"Do you add anything after you make it to flavor it, like vanilla? I made yogurt a few times but couldn't come up with a flavor/texture combo I liked. Any suggestions?"
Thank you for your question, Maggie! There are several things we do to flavor the yogurt, including vanilla! Keep in mind that it will not be exactly like commercial yogurt, but most people will find a flavor and texture that they like with a little experimentation.
When we flavor our yogurt, we do not do the whole batch at once. We flavor it as we eat it. Here's some of the things we do-
- add about a teaspoon of vanilla extract (per about a cup of yogurt) and sugar to taste. I love vanilla yogurt. I would start with as little as possible and add more. Everybody has different tastes!
- Sugar and fruit. I love cut up strawberries or a handful of blueberries.
- Fruit, vanilla extract, sugar, and granola. Mix the yogurt with the vanilla and sugar. Layer yogurt, fruit, and granola in a pretty glass. I serve this for dessert or for breakfast a lot when I have a fresh batch of yogurt or have hit a great sale on commercial yogurt.
- take about a teaspoon of flavored jello (I like strawberry) and mix it in with about a cup of yogurt.
- Add a little bit of jam or jelly in a flavor you like.
- We use the plain yogurt in place of sour cream in casseroles, on tacos, in dips...anywhere sour cream is called for!
12 comments:
I know this will sound weird to most of the Americans because you guys like your yogurt sweet but, here are two suggestions from a Turkish reader:
1. We mince 1-2 cloves of garlic and add that to the yogurt along with a bit of salt and mix it up real well. This sauce is used with deep fried vegetables, macaroni or meat stuffed vegetables and grape leaves, baked eggplants and some types of salty pastries.
2. We dilute the yogurt with some water, chop cucumbers in it and add some fresh or dried mint leaves plus salt. Garlic is optional in this case. This is sort of like a refreshing cold soup especially good in the summer.
Don't be like my Mom and give them a try. You never know...
I usually do one of the following with my homemade [soy] yogurt:
a) Sometimes I flavor it with a little maple syrup, then serve with granola or muesli.
b) I thoroughly enjoy chopped or sliced seasonal fruit and agave nectar with plain yogurt. (You can use honey, too.)
By the way, I love your blog. Stumbled across it not long ago.
Great suggestions. I will be giving homemade yogurt anoyher try.
Maple syrup (about 1 tsp) and a bit of fruit, like strawberries or peaches, chopped finely, is my favourite way to flavour homemade yogurt. Maple syrup is definitely my favourite sweetener for homemade yogurt.
I use a scoop of chocolate flavored Whey protein powder. It's tasty, thickens, and adds 20 grams of protein.
So I would like to add vanilla but the vanilla i see in the stores always has alcohol in them, (35%). Won't this kill the bacteria? Do I need to find an extract without alcohol or is it diluted enough to no be anti-septic? How much can I use without it killing the pro-biotics?
Good question Jon, and not one I know the answer to! :) I've always added vanilla to yogurt. It's never hurt the appearance or texture, but I have no idea if/how it has changed the nutritional content.
I know that Trader Joe's sells alcohol free vanilla.
I just found this one: add sugar and cinnamon (sorry I don't have measurements, I just eyeball it). I got the idea from yoplait's Cinnamon bun flavor.
My favorite is making a sort of fruit compote out of strawberries or other fruits. Cook chopped fruit with sugar, a little bit of water, and cornstarch. Cool, then swirl however much you want into your yogurt.
When heating the milk to the high temperature (190F), drop in some flavored tea bags like lemon or one of the zingers to impart a subtle flavoring. Of course you want to fish them out before adding the starter culture.
Bill
Lemon zest, while the milk is still hot, before you cool it and add the starter. This lemon yogurt is delish when topped with fresh blueberries and a dollop of your favorite sweetener (honey, agave, sugar, etc).
Post a Comment