The easiest way to make homemade yogurt

Save money and live healthier!

Say goodbye to buying expensive yogurt at the store with all that disposable plastic. With a Luvele Yogurt Maker, you’ll save money, create less waste, and enjoy yogurt that’s more nutritious than anything you can buy. And bonus, once you start your own batch of homemade yogurt you'll have an endless supply, as a few spoonfuls of yogurt can re-culture your milk in the next batch.

At first, the idea of making yogurt might seem intimidating, but with a Luvele yogurt maker and La Thermometer, the simple process is fun and easy. All you need is bacteria (known as yogurt starter culture) and milk, but before you begin your first batch be sure to read:

A guide to choosing the best milk to make yogurt
Everything you need to know about yogurt starter culture
How to thicken homemade yogurt

Homemade yogurt is also one of the best sources of probiotics, which are friendly bacteria that give your gut microbiome a boost and improve your overall health. When you make yogurt at home, you can be sure that it has more probiotics than any yogurt you can buy at the store.

The Luvele Yogurt Maker puts you in control of the bacterial quality and the taste. Your starter culture will specify how long to incubate. Most will typically recommend 6-8 hours which will result in a mild tasting natural yogurt. For a therapeutic probiotic yogurt, Luvele yogurt recipes generally suggest overriding the specified time and fermenting for 24-hours. The resulting yogurt will taste a little tarter but have considerably more good bacteria. The fermentation time is entirely yours. Browse the following links to learn about the benefits of a longer fermentation time.

Yogurt fermentation time and temperature
24-hour yogurt vs a probiotic pill 

INGREDIENTS

Yogurt Starter culture (amount specified on the packet)
Milk (up to 2 L/2.1 qt)

PREPARATION

Before you begin it is important to sterilise the Luvele yogurt making glass jar, lid, and any utensils you use, in hot water. Pouring boiling water over everything is sufficient. The danger of not sterilising is that other bacteria may overpower your starter culture and affect the quality of your yogurt.

METHOD

1.  Measure Quantity
Measure the appropriate quantity of milk to fill your Luvele yogurt maker and pour into a large, clean saucepan.

2.  Heat and hold the milk at 82°C (180°F) 
Use a thermometer. Note, as you become more confident with heating milk to make yogurt you will be able to judge when the milk is nearing 82°C (180°F) because it will begin to swell and rise in the pot (just before it simmers). Hold the heat at this temperature for anywhere between 2 - 10 minutes. The longer the better. Holding the milk at this high temperature allows the milk proteins to denature which thickens the yogurt.
Tip: It can be a challenge to hold the milk at a high temperature for so long. Don’t get too caught up on the precise temperature. If the milk accidently simmers briefly, don’t panic – reduce the heat and continue. Use a wok ring (or something similar) to create a distance between the flame and pot or use a double boiler pot filled with boiling water. 

3.  Cover the milk & let cool to below 42°C (107°F)
It is fine if the milk cools down well below 42°C or even goes cold, it just mustn't be too hot. Temperatures above 43°C will kill the starter culture. Tip: You can actively cool it by filling a sink, or bowl with cold water and setting the pot of heated milk in the cold water.

As the milk cools a layer of skin will form on the milk.  There is no harm leaving it in. It does not produce lumpy yoghurt. If you are using unhomogenised milk, the skin will include the cream, which is rich and delicious. You don't want to miss out on this!

4.  Add the starter culture and gently whisk it in.
Each yogurt starter culture will come with different instructions. Please follow the instructions unique to your starter culture and use the amount specified. Alternatively, stir in a quarter of a cup of homemade yogurt from a previous batch (per litre of milk).

5.  Pour the milk into the yogurt making glass jar and put the lid firmly on.
Place the glass yogurt jar into your yogurt maker.  

6.  Pour water slowly into the base.
The water must not be filled over the ‘tall line’ indicated on the inside wall of the maker.

7.  Place the cover lid on top. 
The milk is now ready to begin fermentation.

8.  Set the time & temperature.
Use the digital control panel to set the temperature to 38° C (100° F), and the time either, according to the starter culture instructions or for 24-hours. Note: only choose to incubate longer than 24-hours if you are using a unique blend of probiotic strains in your starter culture or when the method specifies 36-hours.

9.  When the timer goes off, the fermentation is complete.
Condensation will have collected under the cover lid. Please take care removing it and allow the water to drip into the water bath, instead of your bench!

10.  Switch the yogurt maker off and remove the yogurt jar.
Straight from the maker the yogurt will be runny and warm.
Depending on the milk you used, there may be a layer of yellow cream on top of the yogurt. Be gentle with the warm yogurt and don’t stir it or else it won’t set in a perfect white mass. 

11.  Place the jar in the fridge for at least 6 hours to chill and set.
Then enjoy!

STEP BY STEP HOW TO MAKE YOGURT IN THE PURE YOGURT MAKER

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