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Coconut water and coconut milk are packed with beneficial nutrients and taste absolutely great. Making cultured coconut milk yogurt is easy, and it’s a great alternative to yogurt made with dairy products. Coconut yogurt can be as creamy and fragrant as dairy yogurt, as well as contain specific probiotic active cultures.
To begin, for the recipe we need coconut milk that is unsweetened, The label should read coconut, coconut cream, or just coconut milk, and nothing else. You can add any sweetener or fruit to the finished yogurt. If you are using a yogurt maker, you won’t have to monitor temperature as often and the whole process will be faster.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon non-diary starter culture
- 3 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons coconut flour
Steps:
1. Gently over low heat bring the milk to 110°F, then sprinkle the starter culture over the surface of the milk and let rehydrate few minutes.
2. Gently whisk the culture into the milk to distribute evenly. Place the mixture in the yogurt incubator, cover, and allow to set for at least 6 hours. An other option would be to set up a stovetop water bath system to keep the temperature desired. Cover and wrap the entire water bath with a towel and set under your stove hood light for 4 to 6 hours.
3. Once it has set, move to refrigeration to chill and stop the fermentation process, as the culture would remain active from 70°F and above. Once the mixture reaches 70°F, remove 1 cup of yogurt and stir in the sugar to dissolve; add the flour and stir to fully incorporate. Add this to the rest of the yogurt while stirring thoroughly. Divide between the jars and cover tightly, then refrigerate for 10 hours. The yogurt will thicken as it chills.
FROZEN COCONUT MILK YOGURT
Once you have plain yogurt, you can flavor with any variety of fresh finely chopped fruit or preserves you wish. These are perfect as flavorings for your yogurt. Sweeten the fruit to taste, then fold into the sweetened plain coconut milk yogurt. One may wish to add herbs or spices as well.
You can adjust the fruit to yogurt ratio to the way you prefer. Mix thoroughly, and place in a plastic food-grade container, and freeze to the desired consistency. The texture will be icy, before serving allow, the cram to soften before scoop in..