Smart Yogurt
New Ways to Make Yogurt that Minimize Prep, Optimize Output, Improve Taste and Texture, Add Natural Flavors, Reduce Intolerance, and Boost Probiotics
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Smart Yogurt
Description
Yogurt is the quickest and simplest of all the fermented foods you can make at home -- or it SHOULD be. More recent methods tend to complicate the process or make it less efficient. "Smart Yogurt" strips away unnecessary steps and identifies the most practical equipment, so your prep takes no more than a few minutes.
But maybe you have special needs or goals for your yogurt. For those who want to go beyond basics, "Smart Yogurt" presents a wealth of possibilities:
-- Improving taste and texture without adding to prep time.
-- Adding natural flavors and colors before incubation, without interfering with firming.
-- Making your own lactose-free yogurt to increase tolerance.
-- Boosting your yogurt's probiotic value by starting it from scratch -- without any yogurt starter, dried "heirloom" culture, or probiotic tablets.
-- Making your own non-dairy yogurt without thickeners or stabilizers.
Whether you want to simplify your yogurt making, explore new options, or just understand all the ways milk can be turned into one of the world's most popular foods, "Smart Yogurt" is your guide.
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Mark Shepard is the author of two popular books on sourdough, "Simple Sourdough" and the revolutionary "Smart Sourdough," among others. He has made fermented foods-yogurt, sourdough, pickles, and more-for much of half a century. Mark now lives in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and fellow author, Anne L. Watson.
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"Slim but thorough . . . This valuable guide's explanations and examples will inspire both new and veteran yogurt makers." -- Kirkus Reviews, June 20, 2025
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CONTENTS
Getting Started
Yogurt Facts and Fictions
Minimizing Prep
Optimizing Output
Improving Taste and Texture
Adding Natural Flavors
Reducing Intolerance
Boosting Probiotics
Appendix: The Non-Dairy Option
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GETTING STARTED (excerpt)
Let's handle a few basic questions up front.
Why eat yogurt? It's a tasty food that's both healthful and satisfying. It has all the nutrients of regular milk and more, in a form that may be digestible even for those who cannot otherwise tolerate dairy. Most yogurt also contains live bacteria that can be beneficial to gut health.
Why make your own? One reason might be saving money. The cost of homemade yogurt could be as low as a quarter of the cost of store-bought. And it's never likely to rise above half, even if you splurge on premium milk.
Another reason might be to avoid commonly added ingredients like thickeners and stabilizers. You might also want a specialized yogurt that's hard or impossible to get commercially -- a yogurt with even richer taste, or with lactose more heavily reduced, or with greatly strengthened probiotics.
Why not make your own? There are good reasons here too. Most home recipes are exacting and time-consuming. And in the end, you may wind up with a product you like less than commercial yogurt, with little or no added health benefit.
I stopped making my own yogurt for years, because it didn't seem worth the effort. Eventually, though, my experiments convinced me otherwise -- and led me to write this book. Here I hope to put to rest your reasons against and strengthen your reasons for, while also exploring possibilities that might be entirely new to you.
Shipping & Processing
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Processing times
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How accurate is availability?
Availability is based on the stock levels our suppliers tell us they hold, and we update it regularly. If a supplier issue affects your order, we’ll let you know with an updated estimate.
Delivery
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- Australia Post usually delivers within 2–10 business days of shipping (around 4 in metro areas and around 6 in regional areas).
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- Shipping cost: Free on orders over $100 within Australia, otherwise $9.95 flat rate per order however many items you buy. Free shipping applies to Australian addresses only; delivery to New Zealand is $14.95 per order.
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Cancellations
Need to change or cancel an order? Contact us as soon as possible at contact@bookloop.com.au or through our contact page.
- Within 30 minutes: You can change or cancel your order for a full refund within 30 minutes of placing it.
- After 30 minutes: Your order is already being processed, so it can no longer be changed or cancelled. If we can accept a late cancellation, we may offer store credit instead of a refund.
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- Separate orders can’t be combined once they’ve been placed, and adding or swapping items can change the delivery estimate.
- Supplier delays: Occasionally a supplier is delayed, or their stock information turns out to be inaccurate. We’ll keep your order open for up to 60 days. If an item hasn’t shipped or isn’t on its way to us by then, we’ll cancel that item and refund it.
Faulty or damaged items are always covered. See Returns.
Returns
Damaged or incorrect items (within 30 days)
If an item arrives damaged or isn’t what you ordered, contact us within 30 days of delivery. We may ask for a photo, and if we need the item back we’ll send a prepaid return label, so it costs you nothing. You’ll receive a replacement or refund, as guaranteed under the Australian Consumer Law.
Change of mind (within 30 days)
We offer a refund or store credit for change of mind within 30 days of purchase when:
- you have your proof of purchase;
- the item is unused and in its original condition and packaging;
- it isn’t a sale item, special order, custom item or gift voucher.
You pay the postage to return change-of-mind items. Change-of-mind returns aren’t available for print-on-demand titles or bulk orders with special pricing.
Returned to sender
If an order is sent to an incorrect address you gave us, or isn’t collected and Australia Post returns it to us, you’ll need to pay the postage to send it again.