Coconut Yoghurt Mark 2

Coconut Yoghurt

Now that I have my beautiful new Excalibur dehydrator I have been testing & retesting my coconut yoghurt recipe.

I think I have improved it! I have replaced the gelatine & tapioca for some xanthan gum and although you can still use a starter culture in the form of yoghurt, I have discovered I get a better result from yoghurt starter bacteria powder.

The one I use is a combination of mild acidifying Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and a fast acidifying Streptococcus thermophilus. You can get it online here or in a good health food shop in the fridge section. I have read on many blog sites that you can use a chemist bought probiotic powder such as Inner Health Plus but I have tried this and not had any luck. The reason being, the probiotic capsules or powder that you buy from the chemist have 2 strains of valuable probiotic culture: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis but not the important Streptococcus thermophilus. As the name implies, Streptococcus thermophilus needs heat (thermal) to culture. Thats why you need to warm & insulate the milk after inoculating it. This can be done in a thermos or thermoserver but it can also be done in a dehydrator if you have one!! Inner Health Plus will make yoghurt, eventually, but it will take days! Trust me, I tried it!!

I have also added some protein powder as coconut milk has low protein and it is the proteins that help the structure of the culture give a thicker texture. I use egg white protein but whey protein, whilst dairy, works too.

Again, it is paramount that all utensils are scrupulously clean, if you are using homemade coconut milk it is a good idea to “pasteurise” your milk by heating it for 15 minutes at 90°C SP 2 but this recipe works well with canned milk* also, which has already been heat-treated.

Yoghurt culture is a live food and it needs to be treated carefully. Do not mix the cultured milk on high speeds as this will kill it and additionally, don’t disturb the culture whilst it is growing – you will get a better texture if it is UNDISTURBED.

 500g coconut milk/cream (I use a 50/50 mix)

¼ teas xanthan gum

1 tab protein powder (Egg white protein)

1 teas culture

Stevia or sugar to taste (optional)

 

Add the coconut milk, xanthan gum & protein powder to the TM and cook for 5 minutes on 37⁰C SP 3.

Add yogurt starter and mix for  a further 10 mins 37°C, SP 1.

 

Pour into  a  sterile 500ml lidded plastic container that fits in your thermoserver and top up halfway with boiling water. Wrap in a towel or insulated bag and leave to sit UNDISTURBED for 12 hours. Afterwards, place in fridge to cool – it will thicken further.

 

Dehydrator method: Pour into a sterile 500ml glass jar or jars, seal and set your dehydrator to 35°C for 8 hours. Afterwards, place in fridge to cool – it will thicken further.

 

An even better coconut yoghurt recipe that I have is unfortunately not completely dairy free. It is improved by the addition of 100g of plain natural yoghurt. As I can’t have cows milk, I use sheeps milk yoghurt but goats milk yoghurt works too. I find that I get a better “acid” base in this yoghurt whilst still being predominantly coconut based. If you can have a little bit of dairy, try this one:

 

500g coconut milk

1/8 teas xantham gum

1/2 teas gelatine

1 teas maple syrup

100g natural yoghurt (I use sheeps milk)

1 tab yoghurt starter culture

 

Make up as above.

I love to eat my coconut yoghurt with ANYTHING! Fresh fruit, apple crumble, chocolate cake! An unsweetened version goes fabulously with a hot Indian curry… What are you going to eat your coconut yoghurt with??

 

Recipe for coconut ice-cream coming soon…..

 

 

* Be wary of which brand of canned coconut milk you buy. Have a good look at the labels and you will find a huge variation of percentages in coconut extract ranging from 100%  right down to 52%!! There are often fillers & gums added which affect the outcome. There should only be 2 ingredients on the list: coconut extract and water only.