My doctor suggested that I start eating plain unsweetened yogurt to aid my digestion. Easier said than done. Unsweetened plain non-dairy yogurt is as elusive as spotting a yeti. So, you can imagine my frustration when the yogurt I was buying was taken off the market. Not only that, but after hours of research on the web, I couldn't find another brand to replace it. What do you do when you need a special food for your health reasons and you can't find it, You throw a tantrum. You lament that the universe is against you.
You sulk. Well, at least, that's what I do. Then, you decide to make it yourself. As I read articles on to make dairy free yogurt, I was beset with doubts. Many people tried. Some succeeded but only after many bad batches. Some found it too difficult and gave up. Was it worth even trying,
I wasn't going to let this soy yogurt beat me. I will do it and do it well or waste a heck of a lot of soy milk trying. Let's go make some vegan yogurt! What Do You Need, This is all you need to make yogurt. No fancy machine required!
The only other item you need is an incubator. If you have an oven, you can make yogurt. What Goes into Making Homemade Yogurt, Once I did my research, I was surprised at how little you need to make yogurt at home. The ingredients are simple: soy (or alternative) milk and yogurt cultures.
Oh, you can add fruit, flavorings, and sweeteners, but since I want plain unsweetened, I would only need two ingredients. It is possible that the yogurt can come out too thing or runny. A thickener like agar agar or flax seed powder might be necessary. I decided against using anything. I wanted to see how it would turn out without any additives.
I could handle. I used Silk Unsweetened plain soy milk, which is what I always buy. You can use whatever soy milk you like. I have heard that people have great results with soy and almond milk, but rice milk doesn't work as well. Finding vegan cultures (there is a difference) was a bit more difficult. 30 on a jar that I may only use once.
Several people recommended Cultures for Health Vegan Yogurt Start, so I went with that. It was fairly cheap and others had tested it. With my two ingredients in hand, it was time to start making yogurt. A note about yogurt cultures There are two types of yogurt cultures: Direct Set and Reculturable.
As the name implies, Reculturable cultures can be used repeatedly. You take some of your last batch of yogurt and use it to culture the next batch. The type I used are called Direct Set cultures. Direct Set cultures can only be used once. You cannot make another batch using a portion of the yogurt in your current batch. The Dairy-Free Kitchen: 100 Recipes for all the Creamy Foods You Love--Without Lactose, Casein, or DairyHave trouble finding dairy free options at the store, You can make many at home. This book will show you how.
Unless you're a really good judge of temperatures, you'll need a thermometer. I started out with a candy thermometer. It worked really well and was accurate. Then, after about 6 months of use, I was washing it in the sink and a big chunk of glass broke off. Arthritic hands and glass don't go together. After getting advice from a friend, I bought a simple meat thermometer.
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