Homemade Yogurt & Kefir: 71 Recipes for Making & Using Probiotic-Rich Ferments

by Gianaclis Caldwell

With probiotic-rich foods increasingly recognized as essential to gut health, yogurt and kefir are gaining popularity as a source of protein and beneficial bacteria. In Homemade Yogurt & Kefir, cheesemaker and small-scale dairy producer Gianaclis Caldwell opens the door for fermentation enthusiasts and dairy devotees to make and use yogurt and kefir in the home kitchen. She explores the many culture choices and techniques for working with cow, goat, sheep, water buffalo, and even some plant milks. Step-by-step instructions cover the basics of making dairy ferments, from necessary equipment to the myriad options for thickening, sweetening, and flavoring. Along with foundational recipes, you’ll find instructions for creating different styles of yogurt and kefir as well as other traditional milk ferments from around world, including Icelandic skyr, Asian koumiss, and Finish viili. Techniques for making simple cheeses, butter, whipped cream, and other dairy products using yogurt and milk ferments broaden the possibilities of these probiotic-packed cultures, and a recipe section takes you beyond the expected pairing of yogurt with granola, offering creative ways to use fermented dairy products in sauces, soups, and even cocktails, while preserving their health benefits and flavor. Along the way, pioneering yogurt makers, kefir crafters, and famous chefs who are tapping yogurt’s potential for meals and libations, share their wisdom.

• ISBN10: 1635861098
• ISBN13: 9781635861099
• Publish Date: 12 May 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Storey Publishing LLC
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Homemade Yogurt & Kefir is an information dense and well presented tutorial/cookbook by Gianaclis Caldwell. Due out 12th May from Storey Publishing, it's 224 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

Storey is well known for producing practical, sensible, well illustrated books aimed at helping smallholders and gardeners get the best out of their lives. Many of their books and leaflets have found a permanent place in my library and I turn to them often for inspiration and advice. This is a really well written collection of precise and accessible tutorials with lots (LOTS) of recipes for turning milk (including plant milks) into fermented probiotic rich foods.

This is a beautifully presented book, well written and photographed. The recipes are appetizing and (mostly) made with easily sourced ingredients. The introduction covers the history and a little scientifically accurate and layman accessible explanation of the fermentation process and probiotics. The equipment chapter also gives a good overview on equipment and supplies which will make life a lot easier.


The second part contains the core recipes for basic yogurt and kefir, along with variations. There are both warm and room temperature ferments as well as some recipes for butters and yogurt/kefir cheeses.
The rest of the book is given over to recipes for using and expanding the basic fermented products into drinks, sauces, soups, and treats. The recipes are drawn from world and fusion cuisine and there's a huge array of possibilities. We're still working our way through the recipes, picking and choosing, and have enjoyed every one we've tried.

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. The headers include a description and introduction. Special notes such as vegan friendly are listed in the introduction. Measurements are given in US standard only (there is a metric conversion chart at the end of the book). Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store (some items will need a specialist co-op or world-food/specialist grocery). Nutritional information is not included. Cook's notes and variations for each recipe are also included in a footer at the end.The recipes all fit on a single page (which is super convenient for reading from a tablet when your hands are full). The book also includes a recipe list and index as well as references and a suppliers list (slanted toward North American readers, but readers located elsewhere will have no trouble locating supplies online). The list of websites for further reading provides some really good links to valuable information.

Well written, very well presented, full of tasty beautifully presented and healthy yogurt (and kefir).

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.