Homemade Yogurt
4 cups (1 quart/litre) milk- I used organic whole milk
2 tbsp. plain yogurt (store bought to start off with)
That's it! Begin with putting the milk into a heavy pot, and bring it to a boil. Once it begins to bubble up, take it off the heat, and cool it down to 110 degrees F. I did this quickly by putting the pot into my sink that I had plugged with cold water.
Bringing the milk to a boil
As the milk is cooling down, whisk the 2 tbsp. of yogurt in a large ceramic bowl, until it is smooth. When the milk has cooled down, very slowly stir it into the yogurt. The recipe then called to cover it in plastic wrap, which I did for my first attempt, but next time I am just going to use a tea towel.
Cooled milk and yogurt mixture, covered and ready to ferment
After covering it, it you then must keep it in a warm place (85-110 degrees F) for 7-10 hours, until it is thickened. I did a bit of research, and decided to try and use my electric blanket set on medium as my warm spot.
After the first 5 or 6 hours, I found that my blanket wasn't really keeping the bowl warm enough for my liking, so I moved the bowl into my oven on the lowest possible setting (roughly 100 degrees F), and kept the light on. After 10 hours had passed, the mixture was still quite runny, but it smelt like yogurt, and I had read that refrigeration overnight usually thickens up the yogurt significantly. So I poured it into some containers, and went to bed with a wish.
The next morning, the yogurt had thickened beautifully! I was so excited! And it is delicious! Not too sour, and a nice creamy flavour. It isn't quite as thick as my usual store brand, but it was great anyways. I eat a lot of yogurt, usually going through a tub per week. This recipe made one tab, plus another third of a tub. My usual yogurt is plain organic, and the cheapest I can get one tub for is $3.50, and the regular price is $5.29. The milk I bought for this recipe cost $3.99 for 2 litres, which makes 2 recipes, making each recipe cost $2, and I got more than a full tub. So it really is very cheap. If I bought a 4 litre of milk, then it would go down even more. And, I love that I made it myself, with my own two hands. For the next recipe, I can use 2 tbsp. of my current homemade yogurt, therefore continuing the cycle, and preventing me from having to buy it from the store again.
Here is the finished product:
So thick and creamy
Hope you are having a lovely week thus far!
Brenna
Ooooh - I'm so glad you wrote about yoghurt! Now the weather has warmed up a bit here I'm back onto yoghurt for breakfast (I can't bear it when it's cold outside!) and I was thinking about sharing my yoghurt recipe. I use an electric yoghurt maker - thank you for the instructions on how to do it without - I've heard of people wrapping it in blankets and putting it in the airing cupboard, or in a thermos. I would suggest though, based on Elizabeth David's instructions, to bring the milk to a boil really slowly, on the lowest possible light, so the water has maximum chance to evaporate away. I also keep mine warm for 10 hours and then leave it at room temperature for another 6-8 hours, after which I stir it well and then put it in the fridge. It's a day-long process - but SO worth it! Only trouble is...it doesn't stay in the fridge all that long, and then I have to do it all again...;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the tips! I am always so thankful to get advice on topics such as these, as not too many people do these things anymore. Finding like-minded people is always so wonderful! And I know what you mean about it not lasting long in the fridge, I need to make more tomorrow or the next day, we can't stop eating it!
ReplyDeleteBrenna
Awesome job! I just made yogurt in my crockpot this week. I love adding a bit of raw honey and some fruit to it.
ReplyDelete