I've been making my own yogurt for a while now, and it's so much easier than I ever thought it could be. And it's yummy, and I know what's in it so I feel like it MUST be healthier than store-bought, right? Since I've made it several times successfully, I thought I'd share my method with you all.
You'll need:
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| The most important ingredients. |
- I use a whole gallon of skim or 1%, you can use a 1/2 gallon- you'll end up with about 1/2 the
amount you start with.
Plain yogurt - whatever brand is your favorite- just a small little tub is perfect.
- I love Stonyfield, but have used Cabot, too.
Gelatin - 1 (for 1/2 gallon of milk) or 2 (for a whole gallon) packets of plain regular gelatin
Crock pot - make sure your amount of milk will fit in your crock pot
Towels or blankets
Thermometer (meat or candy)
Cheesecloth or flour sack towel
Colander
Optional:
Dry milk - if you want a thicker, more nutritionally dense yogurt, you can add a packet (or cup) of dry milk
I'll try to explain the why behind the process as I explain how to make yummogurt. :-)
I find it best to start this in the afternoon (like naptime!) so it can "yog" overnight.
1. Pour your milk in your crock pot. If using dry milk, mix in really well now. I use a immersion blender to make sure it's all smooth, but you can use a whisk. Crank it up to high. Let it heat up to at least 180 degrees.
- You need the proteins in the milk to break down a little bit so the bacteria in the yogurt have
something to munch AND you need to kill off any rogue bacteria leftover from pasteurization.
2. Cool it down to 120 degrees. Take the crock out of the pot, but leave the pot on. If you're in a hurry, you can pour it into more shallow dishes or put in an ice bath in the sink.
- The bacteria grow at 100-120 degrees, and die if warmer.
3. Scoop out about 1 cup of warm milk, mix in gelatin and 1/2-1 cup of plain yogurt. Mix REALLY well. Until smooth. I use my immersion blender here again.
- You're adding in the yogurt-izing bacteria to your primed milk.
- The gelatin will help set your yogurt and make it thicker.
4. Add your yogurt-milk blend to your crock of milk. Blend or whisk really well. Make sure the crock pot is off.
5. Find a quiet place where this can remain undisturbed for 8-12 hours. Wrap well with a couple towels or blankets. Don't touch, don't peek, don't move.
- The bacteria can't be disturbed right now. They're working hard for your benefit.
6. In the morning, or after your 8-12 hours, your yogurt should have "yogged" and should look like this:
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| Yogged yogurt with a layer of yogurt juice on top. |
7. This step is kind of optional. If you want a thicker, more Greek-style yogurt, it needs to be strained. Put at least 3 layers of cheesecloth or a flour sack towel in a colander. Using a ladle, scoop all of your yogurt into the cloth. You can collect the yogurt juice (or whey) in a bowl. I have, but haven't found many uses for it so I just drain it into the sink now. Let it strain for 15-60 minutes, depending on how thick you want it.
- Remember that the gelatin will thicken it a bit more once it's been refrigerated.
- The longer you strain it, the thicker it will be, but you'll also have a smaller volume left over.
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| Getting thicker! |
8. That's it! Use a spatula to scrape the thick yogurt into containers for storage. My gallon of milk makes about 8 cups of yogurt. Blend with honey or sugar or strawberry puree for flavor, but mine doesn't need much to make it delicious!
I'm attempting to make "yogurt cheese", apparently similar to cream cheese. I put a couple scoops in the flour sack towel and rubber banded it then hung it over the sink for about 7 hours. I'll let you know how it works out!
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| Like my sophisticated method of hanging?? |
Let me know how it goes! Feel free to email with questions!!
Consideringsparrows917@gmail.com
~Celina
