Sorry for the unannounced disappearance the past few days. I just really needed to knock a few paid jobs on the head. Thems are the breaks of juggling paid work and parenting without childcare. I don't really feel like I can complain about it though since I made the decision the kids aren't ready for daycare, a luxury I know a lot of parents don't have.
In amongst the craziness I have been eeking out time each week to bake our bread and make our yoghurt. I find these simple, rhythmical tasks help to keep me calm and grounded in the moment.
This is my favourite recipe for our every day bread. I basically follow the recipe faithfully apart from adding a tablespoon of gluten flour to help everything rise nicely.
Making yoghurt is super easy and so satisfying. It is so much cheaper than buying store bought yoghurt and in my opinion much yummier. With milk prices so low, I can make a litre of yoghurt for a little over a dollar! I usually make a few litres and trade some with family or friends for other home made goodies like fig jam or baked beans.
Here's how I do it…
-Make sure all your jars and implements are spotlessly clean
-Heat 2 litres of milk (you can do more if you have some hungry friends!) over a medium heat until it reaches 180F
-Cool the milk back down to 110F by putting the pot in a sink full of cold water.
-Then mix in 1/2 cup of starter yoghurt (you can use left over yoghurt from last weeks batch if you have any or just use a plain bought yoghurt with live cultures in it. Gippsland Dairy works well)
-Put the milk into glass jars. Make sure you leave the lids off.
-Now you need to keep the yoghurt at 110F for 8-10 hours. Since I have a dehydrator this is easy but it is also possible to achieve with heat pads and blankets. If you have a bit of a google people have lots of different creative methods.
-Then it's ready - just pop the lids on and whack your yoghurt into the fridge. It thickens up a bit more in the fridge.
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Mm, looks yummy :-) (love your photography skills, too.)
ReplyDeleteNice to find a fellow bread-baker! I use an 'Artisan bread' recipe, a plain white store-in-fridge-until-needed dough, but might have to try your wholemeal, it looks nice.
And I still need to find a decent sourdough recipe, one day...
How long does the yoghurt keep for?
Your yoghurt looks delicious. I used to make it last year..should really start again, but battled with turning the oven on and off for seven or so hours. Didn't know you could use a dehydrator. I'll have to look into that.
ReplyDeleteManu - not entirely sure how long the yoghurt keeps for. We've always eaten it all within a week and it's been fine for that length of time... can't vouch for longer as it's too yummy and gets gobbled up too fast!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan
ReplyDeleteI have been enjoying looking back through all your posts.
I tried making yogurt a few months ago and my attempts were not something I would want to eat. I ordered a starter culture from overseas and sat it on the counter overnight (as per instructions) but the milk just went sour.
Hmmm...glad I read this, might try again with a little Gippsland Dairy (which is what we eat).
My hubby has often talked about getting a dehydrator - do you use it very often for other things?!?!?
Could be something worth looking into.
Thanks
Amy xo