How To Prepare Homemade Yogurt And What Are Its Benefits
Have you ever tried preparing homemade yogurt? If your answer is no, you should know that making yogurts is a very simple, inexpensive process and it will not take you long.
Natural yogurt is a very healthy product, rich in nutrients and properties that benefit the body. If you want to learn how to prepare homemade yogurt, don’t miss the following recommendations. We explain how to do it step by step.
How to prepare homemade yogurt?
Preparing homemade yogurt is very simple, it does not require special machines, it does not take much time and, with a lot of practice, it will become easier and easier.
Ingredients
- Milk (depending on the desired amount of yogurt).
- 1 natural yogurt without sugar.
- Glass bottles.
As utensils for its preparation you will only need a spoon and some insulation that conserves heat: newspaper, a cork box or a blanket, among others.
Preparation
- Get a good amount of milk, depending on the liters of yogurt you want to prepare. Where possible, you should avoid using skim milk, unless a big reason is taken to avoid fat.
- Sterilize the jars by boiling them with their lid in a pot of water for approximately 10 minutes.
- Put a tablespoon of plain yogurt in each of the jars. For every half a liter of milk you need a tablespoon.
- Heat the milk over low heat until it reaches 85 ºC, stirring frequently. This takes about 10 minutes, but the ideal is to be aware to avoid burning.
- Stir the milk from time to time, until it drops to 45 ºC. Half an hour more, approximately. If it falls below this temperature, it is put back on fire until it reaches 45 ºC.
- Pour the milk into the jars, trying to fill them as much as possible so that there is not too much air in them.
- Stir the ingredients well so that the yogurt is well incorporated with the milk.
- Cover the jars well and store so that the heat is well preserved. Wrap them in newspaper, put in a box or wrapped in a blanket. Let them sit overnight without stirring in a warm place.
- Take the jars out of the box, let them rest for 10 minutes and then put the yogurt in the refrigerator.
- Leave the yogurt in the refrigerator for four hours or until it thickens completely. Ideally, let it settle for up to two days.
Homemade yogurt benefits
One of the main advantages of homemade yogurt is that it does not contain preservatives or additives, and the nutrients have not been denatured by industrial processes. This food concentrates a large number of components that benefit us in many ways:
Benefits for the digestive system
Yogurt is one of the best allies of the digestive system. How? Let’s see it.
- It is easily digestible and can be easily included in the diet.
- It is ideal for infections in the digestive system, as it contains one hundred million bacteria that produce group B vitamins in the fermentation process.
- Its compounds help stabilize the intestinal flora and the microorganisms of the digestive system. Your bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid.
- It is recommended to prevent diarrhea problems when taking antibiotics and to reduce symptoms of constipation, including stomach discomfort and pain.
Other benefits
Not only for our digestive system, natural yogurt is also possibly effective in other ways. Here are some of them:
- It contains calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, essential minerals for healthy and strong bones.
- It can help lower total cholesterol by reducing levels of bad cholesterol or LDL (low-density lipoprotein).
- Several studies have determined that its regular consumption could help reduce the risk of vaginal infections such as yeast infection.
Yogurt and beauty
Natural yogurt can be used in beauty treatments and not only by including it in the diet, it can also be applied topically.
- It is an ally of the health of the skin, since it provides softness, regeneration, health and beauty.
You see, yogurt has countless beneficial properties for our health and our beauty. And the best thing is that preparing homemade yogurt is very simple and does not require a lot of time. Do you dare to try it?