• The fat in goat milk is in smaller globules. Smaller fat globules provide a greater surface area for enzymes to break down the particles, enabling easier digestion. In addition, goat milk lacks 'agglutinin', a factor present in cow milk that makes fat globules in milk clump together.
• Goat milk fat contains a significantly greater proportion of short and medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) than cow milk fat, which contributes to more rapid digestion. Goat milk is higher in caproic (C6), caprylic (C8), capric (C10), which total 16% in goat milk (compared with 7% in cow milk). They have been used to treat malabsorption symptoms, intestinal disorders, premature infant feeding etc.
• Goat milk forms smaller, softer, more easily digested curds in the infant stomach, which eases the digestive process. Goat milk, due to absence or low levels of alpha-s1-casein, produces curds that are weaker and less firm than cow milk.
• Goat milk has better buffering capacity than cow milk at the pH-temperature conditions that exist in the stomach. This can be very useful for those with gastric ulcers. Goat milk contains bio-active factors such as insulin-like growth factor.

1.) Put one or two liters (quarts) of milk into a clean pot and heat slowly on a medium heat until the temperature reaches 180 degrees F.* Stir the milk from time to time to keep the bottom from scorching, and again before you take a final temp reading to make sure that the entire contents have reached 180 degrees. The purpose in heating the milk to this temperature is to kill any bacteria that might be present and interfere with the yogurt making culture.

*Goat milk is delicate and should not be heated above 185 degrees F.

2.) Turn the heat off and allow the milk to cool. The heated milk needs to be cooled to ROOM TEMPERATURE or below (as per Elaine's yogurt making instructions in BTVC). The range for room temperature is 20–25 °C (64-77 °F). Stir well before determining the final temperature. You may cover the pot with a clean tea towel while it cools.

( Pour the milk through a little sieve into the yogurt maker insert, to remove the film that forms on the top of the milk as it cools. You do not have to, but it will make for smoother yogurt.)

3.) Add 1/8 tsp (1 quart) or 1/4 tsp (2 quarts) of ProGurt yogurt starter from GI ProHealth to several tablespoons of the milk and mix it well until it seems well dissolved. Then add about half a cup more of the milk, mix well, and pour all of that back into the milk in the yogurt container. Again, mix it well. Put the lid onto the yogurt maker insert, making sure it is secure.

4.) Fill the outer container of the yogurt machine with warm water to the appropriate mark (i.e. for 1 liter or 2 liters or as instructed for individual cup yogurt makers.)

Then, put the yogurt maker liner, containing your milk and yogurt culture into the machine - in some models, it may feel as if it is floating in the water slightly. This is fine. Put the top of the yogurt maker on, plug it in to ferment for at least 24 hours. Some commercial yogurt makers may overheat, especially after 6-8 hours. If this occurs you can try venting the lid, turning off the yogurt maker until the temperature lowers and then turning it back on or placing the yogurt maker on a rack to prevent overheating.

5.) After at least 24 hours, unplug the machine and remove the inner container. Carefully, (remember - it's ALIVE), put the container into the fridge and let it rest for about 8 hours until it has cooled.

6.) Gently but thoroughly, stir the yogurt with a spoon or metal whisk to make it smooth. If you stir it too much it can separate, so remember to treat it gently.


Making SCD Yogurt in the Oven

Follow steps 1 and 2 for making yogurt in a yogurt maker.

3.) In a separate bowl, place 1/8 tsp (1 quart) or 1/4 tsp (2 quarts) of ProGurt yogurt starter and slowly add some of the cooled milk, mixing it well with a whisk or electric hand mixer. When this solution is blended well, add it slowly back into the pot, again mixing it well.

4.) Place the covered pot in oven with a 60 watt light bulb on. Keep a thermometer in the oven and maintain the temperature at 100 to 110 degrees F. If the oven becomes too warm, use a pen to prop open the door just a bit. Once you have done this a few times, you will get a feel for how your oven best maintains this temperature. Ferment the yogurt this way for 24 hours.

5.) After 24 hours, remove the pot from the oven and put it in the fridge for about 8 hours. Do not disturb the yogurt until it is set up properly, or you will change the consistency.

6.) Gently but thoroughly, stir the yogurt with a spoon or metal whisk to make it smooth.

The cultures will remain active for about 2 weeks if properly refrigerated.

Details about cooling the milk to room temperature before adding yogurt starter:

1.Yogurt starter should be kept refrigerated or in freezer (as per your starter's instructions). If the bacteria in the yogurt starter are added at too high a temperature they can go into thermal shock and be damaged or die. Since we need to ferment the milk fully you want to start with a full batch of healthy, lively bacteria. When the milk is cooled to room temperature it allows them to gradually acclimatize to the temperature change. (It is similar to when you are adding a new pet fish to your fish tank. You place the bag with the fish in the tank to allow the water temperatures to even out and when they are the same you let the fish out of the bag.).

2. Some of the bacteria in the yogurt starters have fairly low, optimum growth ranges. Lactobacillus casei, one of the strains in Progurt, has a low temperature range. Cooling the milk to room temperature before adding this starter will allow the L. casei to do it's part in fermenting the milk into yogurt.

3. Commercial yogurt making and the usual recipes for making yogurt differ from the SCD 24-hour yogurt recipe. We need all of the bacteria to survive for the 24-hour period. Commercial and home yogurt recipes generally ferment the milk for only 4-8 hours. If they kill off some of the bacteria because of higher cool temperatures it won't matter, as they don't want a fully fermented yogurt (a fully fermented yogurt is more acidic and tart). They ferment the milk long enough for the milk to "set up" and if a few bacteria were killed initially they'd still have enough to cause coagulation (the gelling of the milk). For commercial makers of yogurt it saves them time and money to only cool to ~108°F; it means they can produce many more batches of yogurt and make more money. The SCD yogurt takes longer but the 24-hour fermentation period provides SCD yogurt with extremely high numbers of good bacteria.



Back to topics