A yoghurt bowl is among the quickest breakfasts to put together. But made with fresh fruit, water gathers at the bottom of the bowl within half an hour.
Why is releasing no water an advantage?
Fresh blackberries are 88 percent water by weight.
Osmosis begins on contact with yoghurt.
Water leaves the fruit.
The yoghurt thins and loses its consistency.
Water in freeze-dried blackberry runs 2 or 3 percent.
It releases no water on contact with yoghurt; it draws a little moisture from it instead.
That preserves the consistency of the bowl.
The yoghurt even thickens slightly and a texture that holds on a spoon emerges.
Which yoghurt gets used?
The choice of yoghurt decides half the result.
Strained yoghurt gives the thickest consistency.
Its protein is high: nine or ten grams per hundred.
It is the most suitable base for a bowl.
Ordinary yoghurt is looser; the fruit sinks to the bottom.
Kefir is very loose and suits a drink rather than a bowl.
Plant-based yoghurts get used too.
Coconut-based ones give the thickest consistency; soya-based ones are the closest alternative in protein.
| Base | Consistency | Protein (100 g) | Blackberry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strained yoghurt | Very thick | 9-10 g | 8-10 g |
| Ordinary yoghurt | Moderate | 3-4 g | 6-8 g |
| Kefir | Loose | 3-4 g | 5-6 g |
| Coconut yoghurt | Thick | 1-2 g | 8-10 g |
| Soya yoghurt | Moderately thick | 4-5 g | 7-9 g |
| Frozen banana base | Very thick | 1-2 g | 10-12 g |
How is it used as a powder?
That is the least known and most effective use.
Freeze-dried blackberry gets ground in a mortar or a mill.
A purple powder results.
That powder gets stirred into yoghurt.
The yoghurt gains both colour and flavour.
Ten grams of powder colours two hundred grams of yoghurt markedly.
The sugar and flavouring used in commercial fruit yoghurts become unnecessary.
The powder also goes into smoothies, granola and cake batter; a single product covers several uses, which saves space in the cupboard too.
How is a smoothie bowl base built?
A smoothie bowl has a different structure from a yoghurt bowl.
The base goes through a blender.
Frozen banana is the most widespread base.
Two frozen bananas, two spoonfuls of yoghurt and a little milk go through the blender.
A base with the consistency of ice cream results.
Ten grams of freeze-dried blackberry goes in there.
The blackberry gives both colour and flavour.
Fresh fruit thins the base; freeze-dried product preserves the consistency, so the bowl gets eaten with a spoon and does not run.
How is the consistency set?
Consistency gets controlled through the quantity of liquid.
Liquid falls to a minimum in a smoothie bowl.
Fifty millilitres suffices for two hundred grams of frozen fruit.
More turns the bowl into a drink.
Where the blender struggles, the sides get scraped with a spatula between bursts rather than adding liquid.
Consistency is already there in a yoghurt bowl.
Strained yoghurt gets used directly.
A spoonful of milk goes in where it seems too thick; but since blackberry powder draws moisture, that rarely proves necessary.
How do the layers go together?
The order of layers decides both the look and the experience of eating.
Yoghurt or the smoothie base goes at the bottom.
Whole pieces of blackberry go on top.
Then granola or rolled oats.
Seeds and chopped nuts go last.
That order keeps the crisp components at the top.
Granola placed underneath softens and loses its texture.
Blackberry powder gets stirred into the base; whole pieces stay on top, since stirred in they draw moisture and soften.
How does it get sweetened?
Blackberries are naturally tart.
Freeze-drying concentrates that tartness.
Sugar and acid concentrate because the water has gone.
Sweetening can prove necessary alongside plain yoghurt.
Honey is the most widespread choice; a teaspoon suffices.
Date paste gets used too and contributes fibre.
No further sweetening is needed where banana goes in.
Adding sugar is not advised; the advantage of the bowl comes from its natural components and added sugar removes that advantage.
How is the preparation planned?
A bowl comes together in five minutes in the morning.
But some components can be prepared in advance.
Granola gets made weekly; it keeps two weeks in a closed container.
Blackberry powder sits in a jar; it lasts months as long as it takes up no moisture.
Bananas get sliced and frozen, portioned into bags.
Strained yoghurt gets bought ready or strained at home.
With that preparation only assembly remains in the morning; a bowl, a spoon and three minutes suffice.
How long does it keep?
An assembled bowl should be eaten straight away.
Granola softens in a bowl left standing.
Pieces of blackberry take up moisture and lose their crispness.
A smoothie base melts.
Eating within half an hour is advised.
Where it travels, the components go separately.
The yoghurt goes into one container and the dry components into another.
They come together at the moment of eating; that keeps the bowl as it started at an office or a school, and the crispness of the freeze-dried product survives.
What goes on top?
The upper layer of the bowl provides the variety in texture.
Granola is the most widespread, made from oats, nuts and honey.
Raw rolled oats are a plainer, cheaper alternative.
Chia and flax seed add fibre and omega-3.
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds give crunch.
Desiccated coconut adds a sweet note.
Peanut butter goes over in a spoonful, providing protein and satiety.
The total of those components should not pass thirty grams; more weighs the bowl down and the yoghurt itself falls into the background.
