We ferment our Lactobacillus reuteri yogurt for 36 hours—longer than conventional yogurt fermentation—and ferment in the presence of prebiotic fiber in order to:
- Increase bacterial counts—since the greatest increase in counts occur later in fermentation, given the exponential behavior of bacterial doubling
- Minimize lactose—since nearly all lactose is fermented to lactic acid that accounts for the marked sourness or tartness of the final product. This is why most lactose-intolerant people are able to eat yogurt made this way.
- Denature (break down) the casein beta A1 protein—The protein potentially responsible for effects that include triggering autoimmune conditions is broken down by the acid pH to reduce (though not eliminate) its potential for triggering this phenomenon.
- Increase production of beneficial bacterial metabolites
But, because the process yields more lactic acid, it means that the end-product is substantially more sour or tart, SO sour or tart that some people object to it.
Is there a way to enjoy all the spectacular benefits of this yogurt that boosts oxytocin levels and yield unique probiotic effects while not having to pucker your lips with excessive sourness or tartness?
We add, of course, prebiotic fibers in some form—unmodified potato starch, inulin, or other—at the start to nourish the bacteria responsible for producing the thick, cream-cheese-like yogurt we have come to be familiar with.
But adding one teaspoon of inulin at the moment of consumption reduces the taste sensation of tartness. I don’t know why this might be beyond inulin’s mild sweetness, but every time I’ve tried it, it has worked: less tart, less sour yogurt but with preservation of all the extravagant health benefits of the L. reuteri yogurt . . . while also allowing you to enjoy the benefits of adding a prebiotic fiber to your daily habits.
I also add fresh or frozen berries and some liquid stevia and look forward to my daily 1/2-cup serving.
I recently switched to the sous vide method and am getting more liquid and less creamy yogurt. What can I do to get a creamier result?
Sherry, I add 1 Tbsp of chia seeds to each 1/2 cup and it firms up the yogurt nicely.
Sherry Edmondson wrote: «What can I do to get a creamier result?»
You are getting some great suggestions here. I’ve lately doubled the inulin I used, to 2 tbsp./qt. I’m also switching to just using whole milk, because the final product goes into a smoothie, so the added creaminess of cream isn’t worth the extra expense. I should mention that I don’t use a sous vide.
Dorothy wrote: «Sherry, I add 1 Tbsp of chia seeds to each 1/2 cup and it firms up the yogurt nicely.»
Interesting. Are you adding this before the ferment, post-ferment, or just when served? I’m tempted to add it, and at the pre-pasteurize step, in a future batch.
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I add the chia seeds post-fermenting, as I divide the whole batch into 1/2 cup servings for the week.
Dorothy wrote: «I add the chia seeds post-fermenting…»
Thanks for the clarification.
I tried adding crushed chia seeds pre-ferment, to see if there was any thickening effect. It ended up being my normal consistency, with crushed chia seeds near the top.
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> creamier
A tip from a yogurt making site: Heat your substrate (the half and half) to 180F for a few minutes. The hypothesis is that the heat allows the proteins to unwind, which results in smoother yogurt.
Note that this step help regardless of whether you use a pasteurized substrate.
It works for me; no more curds and whey. All smooth.
I make my yogurt with whole, organic milk and the sous vide method and it comes out creamy, but it is not as thick as I would like it so I drain much of the whey in a cloth napkin. This produces a nice, thick and creamy product similar to Greek yogurt. I also add some vanilla and stevia to the final product. I have been eating it for several months and love it!
I just completed my 58th batch of the L-reuteri yogurt using the sous vide method. It is consistently THICK and creamy. Here’s what I do.
Heat 1 quart of Organic Valley Half and Half to 180° F, then cool it in an ice water bath to about 100° F.
Add the cooled liquid to the jar/container that you will place into the sous vide device. Then add the L-reuteri starter. I use a “muffin” from a previous batch. I use 1 Tbs. of dextrose to feed the yogurt. I put a lid on the container and place it into the sous vide water bath at 101-103°F. After 30-36 hours, I take it out and put it into the refrigerator overnight. The yogurt is then ready to eat. There is no need to strain it like making a Greek-style yogurt. I used to do that (not using the L-reuteri) because it is quite thick already. As far as tartness goes, I like the taste and only use frozen organic blueberries with it (or even plain!). Hope this helps.
Thank goodness you said this as I’ve been wondering all along if my yogurt was “right.” Too tart, sour! But I started adding stevia or Serve along with the blueberries and a little sprinkle of your cereal mix and I’m a happy camper.
Dr. Davis, this yogurt cured me of insomnia. I am so grateful. Thank you.
I’ve tried to make this a few times. Twice using my sous vide and both times have cuddled and separated. I’ve used organic pasteurized goat milk. Cows milk inflames my skin so I stay away.
Paula Reece wrote: «Twice using my sous vide and both times have cuddled and separated.»
Let’s explore:
• What starter?
• What temperature?
• What ferment time?
• What extender (e.g. prebiotic fiber)?
re: «I’ve used organic pasteurized goat milk.»
So have I, and it should work very well.
re: «Cows milk inflames my skin so I stay away.»
We can explore that later.
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I use the BioGaia recommended by Dr Davis 10 crushed tabs, as stated in his recipe
Sous Vide set at 100 degrees
36hrs
Organic inulin powder – amount as stated in his recipe.
I also used the canning jart without lids and plastic wrap, then tried with loose lids and the same thing happened
Paula Reece wrote: «I use the BioGaia recommended by Dr Davis 10 crushed tabs, as stated in his recipe…»
If you still have it, and refrigerated, use any unconsumed portion as starter for another batch (same recipe, but no tablets).
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Don’t have any left. Didn’t think it was good so chucked it. Is it that I am not using sugar (my interpretation of the recipe was either Inulin OR sugar, not both) and/or brining the temp of the milk up like some others do??
Paula Reece wrote: «Didn’t think it was good so chucked it.»
Sigh. I’ve done that too (my non-dairy experiments).
re: «Is it that I am not using sugar (my interpretation of the recipe was either Inulin OR sugar, not both) and/or brining the temp of the milk up like some others do?»
Just inulin alone is expected to work (and is what I do now). I used to use potato starch as well, and abandoned that. I think I’ve tried sugar (probably in the coconut milk batches), and they failed for other reasons.
The [re]pasteurization step is optional (for pre-pasteurized mammal milks), but it does alter the proteins, and presumably the resulting product. I haven’t run any side-by-side tests to explore this.
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Made 3 batches of Reuteri yogurt – one for the starter and 2 for consumption.
Turned out perfect and delish. Resulting yogurt is very thick, no separation, no whey, no straining needed. Can stand up on the plate/slice it.
Attaching instructions in case it helps someone.
Starter batch – 1L/QT organic half and half (no additives of any kind), 1 TBS BRM Potato Starch, 1 TBS Inulin, 1/2 TSP Sugar, 10 BG Reuteri tablets crushed in the packet. Heat milk to 180F, add inulin, starch and sugar (previously premixed/dissolved in small amount of milk). Cool down to 110F. Add crushed BG tablets (again premixed in small amount of milk) – mix well. I use a yogurt maker set to 100F (Luvele brand) – it keeps temps accurately within 0.5-1 degree. The starter batch run 30.5 hrs – I didn’t run it any longer because yogurt was pretty much solid. Put it in the fridge to cool down and froze almost entire batch in ice cube trays.
The next batches were made with frozen or fresh (refrigerated) starter – no BG tablets used. Pretty much same process as above, but used 2 L/QT of organic HH and 1.5 TBS of potato starch and inulin each + 1/2 TSP of sugar. Set to 100F to incubate. Yogurt turned to solid much quicker, in about 10-12 hours (I’m assuming due to higher bacterial count in starter than the tablets). Let it run for 24 hours, then refrigerated.
I like the flavor, it’s very rich and a bit tart. One of the best yogurts I’ve tasted. Goes well with everything sweet or savory. Looking forward to seeing the health benefits. Will keep you posted.
I was making the yogurt using a yogurt maker that was heating it to 115 degrees. It came out thick, tart and creamy but I was afraid that the bacteria were being killed by the high temp. Decided to invest in a sous vide device and started completely over with organic half and half, inulin, and the tablets. I fermented for 36 hours at 98 degrees. The product came out very thin and tasted more like cottage cheese than yogurt. I only used 6 tablets per quart, that’s all I had left. Don’t know if that was the reason for the thin product.
Thomas Leven wrote: «I was making the yogurt using a yogurt maker that was heating it to 115 degrees. It came out thick, tart and creamy…»
I’m tempted to suggest: don’t mess with success.
Was that 115°F established via the device’s own display, or independent thermometer?
re: «…very thin and tasted more like cottage cheese than yogurt. I only used 6 tablets per quart…»
As I recall, Dr. Davis reported a similar result when working up the original recipe.
When 10 tablets aren’t available, scale the recipe (60% in your case).
If not too late, freeze that batch in ice cube trays for use as future starter.
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Made my 1st batch from BG, Whole Milk, Inulin and did the 4 hour heating drill in the range. Success in making Yougurt in 36 hours !! Had it for 5 days.
Onto 2nd batch, used the refrigerated yoghurt from the 1st batch, Whole Milk and Inulin. This time i have invested in Sous Vide (Luvele) yoghurt maker. 4 hours to go. I will post the results.
Can you consume regular yoghurt and L yoghurt at the same time ?
Adi wrote: «Can you consume regular yoghurt and L yoghurt at the same time?»
Yes. There are no food-timing restrictions with the yogurt that I know of. Once made, you can add whatever flavorings and safe sweeteners as you like. Consumption with other live-culture fermented foods doesn’t seem to be an issue. The important thing is to pull off any starter before mixing things up.
I presume your “regular” yogurt is a full-fat, no-sugar-added, live-culture product (which are distressingly hard to find in the US). Most “regular” yogurts here are junk.
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