Make Your Very Own Yogurt
Making yogurt doesn’t have to be complicated or have special equipment. What’s amazing about yogurt, is that once you have a small amount, you can just make more!
I make yogurt on the stovetop. I don’t have a lot of space in my kitchen for storage, so we use what we have and it hasn’t been an issue). Making yogurt on the stovetop means heating up milk on the stove until it reaches a certain temperature, add the starter culture (leftover yogurt from the previous batch), mix well, pour into desired containers (I use mason jars), then keep it warm in the oven overnight before placing in the refrigerator.
The following recipe is adapted from the New York Times recipe by Melissa Clark.
Ingredients
8 cups of whole milk
1/4 cup of heavy cream (optional)
3-4 Tablespoons of plain, organic whole milk yogurt with active cultures
6 basic steps to making homemade yogurt
Heat the milk to 180 degrees fahrenheit. This “cleans” the milk by killing off unsavory bacteria and whatever else may be in it. Use a large heavy pot, and keep an eye on your milk until it reaches a bare simmer (similar to scalding the milk). I look for what looks like a waxy thin film that starts to develop on the top of the milk and use a digital cooking thermometer to measure the temp.
Cool the milk to 120degrees fahrenheit. Remove your pot from the heat, and cover. Allow to cool to 120 degrees, this takes about 30-40 minutes.
Add your yogurt starter – the good bacteria. Once cool, add your starter (the 3-4T of plain, organic whole milk yogurt) and use a whisk to stir. The amount of starter can vary, I’ve used as much as 1/2 a cup of yogurt. TIP: This can be yogurt that has been sitting for a bit in the fridge as well.
While still warm, pour the milk into mason jars and incubate for up to 12 hours. For the recipe, about 5- 16oz mason jars will hold everything. To make things easier, I put the mason jars on a baking sheet and will put Saran Wrap over the top of the jar, and then twist on the lid to the jar. A consistent, luke-warm temperature promotes growth of the yogurt culture so leaving in the oven overnight with the just the oven light on is perfect.
Place the jars in the fridge to cool and set. Cool the yogurt in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. As the yogurt cools it will get even thicker!