Making homemade yogurt isn't as involved or as hard as you would think. It's also a good way to save money. I found that for the cost of one 32 oz. container of organic yogurt, I can make two. That is a big savings. Also I know exactly what is going into my yogurt. Yogurt is a great source of probiotics which are important for overall health. Probiotics are especially important to load up on when taking anti-biotics and other medications that destroy healthy natural flora in the gut.
There are a couple of ways you can make your homemade yogurt. Buy a container of plain yogurt, no thickeners or additives, just yogurt and cultures. If it has any additional ingredients, it will not thicken as well. I found that out the hard way. The second way is to buy a ready made yogurt culture. At Cultures for Health, you can choose from 9 varieties of yogurt starter, including heirloom varieties. They even have a dairy-free yogurt culture. I haven't tried making dairy-free but it might be worth looking into if you have dairy allergies and want to save some money making your own dairy-free yogurt. I have heard it doesn't seem to thicken like other yogurts. Perhaps adding some arrowroot powder to the milk when it is still warm, but not at the highest heat. Then it should give it a pudding like texture. I'll have to experiment with that and get back to you.
You can choose to make the yogurt in a double boiler, which requires very little stirring, or you can make it in a heavy bottom pot, which requires constant stirring. You will also need good digital thermometer. For the fermentation process, you will need a heating pad or a cooler with a tight fitting lid. You will also need 3 wide mouth, 1 quart canning jars with their lids. So, here's how I do it using plain store bought yogurt. Note: Once you have made your first batch, you will not need to buy store bought yogurt again. Just simply save some of the batch of yogurt and add it to the next for your yogurt culture. Also, you can freeze yogurt culture for at least a couple months to keep it for making future batches.
Homemade Yogurt
1/2 Gallon of Organic Milk
3/4 cup plain yogurt brought to room temperature
Start by sterilizing all your equipment. I simply add all my lids with their rings, a whisk, and a ladle in a large bowl and cover it with boiling water. I then cover the bowl and allow it to set for ten minutes or more. I also fill the glass canning jars with boiling water, cover the tops with foil, and allow to set for ten minutes or more. I once put my lids on the jar to stand for ten minutes and they sealed. I couldn't get the lid off until the jar cooled. Once they have set for a bit just dump the water. You don't want your equipment to be too hot when you add the yogurt later.
Once you have everything sterilizing, fill your sink about a third of the way with cold water and maybe even add some ice. You will need this to cool down the milk to 110 F after you have heated it. This is so you can add the culture without killing it. This is also the temperature the cultures reproduce at. You don't have to do this step but it will save time in waiting for the milk to cool.
Next, add the milk to a clean, large, thick bottomed pot. Place on the stove top over medium to medium high heat. You need to be sure you stir it constantly, do NOT walk away, or the milk will burn and the yogurt will be ruined. If you are using a double boiler you will not have to worry about stirring constantly because of the water jacket, though you should still stir it. The water should come half way up the side. If you have too little water you will not heat the milk properly. However, if you have too much water, the pot will want to float. Once the temperature gets hotter you will want to begin to stir it more frequently, even with the double boiler.
Bring the temperature of the milk up to 185 F. Using a digital thermometer, check the temperature ever couple minutes. Once it has almost reached 185 F, you need to monitor it closely. They say if you can hold the temperature at 180 - 185 for twenty to thirty minutes it will make a really thick yogurt. I haven't held it any longer than ten minutes and was fine with the out come.
Once your milk has been thoroughly heated, transfer the pot to the sink of cold water. The water should come about half way up the side. If there is too much water the pot will float. If that happens, just let a little water out of the sink. Monitor the temperature of the milk as it cools. It will not take long for it to drop to 110F. Once the temperature has dropped to about 112 F, I ladle a little of the warm milk into a bowl with the 3/4 cup of yogurt. I whisk it well to blend and add more milk to make it runny. This will help it mix in better to the batch of milk and distribute evenly. By now, the milk should have reached the 110 F. Once it reaches 110 F, remove it from the ice water onto a clean towel and dry the sides. You don't water from the sink dripping into your yogurt when you pour it from the pot.
Now, add the yogurt/milk mixture to the pot of milk and whisk well to blend thoroughly.
Cooler Method:
Next, pour the yogurt into the sterilized canning jars and tighten the lids good and tight. Place in a cooler that has been filled half way with hot water. The water should be from 120 F to 130 F. Place the jars in the cooler and close the lid tightly. Allow to set up for 7 hours or more. The longer you leave the yogurt the thicker it gets and the more tart it gets. Note that it will thicken more once it has cooled overnight in the fridge. So, don't be discouraged if it doesn't look supper thick at first. Note: You may need to add some more hot water to the cooler half way through to keep it warm enough. Try to do this as gently and quickly as possible. If you have too much water in the cooler scoop some out with a small pot or large cup, until there is room to add fresh hot water.
Heating Pad Method: (I think this yields better results)
Next, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place a towel over the top. Then place on a heating pad, set to medium heat, for 7 hours or more. The longer you leave the yogurt the thicker it gets and the more tart it gets. Note that it will thicken more once it has cooled overnight in the fridge. So, don't be discouraged if it doesn't look supper thick at first. Important: Make sure you have your heating pad on a heat stable surface. A marble counter top or a cutting board is a good choice.
Important for any method of making yogurt: Do NOT disturb while it is setting up or this will effect how it comes out. It needs to be left alone so the cultures can reproduce properly.
After 7 hours you should now have some yummy, homemade yogurt. Just put it in the fridge to cool over night. The yogurt should keep in the fridge for a couple weeks.
If you used the heating pad method. You will need to mix up the mixture, liquid on top is fine, that is the liquid whey. Great for using in fermenting veggies. Fill your canning jars with the thickened yogurt and place in the fridge overnight.
Once your yogurt has cooled you can now use it anyway you like. You can add sweeteners and fruit. Turn it into frozen yogurt, cream cheese, or a sour cream. I will post the recipes for those soon. If you feel your yogurt is not thick enough, just place it in a strainer that is lined with a tea towel, set over a bowl to catch the liquid, cover and place in the fridge for two to three hours. Save the liquid that you strain. That is good liquid whey you can use for other recipes.
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