Signe Johansen - Scandilicious: Secrets of Scandinavian Cooking...

Live, or bio, yoghurt is considered a great way to improve digestion, and is a nutritious alternative if youre not so keen on drinking milk. But why would you make yoghurt at home when you can buy it in the supermarket? There are several good reasons:

you know exactly whats in it. By making your own yoghurt, you can avoid commercial sweeteners, stabilisers, colours and additives. Home-made yoghurt needs only a few ingredients basically milk and some friendly probiotic bacteria.

itll save you money. An average 500g pot of bio yoghurt is about twice the price of the equivalent volume of milk. If you eat as much dairy as I do, making your own can add up to quite a significant saving!

the simple pleasure of making something delicious and healthy from scratch.

Growing up in Norway my favourite yoghurt flavours were fruit of the forest and a lovely vanilla and wild strawberry variety, but the great thing about making your own yoghurt base is that you can experiment with different flavours and toppings fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, syrups whatever takes your fancy. The trick is to balance the slight acidity of the yoghurt with something sweet like banana, mango or honey, or zingy like summer berries, rhubarb or passionfruit.

There are many ways of making yoghurt, but heres an easy method for fermenting your own. First choose a live starter for your yoghurt. I recommend avoiding flavoured yoghurts so that you have a neutral base for maximum flexibility instead go for plain whole milk yoghurt containing live yoghurt cultures.

Next, choose your milk. I use whole milk since it makes a milder, creamier yoghurt than that made from low fat or skimmed milk, but its obviously a matter of personal preference. I prefer using organic and unhomogenised milk whenever possible.

MAKES AROUND 1 LITRE OF YOGHURT

1 litre milk

up to 50g milk powder (optional)

6 tbsp plain bio whole milk yoghurt

Heat the milk in a saucepan until it steams and starts to bubble heating the milk alters the whey proteins and creates a dense consistency. Do remember to keep an eye on it, as boiling milk has a tendency to erupt suddenly!

Once the milk has started bubbling, add the powdered milk, if using this will make the yoghurt thicker. Then remove the pan from the heat and leave it to one side until it is warm, rather than hot, to the touch (the ideal temperature is 46C but dont fret if theres no thermometer to hand). Next whisk in the live yoghurt, and place the milk-yoghurt mixture in a warmed glass or porcelain jar with an airtight lid, or in a thermos. Keep the mixture warm on top of a radiator or in an airing cupboard for a few hours or even overnight the extra time to ferment wont do the yoghurt any harm. Once the yoghurt has set, pop it in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to a week. Thats all there is to it.