Yoghurt
Pot-set or not? PENNY LAWSON, of Penny’s Cheese Shop
in Sydney, tells us what’s what in the world of yoghurt.
WHAT IS YOGHURT?
In its simplest form, yoghurt is
fermented milk. To make it, milk is
first heated to about 85°C to “denature”
the protein (change its structure), which
subsequently prevents it from forming
curds. Once the milk has been cooled
to around 45°C, live cultures are added,
specifically Lactobacillus bulgaricus
and Streptococcus thermophilus
(although other bacteria may also be
included) to encourage fermentation
and convert the lactose into lactic acid.
In essence, yoghurt is a way of
prolonging the life of fresh milk and has
been used for centuries across an array
of cultures in everything from fresh lassi
drinks to dressings, marinades and
desserts, as well as a thickening agent.
These days, you’ll find good brands in
a variety of styles in supermarkets, as well
as at farmers’ markets and independent
grocers, where small-scale producers,
such as Marrook Farm on the Bulga
Plateau, NSW, are worth supporting.
There are significant differences
between pot-set, Greek-style and stirred
yoghurts, so here’s the lowdown...
POT-SET
Asthenamesuggests,thishasbeen
setinthepotit’ssoldin.Becauseit
doesn’tneedstabilisers,pot-set
yoghurttendstoseparateintomilk
solidsandwhey,whichcanbe
pouredoutforuseincooking.
Pot-setyoghurtis sometimessold
unhomogenised,whichleavesa layer
ofcreamonthetop.Usethisstyleof
yoghurtforcurriesanddressings.GREEK-STYLE
TrueGreek-styleyoghurtis generally
creamier,asit’sbeenstrainedto
removemostofthewhey,resulting
ina richerproduct.Somecommercial
brandsaddthickenersand/or
sweeteners,socheckthelabel.It
usuallyhasabouteightpercentfat
content(aboutdoublethatofpot-set),
andis highinprotein.It’sgreatin
desserts,stirredthroughsoupsand
formakingtzatziki(seerecipep113).STIRRED
If yoghurtisn’tlabelledaspot-setor
Greek-style,thenit’sstirredyoghurt,
whichis madeina bulkvatbefore
beingpackaged.Somestirred
yoghurthasaddedmilkproteinor
wheypowder,whichhelpstothicken
thetextureandgivesa glossyfinish.