31.May.2009 More Sorta Yogurts
If you’re among those interested in making sorta yogurts with milks that aren’t soy-based, fear not: it’s actually only slightly different from the original recipe.
I’ve tried coconut (you can see it up there, sweetened with 2 tablespoons (24 g) raw sugar and flavored with pure vanilla extract) and rice (no added sugar, flavored with the zest of about half a lemon) milk versions so far, and will check out the theory with almond and hemp in the coming days. Next step will be to put all of these to the test by using them in baked goods.
Update: Made brownies, too busy devouring to type, but it worked just fine.
Update 2: Hemp works too. Don’t use unsweetened, though, unless you already know you love it. The smell of it isn’t my friend: I’m used to the chocolate-flavored version of this particular milk, and it shows.
I’ll tweet (sweet mother of cod, I’ve become one of those…) about it all and update this very post once that’s taken care of, so as not to make a brand new post every time something yogurt-y this way comes.
All you have to do is use 2 whole tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch instead of only 1 to 1 1/2, and cook it between 4 and 5 minutes instead of 3. You might have to adjust cooking time depending on the brand and type of milk you use, as well as depending on how mega-powerful your microwave is. You’ll figure it out with practice, no worries.
With the rice milk version, I didn’t bother using the blender again after the initial time that is meant to make sure no undissolved cornstarch remains, since it is and stays so thin throughout the cooking time, but simply and gently swirled the container around.
With the coconut version, I only blended before cooking and then once halfway through.
By the way: be sure to use a large enough container, because the mixture will foam and rise after a couple of minutes of cooking; be sure to turn off the microwave and let the mixture fall down before starting again. This is what I use for that purpose: it’s heat-resistant, cheap, and will do your laundry for you if you ask nicely.
You will find that the yogurt will still be rather thin when 4 minutes have passed: that’s okay, because it will thicken up after spending several hours in the fridge. And by “several hours”, I do indeed mean several hours: aim for at least 3 hours for best results. You will have to stir the yogurt before use, in order to obtain the traditional creamy, smooth quality you’re looking for.
I must admit that the coconut version is my favorite of all, and the rice milk one…well, let’s just say I’m not a fan of rice milk itself to begin with, but I guess the texture is fairly close to the commercial type of rice yogurt you can get these days.
As always, feedback is more than welcome if/when you give this a try.
So, to sum it up…
Homemade Sorta Soygurt, It’s Back and It’s Kicking Your… 1 cup (235 ml) coconut or rice or hemp milk
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (24 g) raw sugar (increase or decrease amounts depending on preference and use.)
2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch
Pinch fine sea salt, optionalAs for the flavorings: I almost always add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, sometimes 1 packed teaspoon lemon zest (be sure to grate the zest while the lemon is still whole!): you choose.
Combine milk and lemon juice in a medium bowl, let curdle for a few seconds.
Add sweetener, cornstarch, optional salt, and flavoring.
With an immersion blender, combine ingredients by blending for about one minute.
Heat in microwave for 2 minutes: throughout cooking, keep a close eye on it to make sure the mixture doesn’t bubble up to make a mess in your microwave. Blend again, stir with a fork, or swirl to stir, if using rice milk.
Heat in microwave for 2 minutes again, blend, stir with fork, or swirl.
Heat up to another whole last minute: the top of the mixture will have the appearance of a thin pudding, which will tell you that you can stop.
Store in fridge to thicken. You will have to stir again before using.
Enjoy chilled.Yield: About 1 1/2 cups