INGREDIENTS:
• Soya milk. Both fresh and UHT versions will work. You can use both sweetened and unsweetened soya milk, although it does taste better using sweetened soya milk! Make sure the soya milk has at least 3% protein content and contains no additives or preservatives.
• Vegan soya milk yoghurt starter.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Fill a jug with 1000ml of milk of soya milk. If you are using fresh soya milk, boil it and allow it to cool back down first.
2. Add the yoghurt starter to the milk and stir VERY well. The starter pack from us already contains the correct amount of tapioca starch.
3. Add the mixture to your yoghurt maker jar/pots.
4. Heat the yoghurt at 42 degrees for 4-8 hours (until set).
5. If the yoghurt has not set after 8 hours. Leave it in the yoghurt maker longer. Keep checking on it every 2 hours if possible. In some instances, it can take up to 18 hours to fully set. Please be patient.
6. Once set, place the yoghurt into the fridge until it has cooled for at least 2 hours. This process also helps it to set further. It is now ready to eat.
7. Ensure you keep back enough yoghurt each time you make it to re-culture the next batch. You will need roughly one tablespoon of the culture per 1000ml of milk. Always re-culture from fresh yoghurt no older than 7 days for the best results. This is a heirloom yoghurt that can be re-cultured indefinitely.
8. Ensure you add 2g of tapioca starch per litre EVERY time you make a batch.
9. If you can’t eat your yoghurt that day, it will keep in the refrigerator up to 7 days, and you can use it to re-culture other batches during that time.
10. Ensure you re-culture your yoghurt at least once a week to keep it healthy and active.
CAN I USE OTHER PLANT MILKS?
We have tested our starter with a range of plant-based milks and have decided that soya milk works best. The bacteria require high protein and carbohydrate (sugar) to multiply. For this reason, nut-based milks do not work. We have had some success with coconut milk, however, the results are inconsistent.
DO I HAVE TO USE TAPIOCA STARCH?
No, you can use agar agar powder, pectin and if you are not strictly vegan, gelatine works very well.
CAN I TAKE A BREAK FROM MAKING IT?
You can freeze the yoghurt for short periods of time (1-3 months). Beyond that, the bacteria will start to decline.
You can also dehydrate the stater by pasting a thin layer onto parchment paper and leaving it to dry in a well ventilated area. Thermophilic yoghurts do not always cope well with dehydration and may not remain viable after.
Sadly neither of these methods are full proof and we can not guarantee they will always work. The best way to preserve the bacteria in the starter it to use a freeze-dry method which requires specialist equipment.
