Easy Homemade Yogurt

I go through a lot of yogurt. It is so good for me so I try to have a serving (at least!) every day for breakfast or in my dinner recipes. It is a great base for so many sauces. I use it to replace sour cream in many of my recipes as it is healthier. 


Ingredients:
1L bag of milk
2-3 Tbsp yogurt with active cultures (store bought or leftover from your last batch)
     OR
     a pack of "Yogurt Cultures" 


1) Bring the milk to the boiling point (about 180F). I just wait for the boil to begin and maintain it at that temperature for a minute or two.


2) Take the pot off the heat and let cool to 110F. I usually put my pot in a sink of cool water to cool it down more quickly. It should feel just warm to the touch.


3) Mix your yogurt or pack of cultures in.


4) Pour the mixture into a seal-able container. I used a couple mason jars. Old yogurt containers or anything you have on had works great. 






5) You want to maintain the temperature of 90-120F for at least 4 hours now. I turn my oven on until it reaches 115F, shut it off and put my jars inside. I have heard that slow cookers and rice cookers on "warm" setting will work. You can also wrap them in towels and put it in a cooler. Or alternately, you may live in a climate within that temperature range, in which case just leave them on the counter. 




5) At the 5 hour mark feel free to take a look at the consistency of the yogurt. Keep in mind that it will thicken in the fridge. Some recipes call for as long as 12 hours. The longer the cultures work, the more sour and tangy the yogurt will become. 


6) When it has a custard consistency, put your yogurt in the fridge for an hour or two. Then go ahead and enjoy in your favorite sweet or savory dish!


Remember to keep a couple Tablespoons of yogurt to start your next batch!


Cost to Make: (500g tub)


Milk $6.99/3L  (or 2.32/L)
Leftover Yogurt $free (or a couple cents)
= $1.16/500g


Good To Know:


***If your yogurt is not tangy enough, leave it in a warm place for an extra couple hours.


***1L of milk will give you 1L of yogurt. So, if you have a container you like to fill, use that as your measuring cup.


***Yogurt cultures can now be found in the grocery store in the dairy section. Health food stores carry it or it can be purchased online. I would buy a cup of yogurt to use to start your first batch over the trouble of ordering cultures online. There is no difference to the finished product.


***You may use any milk that you would like. I use homogenized because I like the creaminess of the yogurt and I believe it thickens more quickly. Given the option, I would chose organic, hormone free milk. The better the milk, the better the yogurt.


My Favorite Yogurt Recipes:


Cream Cheese from Yogurt
Tzatziki Sauce
Red Potaoes in Curried Yogurt Sauce
Frozen Yogurt
Yogurt, Honey and Banana Facial




How to get Thicker Yogurt


The thickness of your yogurt is based on a few things. First off, the higher the fat content of your milk, the thicker the yogurt will be.


The longer I allow my yogurt to sit, the thicker it gets.


When you bring your milk to the boiling point, keep it there for up to 10 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid out.


When the yogurt is done, you can strain it through a coffee filter or cheesecloth/butter-cloth to take some of the moisture out. The whey will fall through leaving a thicker Greek-style yogurt.


You can add some milk powder to the mixture to thicken it up during the milk boiling stage.