By Sueson Vess

Homemade Nut Milk Yogurt

If you can tolerate nuts, this yogurt is a nice alternative to other dairy-free yogurt products. Homemade nut milk yogurt is thinner than commercial versions.

1¨÷ cups whole raw almonds, hazelnuts or
    macadamia nuts
Water, enough to cover nuts overnight
3 cups water
1-2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar or 2 dates
¨û teaspoon nondairy yogurt starter (per quart
    of yogurt)

1. Soak nuts in water overnight (8 to 12 hours) in a glass container. Drain. Place drained nuts in a blender and add enough water to make 1 quart. (Check the capacity of your blender and yogurt maker. You may need to blend in two batches.) Add 2 tablespoons honey and blend for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Pour nut milk through a fine sieve, one cup at a time. You can squeeze out more liquid if you use a tea towel and twist it firmly or use a nut milk bag.
3.  Heat nut milk to 160 degrees (This step is optional; however heating the nut milk will keep the yogurt from separating and make for a thicker final product.). 
4. Cool nut milk to 105 degrees. This step is very important as hot liquid will kill yogurt starter.
5. Add heaping ¨û teaspoon of yogurt starter per quart of nut milk. Blend thoroughly with a whisk.

6. Place nut milk in yogurt maker or in dehydrator at 95-105 degrees. Leave lids off individual yogurt containers during fermentation to avoid condensation on lids that may thin the finished yogurt. Cook/ferment for 8 hours.
7. Place yogurt in the refrigerator overnight where it will continue to thicken a bit more.

TIP: For thicker yogurt, strain finished yogurt into a bowl lined with cheese cloth to remove excess liquid. Let drip for about an hour, or longer for thicker yogurt.