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Welcome to The Whimsical Wife. Thanks for popping in to share my adventures in the kitchen, in my home and my workshop as I Cook, Create & Decorate. 

Dairy-Free Almond Milk Yogurt

I finally mastered the art of making Almond Milk Yogurt. My whole life changed when I stumbled across this recipe. I could actually eat yogurt again after six LOOOONG years with out it, I was ecstatic. I know there is Soy alternatives but I have tried them a few times but ended up with bad gas and severe cramps from it so I avoided eating it to much. It's the same with soy milk so I can't even enjoy a Soy milk cappuccino as most cafes use this as there milk alternative.


Why don't cafes use rice milk instead of soy? I have resorted to bringing in a small bottle with me and kindly asking the barista's to make me a cappuccino using my milk. They kindly oblige most times which is nice. Ahh such is life as a dairy intolerant! Anyway to making Almond Milk Yogurt....





Materials Required:

Blender
Mixing bowl
Fine Strainer/Nut Milk bag
Medium Saucepan
Measuring cup/spoons
Thermometer
Slow cooker
Old Towel


The recipe I used to make this yogurt was from Lexie's Kitchen. However I will rewrite it here for you on how I did it myself as I used a few different ingredients to what she used. You will need to make a batch of Almond Milk. You can read how I made it here.

After making the almond milk it is time to get started on making yogurt!



The first step is to turn your slow cooker on to low and set aside. The next step is to place 3 cups of filtered water into a large saucepan. You need it to be large enough to fit these 3 cups of water plus 4 cups of almond milk which will be added later on. 
 Bring the water to the boil and add the gelatin and stir to dissolve. Add the almond milk, sugar (and vanilla essence if you want it flavoured) and bring back to the boil. Meanwhile mix the cornflour with 1/2 cup of water and dissolve, set aside. Once a boil has been achieved gently stir in the cornflour mixture and stir for 10-15 seconds to combine. Remove from heat. You are not using this cornflour to thicken the mixture as such the gelatin will do that when the mixture is cooled in the fridge later on. The cornflour is to give it a creamier texture.



Pour the mixture into the container it is going to "ferment" in and leave to cool on the bench until it reaches about 37 - 40 degrees. This may take between 90 and 120 minutes. Don't be tempted to place it in the fridge as it will set the gelatin prematurely and don't be tempted to guess what the temp may be either - if it is too hot is will kill the probiotic cultures that will be added and you won't get yogurt! So a little patience is required to let the mixture cool by itself. I do give it a whisk every 30 -40 minutes to help it cool down quicker. Turn your slow cooker onto the "warm" setting after about 1 hour of the milk being cooled.



Once the almond milk base has cooled to the required temperature it is now time to add the probiotic tablets. I got these from my local chemist but I know health food shops sell them as well. I get a small amount of the cooled milk and mix the contents of two capsules into this and then mix back into the main bowl thoroughly.





Place the bowl of soon-to-be-yogurt into the slow cooker and place some cling wrap over the top of the bowl. Place a towel over the top and place the lid on top of that - now turn the slow cooker OFF! Yes OFF you don't need it to be going while it ferments. By heating it up the few hours before it will keep a nice constant temp throughout the fermentation process. It doesn't need to be HOT during this time just a nice constant temp. Now patience comes into place again - waiting for it to ferment and create yogurt.


I leave it in the slow cooker for about 12-18 hours. Now the longer you leave it the tangier it will get so if you want a mild yogurt stop the fermentation sooner. I left my most recent batch for 18 hours and it was nice and tangier - kinda like Greek yogurt tangy. I added vanilla essence in my first batch but didn't for the second and I think I like it without the vanilla better. 




Once fermentation is complete place it in the fridge and let is cool down and thicken up. This may take a few hours to do so don't stress if it still looks a little runny after 3- 4 hours. It generally takes a good 8 hours to set properly. Once it has set dig in and enjoy with your fave fruit or breakfast muesli sprinkled over the top.


I enjoyed mine with some cinnamon, apple and pear puree (yeah its JD's baby puree - I LOVE IT) with a sprinkling of muesli. This is my go to snack at the moment as I am really enjoying the freedom of being able to eat yogurt again PLUS I know what's ingredients have gone into it - it's not full of sugar, preservatives or nasty things! Keep about 1/4 cup of the yogurt to use as your "starter" instead of the probiotic tablets next time. This will definitely make it a lot cheaper in the long run.



Almond Milk Yogurt

by The Whimsical Wife
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20-24 hours

Ingredients (1 L of Yogurt)
  • 2 cups raw almonds
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp powdered gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornflour
  • Filtered water
  • 2 x Dairy-Free Probiotic Capsules
Instructions
Make sure you sterilise all cooking and fermentation containers to stop any unwanted bacteria growing in your yoghurt. This mean washing everything in boiling hot water or placing it in the dishwasher.
Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8-12 hours until plump. You will notice the change in shape.
Drain the almonds and place into a blender. Fill the blender up with water to make 4 cups. Blend on high until smooth. If you have a smaller less powerful blender do the almonds in batches to get a better result.
Place a fine sieve or a piece of cheesecloth or nut milk bag over a bowl and pour the contents of the blender into the sieve. Strain out as much as the milk as possible. Set the almond pulp aside to use in other cooking.
Turn slow cooker onto low.
Rinse the blender out and pour the milk back in and add enough water to make the content reach the 4 cup mark again. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix cornflour and 1/2 cup water. Set aside.
Add 3 cups of water to a large saucepand and sprinkle over the gelatin powder and stir in to dissolve. Bring the mixture to the boil and the whisk the almond milk and sugar into the gelatin mixture. Return to simmer, stirring occasionally. Watch it VERY carefully.  As soon at it comes back to the boil whisk in the cornflour mixture. Simmer 10-15 seconds and remove from heat.
Allow milk to cool to 37-41 degree celsius. This can take 90 to 120 minutes depending on the temperature. It is VERY important that you wait for it to cool otherwise it will kill the probiotic culture you will add later.
Turn off slow cooker about 30 minutes before adding the probiotic capsule to the milk.
Mix the contents of two dairy free probiotic capsules (removed from capsule) with a small amount of cooled milk. Add to rest of the milk and whisk very well. Transfer to a large ceramic bowl or other container that will fit in your slow cooker. Place into your slow cooker and cover the container with cling wrap and place a towel on top and then place the lid on the towel. Leave undisturbed to ferment 8-10 hours. You can leave it longer if you like it more tangy. Transfer to refrigerator and chill 6-8 hours. Yoghurt sets in the fridge as it cools.
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** I have had heaps of questions asking if you could use store bought almond milk for this. I have not tested it myself however a reader tried making it twice with the long life almond milk and it did not work!**




Got the cravings for chocolate? Head over to my Ultimate Chocolate Brownie which is packed for of goodness!



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