Simple UHT L Reuteri superfood yogurt

5 minutes easy preparation, that’s all!

Lactobacillus Reuteri (L. reuteri) bacteria species is a superstar in the world of intestinal microbes, but few of us have it living within us. Cardiologist and author, Dr William Davis, believes restoring L. Reuteri in your gastrointestinal tract to be one of the most powerful strategies we can do for our health. Homemade yogurt (or a yogurt-like fermented food) is the vehicle he uses to accomplish this. LR yogurt is a cultured dairy that is made with completely different strains of bacteria than conventional yogurt. These beneficial bacteria impart significantly more benefits and far higher probiotics compared to traditional homemade yogurt.

Benefits associated with L Reuteri superfood yogurt are:

Improved skin youthfulness
Accelerated skin healing
Thicker and shinier hair
Increased testosterone levels in men
Reduced acid reflux
Increased bowel frequency
Improved thyroid health
Reduced insulin resistance
Increased bone density

We’ve written more extensively about Dr Davis’s story, the benefits and the unique culturing method in this post. If this is your first time making L Reuteri yogurt, we recommend you read this first, as the method is different to traditional yogurt. Mastering Dr William Davis’s L Reuteri yogurt method has been a journey with years of trouble shooting and conversations with our community. You can follow our troubleshooting efforts in this method.

So impressed by Davis’s research and our customer testimonials, we redesigned our yogurt maker collection to accommodate the sensitivity of this new era of probiotic starter cultures. To stream line the method, the cultured food enthusiasts at Cutting Edge Cultures have developed a more user-friendly L Reuteri starter culture LR Superfood starter culture provides a high concentration of Lactobacillus Reuteri in convenient sachets which has simplified the process and made the probiotic more affordable. We just love the difference.

PREBIOTIC FIBRE

Dr Davis also highlighted the importance of adding prebiotics to the yogurt mix. These are plant fibres that essentially feed the L reuteri bacteria during the fermentation process. Neutral tasting sources of prebiotic fibre are: unmodified potato starch, (watch out for added preservatives), pure inulin powder or Prebio Plus, which is a custom blend of organic prebiotic fibres created by Cutting Edge Cultures.

WHICH MILK TO USE

Dr Davis created his method using half and half milk, which is a full-fat milk commonly available in America (in the UK and Europe, it’s known as ‘half cream’). Half and half milk is a blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream. If half-and-half milk is not available in your country, you have two options. From our feedback both produce results similar to Davis’s original half and half milk recipe.

1. Use organic full cream (whole milk) and follow this method which involves heating the milk.
2. Use ultra pasteurised milk. In many countries this is known as long life or UHT milk. Purchase organic UHT if you can. This simple UHT L Reuteri superfood yogurt method takes approx. 5 minutes preparation and then let your Luvele Yogurt Maker do the rest. After 36-hours you’ll have a yogurt rich in probiotics and full of health benefits.

WHAT TO EXPECT

L Reuteri Superfood is not technically a yogurt, although it may look, taste and smell like one. It will be thick, rich, and pleasantly tart, but depending on the dairy used it may also look and taste very differently, like cheese, for example. A hint of a light "fizz" is also possible, as a natural result of the long and active fermentation. 

It is common for the first preparations of L. reuteri yogurt not to reach the ideal texture, but with perseverance, by the second or third attempt, you should notice a marked improvement.

Separation is a common phenomenon. Yogurt separating into solid and liquid parts is normal and not a sign of failure. A separated jar contains the same quantity of beneficial bacteria as a non-separated jar. The L. Reuteri are present in both the solids (curds) and the translucent liquid (whey), and therefore both should be consumed.

To yield a thicker Greek-style consistency you can pour off or strain the whey following this method. Whey is often dubbed ‘liquid gold’. It's highly nutritious and can be used in a variety of health-giving ways. Adding it into smoothies is a delicious way to get a probiotic boost. For more creative ideas refer to this post.

TROUBLESHOOTING L REUTERI YOGURT

L REUTERI SUPERFOOD STARTER CULTURE

One sachet of L. Reuteri starter will ferment up to 2 litres of milk. There are 4 sachets in each packet. Once you’ve made a jar of LR Superfood yogurt, you can use some of it to re-ferment subsequent batches. Reculture for as long as your batch comes out thick and pleasantly tart. Assuming you are using the same milk, batches should come out pretty similar to one another. When significant changes begin to occur (not tart enough or conversely, too pungent), although you're doing the same thing – begin with a new sachet.

TIMING IS IMPORTANT

Reuteri takes 36 hours to ferment. It's best to start early in the morning or later in the evening. Otherwise, if you start in the afternoon, for example, fermentation will finish 36 hours later, in the middle of the night.

PREPARATION

Before you begin it is important to sterilise the Luvele yogurt making glass jar and any utensils you use, in boiling hot water. Do this by boiling a kettle and carefully pouring the hot water in the jar and over the equipment. The danger of not sterilising is that other bacteria may overpower your culture and affect the quality of your ferment.

INGREDIENTS

2 Litres of UHT Long Life organic milk
1 sachet of LR Superfood starter (or 2 tablespoons from your previous batch) 
2 tablespoons of prebiotic fibre (2 scoops Prebio Plus - spoon is provided)

METHOD

1.   Open the sachet of LR superfood starter and pour it into the Luvele glass yogurt maker jar or add 2 tablespoons of LR superfood yogurt from a previous batch.
2.   Add the prebiotic fibre.
3.   Pour in approx. 1.5 cups of UHT milk. Whisk well to avoid clumping. Prebiotic fibres become viscous when mixed with liquid. Don’t worry if you can’t remove every grain of fibre. It will dissolve when the milk heats during incubation.
4.   Pour in the remaining UHT milk and whisk well for even distribution. Do not blend.

5.   Put the lid on the yogurt making jar and place into the yogurt maker.
6.   Pour water slowly into the base. The water must not be filled over the ‘tall line’ indicated on the inside wall of the maker. Place the cover lid on top.
7.   The milk is now ready to begin fermentation. Use the digital control panel to set the temperature to 36°C and the time to 36-hours and then press ‘confirm’ to begin incubation. If you have an older version Luvele yogurt maker set the timer to 24-hours and then when that is complete, set the maker for a further 12-hours.

8.   Condensation will have collected under the cover lid during fermentation. Take care removing it and allow the water to drip into the water bath, instead of your bench.
9.   Switch the yogurt maker off and remove the yogurt jar. Straight from the maker the L. reuteri yogurt will be warm, it may have also separated. Do not stir the yogurt while it is warm or else is will not set in a perfect mass.
10.  Place the yogurt in the fridge for at least 6 hours to set, then enjoy.

Don’t forget to reserve 2 tablespoons of yogurt or whey for your next batch of superfood! 

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