours, until set. I tend to make my yoghurt overnight, so I leave it for 10-12 hours .
6. Refrigerate.

Getting started

I did lots of research before I started making yoghurt. There are a range of yoghurt makers available, and lots of different methods for making yoghurt. I was keen to avoid yoghurt makers that needed electricity, and methods that required heating the milk to certain temperatures.

I found the following forums helpful in getting started:

• Aussies Living Simply
• Money Saving Expert
• Natural Parenting