A Simple Guide to Making Yoghurt and Kefir at Home

Making your own yoghurt and kefir is simpler than you might imagine, The Live Kefir Company can also give you more details about Kefir.  These two products offer a range of benefits for your intestinal flora.  If you want to make them at home, there are a few steps you need to take, and you will have to purchase starters.

Making Homemade Yoghurt

To make yoghurt, you need to have a yoghurt starter and milk.  The starters can be purchased online, but you need to understand the different types.  You can get direct set and heirloom starters.

Both starter types can be used for multiple batches of yoghurt.  However, you will only be able to use the direct set starters for 2 to 3 batches.  To make the second and third batch, you will need to take a few tablespoons from the initial starter batch.  Heirloom starters can be used for as many batches as you want.  There are many people who have heirloom starters that last for years as they make one batch after the other.

Once you have the starter, you will need to get some milk.  You can use any type of milk, but whole milk is recommended.  Ideally, you should look for raw and organic whole milk because this will provide the richest yoghurt.

After getting the milk and starter, you need to heat the milk while stirring continuously.  The temperature of the milk will vary depending on the recipe you want to use.  After reaching the required temperature, you need to allow the milk to cool while adding the yoghurt culture.  This is the starter you have purchased or a few tablespoons of your old yoghurt batch.

You need to then pour the mixture into a glass container.  The container should be incubated for 8 to 10 hours at the same temperature.  You can do this by wrapping towels around the jar and putting it into a cooler.  There are also special yoghurt jars you can use or you can place it into a yoghurt maker.  After the 10 hours of incubation, the yoghurt will be ready.

Making Homemade Milk Kefir

There are two ways that you can make kefir and the most popular method uses milk.  As with the homemade yoghurt, you should get the best whole milk you can find.  This will make the kefir richer and give it a better taste.

You will also need to buy a kefir starter.  Kefir starters are generally sold as grains, but you can get some live cultures as well.  The one you choose depends on the recipe you use and what you feel comfortable with.  Unlike yoghurt, you will not be able to use old kefir as a starter and you need to have the initial starter.

Making milk kefir is very simple and some people find it easier than making yoghurt.  To start, you will need to rehydrate the kefir grains you buy as a starter.  You will need to place the kefir in pasteurised milk and leave it on your kitchen counter for 24 hours.  You will need to strain the grains out and put them into fresh milk.  The initial milk will separate into curds and whey, but by day 5 the milk should look thick and not separate.

Once this happens, you can start making your milk kefir.  You will not have to heat your whole milk and you simply place the kefir into as much milk as you want.  Leave the milk on the counter for at least 24 hours before you can eat it.

Making Homemade Water Kefir

The second method of making kefir does not involve milk and only uses water.  You will need water kefir grains which need to be rehydrated.  To do this, you will generally need to soak them in water, but full instructions are provided with the grains.

To make the water kefir, you will need to dissolve some sugar in boiling water in a glass container.  The container should then be topped up with cool filtered water.  The water should be room temperature at the end.  You can then add the hydrated water kefir grains and some of the water the grains came in.

The container will need to be covered loosely and left in a warm place for around 48 hours.  As the water stands, you will notice that it becomes cloudy and the water will lose its sweetness.  You should not leave the kefir for longer than 48 hours as this will starve the grains.

After 48 hours, you need to strain the water.  The grains can be stored for later use while the water should be bottled and capped.  You can put it in the fridge and add lemon juice or other juices to it.

Making your own yoghurt and kefir is simpler than you might imagine.  Many people find milk kefir to be easier to make than yoghurt.  Water kefir is a good drink that can be combined with fruit juices.