Making "Yogurt" from L. Gasseri Probiotics

For the past few months I’ve been making some “yogurts” using organic heavy cream, organic sugar, and a probiotic called L. Gasseri.

According to this article, L. Gasseri has been found to be provide some measure of protection against some viral infections (such as the one that’s been in the news lately). I have no way of knowing if these claims are true. But I can say without question that it makes a mild-flavored and delicious yogurt.

To make L. Gasseri yogurt, I start out by mixing 2 pints of heavy cream with 1 pint of distilled water. You could also use whole milk or half and half. I use cream instead of milk or half and half because I’m currently avoiding milk protein. I thin it with water because I know that most of the water will boil away when I’m pasteurizing it.
I add two tablespoons of organic sugar. (I normally don’t include eat sugar in my diet or have it in my house, so I had to make a special trip to buy some. I’m using it in this case because probiotics need some kind of sugar in order to ferment. Most of it is used up during the fermentation process, so the yogurt is very low in carbs. I’ve tried using prebiotics instead of sugar in the past but they have given uneven results, sometimes not working at all.
After adding the water and sugar, I bring the mixture to a boil, then boil it on low for 20 minutes to kill any possible pathogens.
I let it cool, then added two capsules of Swanson L. Gasseri, stir it and put a lid on the pan . To prevent contamination, I culture it in the same pan I boiled it in.
I put the pan in a yogurt maker, resting it on a rack an inch or so from the bottom of the yogurt maker so it won’t get too warm, and put a lid on it.
I ferment it for 36-48 hours and it usually thickens up nicely. It has a mild pleasant smell and tastes great.

Combining L. Gasseri and L. Reuteri

I sometimes make a yogurt from one capsule of L. Gasseri and one capsule of L. Reuteri. The combination makes a particularly rich and flavorful yogurt.