Ideas for Your Yogurt Shop

Learn how yogurt is made and make your own
By Lisa J. Jackson, Writer / Editor Yogurt has been around for centuries and has become popular in the past few decades as people seek convenient, healthy breakfast food options. Yogurt contains live bacteria cultures and is beneficial for fighting infection and aiding in digestion.

Yogurt flavors are numerous and it's up to the imagination of the cook and the limits of the production line as to how many flavors can be produced:

1. The simplest yogurt flavor to make is plain flavor, which is a staple among yogurt manufacturers. Flavored yogurts such as strawberry and blueberry are also considered staples.

2. Fruit-on-the-bottom style yogurts require a little more work in order to keep the plain yogurt on top and the selected fruit on the bottom.

3. In recent years, yogurt producers have expanded into more health-conscious options and have increased their flavor offerings to stay up with consumers' tastes.

Tantalize your taste buds with fruity, basic yogurt recipes

Yogurt manufacturers may offer many flavors, but are limited in the intensity of the flavor. You may prefer more or less of the fruitiness, or perhaps wish to create your own. Making your own yogurt can be cost-effective and healthy, just as preparing any of your own food is. It's easy to make and most of the time is spent waiting for the ingredients to culture. Once you know the basic recipe, creativity is all yours.
Try:  Basic needs include a thermometer and large pot, but you can get the most out of your yogurt-making experience by using a yogurt maker. HealthGoods has a variety of yogurt makers to choose from. RecipeZaar offers pointers to beginners and a couple of yogurt recipes to get you started.

Get creative and cool off in the hot temps with homemade frozen yogurt

Making frozen yogurt is a lot like making ice cream. They share similar ingredients. Start with basic straightforward recipes and see what you like. Similar to making smoothies, or even an omelet, there is quite a lot of freedom in what you can do with a basic recipe.
Try:  MakeIceCream.com offers vanilla, chocolate, raspberry and peach frozen yogurt recipes. Experiment with such flavors as cinnamon pear and almond ice at AllRecipes.

Get ideas from yogurt manufacturers

Take a tour of a yogurt producing facility and see how simple it is to make. Some yogurt producers focus on organic offerings. There are also whole milk yogurts for children and soy yogurts for people who avoid dairy.
Try:  Search thousands of yogurt businesses through the Thomas Food and Beverage Market Place guide. It's a free search to find yogurt producers and frozen yogurt manufacturers in your area. Yocream offers 33 non-fat, eight premium, and seven no sugar added gourmet frozen yogurt flavors.

• Visit your local grocer to see the vast brands of yogurt and get a sense for some exotic yogurt flavors.