Goat Milk Yoghurt: Part Two

During fermentation of milk products, thirty to forty percent of the lactose is broken down so that the high lactose content is reduced. However, a special enzyme activity also takes place. Fermented products that are not pasteurized or heated in ways that destroy enzyme activity have significant levels of enzymes that contribute to the digestion of lactose in the intestine.

From an article by Dr. Betty Kamen in Health Freedom News.

I came across the yoghurt recipe in a hefty, expensive ($60) paperback we’d bought a few years back from a shop selling, for the most part, organic foods. It is chock full of anecdotal evidence and research (like the excerpt above), gleaned from articles and books – fascinating to read and used to bolster the authors’ beliefs about good nutrition.

The blurb on the back cover lists their core findings as:

• Your body needs old-fashioned animal fats
• New-fangled polyunsaturated oils can be bad for you
• Modern whole grain products can cause health problems
• Traditional sauces promote digestion and assimilation
• Modern food processing denatures our foods but
• Ancient preservation methods actually increase nutrients in fruits, nuts, vegetables, meats and milk products

From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig

Unpasteurized goat milk yoghurt

• Put the bottom pan of a double boiler on the stove and quarter fill it with boiling water.
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• Pour a litre of raw (unpasteurized) goat milk into the boiler’s top pan and let the steam gradually heat the milk.
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• In a yoghurt pottle put 4 tablespoons of a yoghurt that contains live cultures. They will all contain Lactobacillus acidophilis, as well as other bacterial cultures such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus casei.
• 
• 
• Check the temperature with a dairy thermometer, keeping a close eye on the mercury. Take the milk off the stove when it reaches 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 43 degrees Celsius.
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• Pour a small amount of milk into the pottle, stirring in the live yoghurt culture to form a slurry. Slowly stir in the rest of the milk.
• Pour really hot tap water (not boiling water) up to the level indicated on the inside of the yoghurt maker before putting in the pottle. (The yoghurt maker is double-walled to help keep in the heat, but it’s a good idea to cover it with a folded towel as well.)
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• Put the yoghurt maker in a warm place, such as high up in an airing cupboard, and leave for 12 hours.
• 
• Chill in the fridge: the yoghurt should now be of a good consistency.

That’s all from Little Owl Gully till next Monday. Bye for now and thanks for your company.