Iaurt de casa/ Homemade yogurt

(Please scroll down for English version)

Am inceput sa fac iaurt acasa in urma cu vreo 2 ani, dupa ce am citit cartea "Frantuzoaicele nu se ingrasa" a lui Mireille Guiliano. In carte, Mireille povesteste ca a invatat sa faca iaurt in una din calatoriile ei in Grecia, si a descris reteta cu iaurtiera si fara iaurtiera. Este o reteta simpla, si rezultatul este incomparabil cu cel cumparat din magazin.

Eu nu folosesc iaurtiera si imi place sa folosesc lapte organic integral. Pentru inceput este nevoie de putin iaurt simplu cumparat. Eu folosesc kefir, am incercat odata cu iaurt grecesc si nu s-a inchegat (iaurtul grecesc din magazin este gros si aduce mai mult a smantana). Dupa ce ati facut prima data iaurt, opriti din cel facut pentru runda urmatoare.

Imi place iaurtul simplu, sau sa il folosesc in loc de smantana ca garnitura la ciorba. Este foarte bun cu fructe, in special cu afine proaspete, sau cu miere. Combinatia cu miere mi s-a parut si mie putin ciudata prima data cand am auzit, dar merita incercata.


Ingrediente (pentru 2 borcanele de 400 ml):

800 ml lapte integral (masurati laptele in borcane)
2-3 linguri iaurt simplu cumparat (kefir)

2 borcanele curate si uscate, cu capac (daca folositi borcane mai mari, mariti cantitatea de iaurt)

Se incinge laptele intr-o craticioara pana cand incepe sa faca bule pe margine (nu se fierbe in clocot). Se opreste focul si se lasa laptele sa ajunga la temperatura camerei.

Se pune iaurtul intr-un castronel si se pune putin lapte racit, si se amesteca bine, amestecandu-se treptat in tot laptele, avand grija sa nu ramana parti de iaurt neamestecat.

Se toarna in borcane. Se lasa borcanele fara capac, acoperite cu un servet de bucatarie intr-un loc caldut pentru 8-9 ore sau peste noapte. Eu il las pe aragaz, aragazul meu are o lumina de veghe care tine aragazul mereu caldut. Se pot pune borcanele in cuptorul racit.

Dupa 8-9 ore iaurtul ar trebui sa fie legat si destul de tare. Se pun capacele la borcane si se pune in frigider. Se lasa sa se raceasca cateva ore si se poate consuma.

Pentru a face iaurt grecesc, se pune iaurt facut intr-o sita tapetata cu un servetel sau tifon, sita fiind sprijinita pe un castron. Se lasa cateva ore sau peste noapte in frigider, va rezulta un iaurt mult mai gros si gustos.


I started making homemade yogurt about 2 years ago, after I read Mireille Giuliano’s book: “French women don’t get fat”. In the book, Mireille is describing how she learned to make yogurt in one of her travels in Greece. She’s presenting the yogurt recipe with the yogurt maker and without a yogurt maker. Is an easy recipe, and the result is definitely better than store-bought.

I don’t use and yogurt maker, and I like to use organic whole milk. To begin you need a little good store bought yogurt. I use kefir (drinking yogurt). I tried once with Greek yogurt and it didn’t worked (store bought Greek yogurt is thicker and taste more like sour cream). After you made yogurt once, keep some for the next round.

I like plain yogurt, and I use it sometimes instead of sour cream. Is very good with fresh fruit, especially blueberries, or with honey. The honey and yogurt combination seemed a little odd to me first, but it’s worth to give it a try.


Ingredients (for 2 jars of 15 oz each):

30 oz whole milk (it can be measured in the jars)
2-3 tbsp plain store bought yogurt (kefir)

2 glass 15 oz jars with lid (if using larger jars, the ratio is about 1 tbsp yogurt for 1 cup milk)

Put the milk in a little pot and heat until it starts bubbling on the sides (don’t bring it to a boil). Turn off the heat and set aside until cools down to room temperature.

Put the yogurt in a bowl and add a little cooled milk, and stir to combine. Add more milk and stir, and turn everything back to the pot, making sure everything is well combined.

Pour into jars. Place the jars in a warm place, without lid, covered with a kitchen towel, for 8-9 hours or overnight. I keep it on top of the stove, my stove has pilot light, which keeps it warm. The jars can be placed on countertop as long as is warm inside the house (75 degrees or more), or inside cooled oven.

After 8-9 hours, the yogurt should be coagulated and thick. Put the lids on the jars and place in the fridge. Let cool for few hours and it can be eaten.

To make Greek yogurt, place the yogurt in a strainer with a piece of paper towel or cheese cloth inside. Hang the strainer on the edges of a bowl and place in the fridge for few hours or overnight, you’re going to have a very thick and tasty yogurt.



Enjoy!