Lactose-Free Yogurt

Are you craving yogurt but don't want the lactose? Here are some lactose-free yogurts you can try. Yoplait makes four lactose-free flavors (cherry, peach, strawberry and vanilla). The strawberry yogurt has a lactose enzyme in it that makes it easy to digest; it also has more calcium and vitamin D than the regular strawberry yogurt. I have tried their regular yogurt and it tastes great, so I have high hopes for the lactose-free version.

Another type of yogurt is Green Valley. This company makes yogurt and kefir (drink made with milk), which both come in a variety of flavors, such as honey, peach, blueberry, strawberry pomegranite acai and vanilla. Their honey flavor is smooth and has those good for you probiotics to help with digestion.

Stonyfiield's soy yogurt is a third type of lactose-free yogurt that isn't made of milk. Instead, it's made from soy milk. Soy milk is mixed with yogurt bacteria along with sweeteners. There are many varieties of this type of yogurt such as WholeSoy yogurt, Nogurt yourt and Silk soy yogurt.

Do you want to make your own? Here's a recipe to make it:

Ingredients:

4-cup microwave-safe glass measuring cup or bowl

1 quart lactose-free milk

Microwave oven

Candy thermometer

Freeze-dried yogurt starter (1 packet)

Small cup

Spoon

Electric yogurt maker

 

1. Pour 4 cups of lactose-free milk into a microwave-safe glass measuring cup or bowl.

2. Heat the lactose-free milk in a microwave oven. Use the microwave's high setting for about 7 minutes or until the milk reaches 180 degrees F.

3. Cool the milk to 108 to 112 degrees F. This may take one or two hours, depending on the ambient temperature in the kitchen. If you let it cool a little too much, re-warm it briefly in the microwave oven until the milk reaches the proper temperature.

4. Combine freeze-dried yogurt starter with some of the milk. Dissolve one 5g packet of yogurt starter with a small quantity of the milk in a separate cup. Use a spoon to combine them well, and then stir the combination into the larger bowl of warm milk.

5. Pour the milk and starter mixture into the incubation container of an electric yogurt maker.

6. Incubate the yogurt until it reaches the desired firmness. Do this by following the instructions provided with your yogurt maker. Incubation time will be about five to six hours. Refrigerate to stop incubation.