Yoghurt

My wife's homemade breakfasts aside, yoghurt with honey is probably my favorite breakfast. Of course, the honey must be Irish. Ahh, enjoy the morning.

Makes 2.5 pints / 1180 mls

Ingredients
4 pints / 1900 mls milk
1/2 pint / 240 mls double cream (heavy whipping cream)
9 fl oz / 270 mls live plain yoghurt

Over a medium heat, bring the milk just to the boil, then very gently simmer to avoid scorching the milk. Allow it to reduce by a third. Transfer it to an earthenware bowl, add cream and set aside to cool. When it's cool enough to leave your finger in the milk/cream mixture until the count of 10 (mississippis, not alligators), add the yoghurt. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place overnight or until set. The consistency should be spoonable, certainly not watered down. If you wish to add fruit, I'd recommend doing so after it has set. It will keep in the fridge for about a week.
Darina Allen


Things to remember
The reason the milk is boiled is to reduce and develop a concentrated/thicker consistency. More importantly, it "cleans" the milk of it's resident bacteria and allows the yoghurt's bacteria to take over.

The yoghurt can be normal store bought, but it does need to indicate the word "live" somewhere on the label. And yes, it does matter the type of yoghurt you use - garbage ingredients going in, results in garbage on your spoon. Your choice.

Using an earthenware bowl is preferable to keeping the mixture in the saucepan, as it prevents the acid in the yoghurt from reacting with the metal saucepan.

"A warm place" you ask? A normal and stable room temperature often works, but I have also covered it with a towel to help the process along a bit.

Although you may find yourself wanting to finish the whole bowl of yoghurt, do remember to set aside enough to continue the process for your next batch.