Tuesday, April 16, 2013

I Made My Own Yogurt!

Many people who know me know that I have been on a quest for the perfect yogurt. I've tried many brands, been loyal to some for a long time, others for a short time, and still haven't settled on "my" favorite brand. I do love Fage, but it's pretty expensive. I love Cabot as well, also expensive, and a tangier yogurt than others. For years I loved Yoplait Custard Style, until I realized it has almost as many calories as a small hot fudge sundae! I'm trying to stay away from chemical sweeteners, so most of the "light" yogurts won't do, since they are sweetened artificially. I was thinking of buying a commercial yogurt maker, but how would I even know if I liked the end result? So, I headed to the trusty internet in a search for home-made yogurt recipes with reviews, so I could read first-hand how people rate the yogurt recipes they've tried.The first thing I realized: it's not rocket science. It doesn't need to be complicated. It doesn't require a lot of kitchen contraptions. So, over the past few days, I have mixed together my first batches of home-made yogurt. It takes more time than effort, and here's the verdict: It's delicious. It's light, and mild, and sweet without any sweeteners. I'd never eat plain yogurt, and I loved this, and made a second batch and stirred in some local honey and a bit of vanilla. With berries, or granola, it will be a wonderful breakfast or dessert. A swirl of jam, or lemon curd, or marmalade could put this lovely yogurt over the top. So, now I am a yogurt maker. I may never buy yogurt again!

HOME MADE YOGURT

1/2 gallon milk (skim to whole fat, your choice) I used Battenkill low fat
4 tablespoons plain yogurt to use as a starter (I used Cabot Plain Greek - you can use any plain yogurt)

  • In dutch oven or large pot on stove, over moderate heat, bring milk to 185 degrees F (bubbles start forming around edge), or to just before boiling, stirring to make sure milk doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pot. 
  • Remove pot from heat and cool down to 110 degrees (a candy thermometer would be very helpful for this process.) If you don't have a thermometer, 110 degrees is when it's still hot but not painfully hot when you dip your pinky finger in (a standard gauge for measuring heat in a lot of yogurt recipes!).
  • Take 1 cup of the heated milk and mix with the 4 tbsp. of starter yogurt (whisk together) and stir back into the hot milk mixture. 
  • Wrap a thick towel completely around the pot (with lid) to incubate the yogurt and keep it warm.  Place wrapped pot in oven (turned off!) with the light on, and let sit for 8-14 hours. I let mine sit overnight and then all day while I was at work.  
  • Unwrap pot and place yogurt in fridge to chill completely before straining (I poured the yogurt into a large bowl for the fridge).
  • To strain, pour yogurt into a lined colander set over a large bowl. I used a few sturdy paper towels as the liner. (To create space for the whey to drain, I inverted a small pyrex dish in the bottom of the bowl and set the colander on top of that.) Allow yogurt to drain until it reaches the consistency you prefer. Pour off whey as it accumulates. I let it go overnight to make it thicker. To make it an even thicker Greek style yogurt, strain again.To make yogurt cheese, strain even longer. I had saved yogurt containers (washed in the dishwasher) so I had a quart container ready. My half-gallon of milk made just under a quart of yogurt, pretty much for the price of a half-gallon of milk. Well worth the effort!



I made home-made yogurt!  You can, too!

22 comments:

  1. You did it! It looks amazingly delicious. I really don't think I have the patience to make it, I have a hard time making meringues. Good for you.

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    1. It is patience that's required, not effort. You can't go wrong if you're willing to put in the time! Thanks Joanne!

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  2. WOW, looks DELICIOUS. I agree with Joanne about having the patience to make it ! I will give it the old college try. Thanks for another adventure in making healthy goodies!! CKJ

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    1. Cindy, I think you'll like it. Cinnamon rolls are coming your way, how's Saturday morning for delivery? :)

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    2. FANTASTIC........................

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  3. WOW! Impressive! I might have to give this a try!

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    1. Hi Tina - thanks! It's worth the time and (little bit of) effort!

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  4. Looks very good. I like Greek Yougurt much more than plain, so I may try it sometime - some weekend. Definately need the fruit

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    1. Gwen, give it a try when you have time. Hope you love it!

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  5. I have got to try this. In Hawaii, a quart of the yogurt I like is almost $7.00

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    1. Val, if you use the yogurt you love as the starter, and really good milk, you'll end up with great yogurt!

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  6. <3 that you started with Cabot Greek-Style Yogurt! Your yogurt looks delicious!

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    1. Thanks Wendy - you know I love my Cabot Greek Style!

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  7. Looks so creamy and delicious...is it worth the time it takes? One question - on your FB photos, your first batch was really thick, and the second batch looks more creamy, but not as thick. Did you use different starters for the first and second batches?

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    1. Hi Carol - the first batch was made in my crock pot on low heat and though it was delicious, I let it go longer on the heat than recommended (I fell asleep) and in the morning, ended up having to drain off the whey and put it in the blender. It was more like yogurt cheese. So, I started again from scratch, sans the crock pot and used my dutch oven and followed the directions to a "t" - I could strain the 2nd batch longer to get the thicker texture again, but I was so anxious to test the 2nd batch that I dug right in and started using it. The only difference is how much whey the different batches gave off. Both methods made great yogurt!

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  8. Going to give it a try , looks good and doesn't sound to hard to make!!!!

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    1. It's not hard, just have to get the temperatures right, and have patience! Let me know if you make it, and how you like it! Thanks, Toni! (Toni H.O.?... In case you win, I have to know which Toni to send the goodies to!

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  9. you are my hero, you have no culinary fear!
    I am hard put to pull the seal all the way off a yoplait yogurt, much less make my own

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    1. Thanks Judy! I guess I don't have culinary fear, because curiosity always keeps me wanting to try new things! Thanks so much!

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  10. Holy Cow! THis one is a little beyond our kitchen, but very impressed with your skills!!

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  11. Great idea! We buy & go through a lot of Greek yogurt in my house. It might be worth trying to make my own.
    Ginelle

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