This is the story of how I turned 1/3 cup of yogurt into a half gallon in less than a day. And I did it all by myself!
Okay, well … I didn’t do it all by myself. A super cool new cookbook showed me the way.
When Julia asked me if I’d like to review her new cookbook, Delicious Probiotic Drinks, I was pretty stoked. I fully admit that the idea of fermenting kombucha on my kitchen counter is way, way out of my comfort zone. But that’s one reason why I was so excited to read her book – to expand my horizons.
Julia and her book are a wealth of knowledge about harnessing probiotics – aka “good” bacteria – to make all kinds of delicious, healthy drinks. She thoroughly – yet in an easy-to-understand way – shows her readers how to make naturally fermented drinks at home. Think kombucha (lemon ginger!), ginger beer, kefir (raspberry kefir soda!), even lacto-fermented lemonade (and a probiotic Arnold Palmer made with it!). And. AND! As a precursor to her section on probiotic-rich smoothies, she includes instructions on how to make homemade yogurt – both with dairy and with coconut milk. So as soon as I saw the homemade yogurt recipe, I knew I had, had to give it a whirl.
I’m not including the recipe for homemade yogurt here – you’ll need to buy Julia’s book for that (or leave a comment below for a chance to win your own copy)! It’s a pretty surprisingly easy process, though. You heat up a half gallon of milk, stir a little store-bought yogurt with live cultures into it, and let it sit in a warm, dark place for several hours so that the good stuff multiplies and then magically, you have a whole huge batch of yogurt! Yeah, Julia explains it wayyyy better. (Also, there are pretty specific temperatures and conditions that need to be met to create an environment that encourages good bacteria and discourages bad).
Seriously though, I couldn’t believe it when I opened my half-gallon mason jar, and the milk and 1/3 cup yogurt I’d added 6 hours earlier had turned into thick, rich, beautiful yogurt. It felt like magic.
I took some of that yogurt and made another recipe in Julia’s book, Vanilla Bean & Honey Yogurt, which I am sharing here today. Who doesn’t adore the the heady flavor and irresistible flecks of vanilla seeds fresh out of the bean, not to mention the complex sweetness that honey lends? Those two simple ingredients flavor the creamy, fresh homemade yogurt that is now my new breakfast obsession. Sometimes topped with sliced banana, sometimes plain suits me just fine.
Magic!
[box type=”shadow”] Buy Delicious Probiotic Drinks at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or leave a comment below by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time March 1, 2014 for your chance to win your own copy! I’ll randomly select a winner from those that leave comments. UPDATE: The giveaway has closed and the winner has been chosen! Thank you for entering!
Homemade Vanilla Bean & Honey Yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 cups plain yogurt
- 2 vanilla beans
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Cut the vanilla beans in half, then slice each half open lengthwise. Scrape the tiny black seeds out of the middle of the beans and add to the yogurt. Stir well to mix.
- Drizzle in the honey (start with 1/4 cup) and mix well. Taste and add additional honey if you prefer a sweeter yogurt.
- Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
Since reading Michael Pollan’s book, “Cooked”, I’ve been really interested in getting more good bacteria into my family’s diet…this book seems like a great place to start! (Especially the part about brewing kombucha, that’s something I’d love to try!)
I’ll have to check that book out – thank you for mentioning it!
i’d love to win her book.
I would love to win this cookbook. I am trying to eat better.
Kitchen chemistry! Finally, chemistry seems like it could be fun!
This is all a new world to me. I can hardly wait to learn!
I’ve yet to be brave enough to try making my own yogurt! Maybe this book would change my mind! 🙂 YOURS looks amazing – vanilla beans (those little specks of black) get me every time!
We’ve been making homemade yogurt for the past year or so and it is sooo good. I recently bought cultures to try a yogurt called villi. It cultures at room temp so you don’t have to heat up your milk. I’ve also recently started making water and milk kefir and kombucha. So far the milk kefir is my favorite. I love how incredibly easy it is and if you blend it with some fruit it tastes just like the kefir you buy in the store – but with more probiotics, less sugar and artificial ingredients, and less than half the price! This book looks like an awesome way to get some new flavoring ideas.
I am enamoured of your site! Always upbeat, and completely interesting.! My husband and I are adjusting to an empty nest, and though we have always enjoyed home cooked meals, we are embracing new ideas in cooking/food. The probiotics drinks cookbook would be welcome!
probiotics are the best! this cookbook would come in super handy 🙂
Would love to win the cookbook!
I love kombucha tea! It would so cool to make my own at home!
I am very interested in learning about making my own pro-biotics!
This book looks awesome and I am definitely trying the Vanilla Bean and Honey Yogurt!
I’d love to win this book for my Dad. He’s very interested in probiotic drinks.
I started making my own yogurt about 18 months ago and cannot imagine buying it again. This book looks like it might be my next step…..
I like the idea of vanilla bean yogurt without all the sugar – just a natural sweetener: honey!
I’ve loved seeing all the posts from this cookbook…everything looks amazing!! I’d love to make my own yogurt, yours looks so good!
Thank you so much for the chance to win this cookbook.
I love making homemade yogurt – so delicious. Would love to learn how to make kombucha tea! The cookbook sounds amazing.
I regularly make my own yoghurts and I’m actually quite intrigued by the coco milk version, especially since we’re going to test my toddler for dairy intolerance… Would be fun to look at the dairy (free) alternatives to the probiotic recipes. BTW, I love your site and your approach to dual diets 😉
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I have been making vanilla yogurt for a few months now, than you for the recipe of honey as the sweetener. I would love to win the cook-
book. Thanks again, Joann Wade
I havent ever thought to ask if you can can yogurt. Can one do this, can yogurt? Well anyway the thought of honey yogurt sounds heavenly. I must say this one and well i am a vanilla freak ,love them all 3. I can’t wait to tey this. I do not want man made probiotic as it has never worked well for me and prefer organic . So glad i decided to do a search for a pressure cooker that it led me here. Thanks much.