Homemade Yogurt

One of my favorite breakfasts is yogurt and granola.  Most of the week, this is the breakfast that starts off our day.  And lately, yogurt is one of my favorite things to make.

Homemade yogurt is pretty simple, it is all in getting to a process that works for you.  And giving it time.  This isn't something that is rushed, thought it isn't necessarily hands-on time.  It is also very tasty.  I found that I prefer the taste of plain homemade yogurt to any that we have purchased, it has a smoothness that is just so good.

Basically all that is involved is heating up your milk, keeping it warm for a long time, straining to your desired consistency and then chill.  The keeping it consistently warm and how long to strain is the part that can be tricky and where you have to figure out what works best for you. 

There are a couple of options out there for how to keep the yogurt warm for 8 to 12 hours... I tried the hot water in a cooler method and that was a fail.  The water cools and you have to remember to change it, kind of a pain if you are trying to do other things.  The idea of a hot pad wasn't an option since ours auto shuts off.  The winner for me was the oven.  I heat it up to 130 degrees or so and turn on the light.  This keeps it at 100 degrees.  Every now and then (maybe every three hours or so) I turn the oven on and heat it up just a tad to make sure it is warm in there.

We like our yogurt quite thick so I have modified the process for a thick, creamy yogurt.  You can use between two to four tablespoons starter yogurt per quart of milk, I use three.  You don't necessarily have to strain the yogurt, but it helps to make it closer to a Greek yogurt consistency if you let it strain for several hours.

And that is it.  I use 2 quarts of milk and it gets us through a week.  Sometimes I add some strawberry jam or a drizzle of honey to accompany the homemade granola that is sprinkled on top.  I can't wait for berry season as fresh fruit in there is my absolute favorite.  Yum.

Homemade Fresh Yogurt

• 2 quarts of milk (I like 2%)
• 6 to 7 tablespoons of plain yogurt with active cultures (make sure that it has those active cultures!)
• vanilla bean seeds (optional)

Heat milk on the stove to 180 degrees F.  Let milk cool to 110 degrees F.

Add the plain yogurt to a large jar or a bowl; laddle in a few spoonfuls of the milk and stir.  Add the rest of the milk and give it a stir.

Keep the jar warm, at about 100-115 degrees F for eight to ten hours.  A couple of options to keep it warm:

• put the jar inside the oven with the light on and once in a while turn it on for a few minutes
• use a heating pad and wine bucket
• use a cooler filled with warm water
• buy a yogurt maker

After the yogurt has thickened, strain with a cheese cloth if desired.  Cool yogurt in the fridge.

It will last in the fridge about 7-10 days.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Comments

[Amy S.]

I definitely want to try this. Do you think using a crock pot of water would work?

[Tara & Dan]

Amy, maybe if there is a 'warm' setting on the crockpot. I wonder if the low setting would be too warm since you don't necessarily 'cook' it? I have also heard of people wrapping the bowl in a towel and leaving the light on in the oven and that working just fine.