If you've never made homemade yogurt because you felt it was too complicated, let me assure you that you can. It's not at all difficult. In fact, after you've done it once, you'll be left scratching your head, wondering why you hadn't done it sooner!
For me, homemade yogurt is a delicious and nutritious treat that is simple to make in your own kitchen. Many people have told me that they tried making yogurt from scratch and found it to be a simple and rewarding process. One of the most common methods entails heating milk to a specific temperature, adding a yogurt culture, and fermenting it for several hours. As a result, you get a creamy, tangy yogurt that you can eat on its own or use in a variety of recipes. Many people prefer homemade yogurt to store-bought options because it is fresher and more flavorful, and it can also be customized to their tastes by adding different flavors or sweeteners. Overall, making homemade yogurt is a great way to learn the joys of cooking from scratch while also enjoying a healthy and delicious snack.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE YOGURT
Homemade yogurt may be produced in two ways: on the stovetop (and subsequently incubated in the oven or in a chiller) or with a yogurt machine.
Personally, I like to prepare yogurt in a yogurt maker rather than in a huge pot, cook it on the stove, and then keep it warm in my oven. Why? First and foremost, I'd rather not tie up my oven for eight hours. Certainly, you can do it overnight if it's less of a hassle. Nevertheless, occasionally I forget to prepare things before bed and have to create a batch during the day.
This is very simple to make, so all you need is milk and one tablespoon of premade yogurt.
Second, with the Euro Cuisine yogurt machine I use, the yogurt is automatically portioned out into individual serving jars - the ideal size for breakfast. The lids have a great date stamp on them, so I'll always know when I produced the batch. Individual jars also save me from overindulging in creamy yogurt bliss and make my homemade yogurt instantly portable - ideal for eating breakfast on the run!
Finally, I adore my yogurt maker because, despite producing hundreds of batches of yogurt at home, I've never had a batch fail. Not a single one! The first few times I made yogurt on the hob, I either boiled over my milk (creating a huge mess) or scorched milk to the bottom of the pot (which is not fun to clean). I'm constantly sidetracked in the kitchen, so the hob approach isn't ideal for me.
6 BASIC STEPS TO MAKING HOMEMADE YOGURT
- First heat milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This destroys any nasty germs in your milk and assures there are no leftover bacteria, infections, mould, or spores.
- Then milk should be cooled to 112-115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the beneficial bacteria from your premade yogurt. Pour one cup of warm milk into a mixing bowl and add either a yogurt starter (I use Yogourmet) or three tablespoons of pre-made yogurt.
- Combine the yogurt starter and the remaining milk in a mixing bowl. This distributes the beneficial bacteria throughout the milk.
- Pour the milk into the jars and leave to incubate for 7-9 hours. A constant, lukewarm temperature is a haven for all of your healthy bacteria and encourages their growth. The longer you leave your yogurt in the fridge, the thicker and tangier it will get.
- Refrigerate the jars to allow them to cool and solidify. Let the yoghurt cool in the refrigerator for a few hours. The yogurt will thicken even more as it cools!
A FEW OTHER HOMEMADE YOGURT-MAKING TIPS
You may make this using full, 2%, or skim milk. Goat's milk can also be used. The more fat in your milk, the thicker the finished result. I used 2% milk, which is why it wasn't too thick.
- No matter how long you incubate your homemade yogurt, it will likely taste tart the first time you make it. This is due to your taste buds being used to highly sweetened store-bought yogurt. Your taste buds will adjust to this pure, handmade yogurt over time (and quite rapidly). If you want to sweeten the yogurt, add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup at step #4 above. You may also use vanilla extract or a scraped vanilla bean. In fact, simply adding vanilla will instantly make it taste sweeter.
- If you want to add the fruit after it has incubated, do so now. This prevents you from disturbing the bacteria and preventing them from producing creamy homemade yogurt.
- The yoghurt will keep in the fridge for about ten days. I doubt you'll have any left when your relatives and friends find out you're making homemade yogurt!
- If you want to produce dairy-free yogurt (for example, coconut milk yogurt), the technique is fairly similar with some subtle variations.
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HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE YOGURT
Ingredients
- 42 ounces organic milk, (whole, 2% or skim milk)
- 1 packet yogurt starter
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a large glass, microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat the milk in the microwave on high for 10 minutes. Using an instant read thermometer, check the temperature of the milk. Keep heating in 1 to 2 minute increments until the temperature has reached 180 degrees fahrenheit.
- Remove the milk and let it cool to 112-115 degrees fahrenheit. This process can be sped up by using an ice water bath.
- Pour 1 cup of the milk into a small glass. Sprinkle the packet of yogurt starter on top and thoroughly mix it in.
- Pour the small glass of milk back into the large bowl and stir to combine.
- Fill the glass jars of the yogurt maker. Set the timer for 7-9 hours. The longer you leave the yogurt, the firmer and more tangy it will become. More beneficial bacteria are also produced with a longer incubation time.
- Once the incubation is complete, remove the glass jars and refrigerate.
- Before serving, you can add any toppings, such as fruit and granola.
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