DIY Yogurt Made Easy

I was just telling my husband a couple of days ago, after our trip to Whole Foods, that we really should try making our own homemade organic yogurt.  We eat lots of yogurt at our house and our closest Wholefoods store is about forty minutes away.  So, needless to say, I was very happy when I found a very simple recipe for DIY yogurt from Greenista.com.  I’ve found some homemade yogurt recipes in the past but was always a little reluctant to try them.  I guess I was feeling a bit adventurous today (although my hay fever finally flared up – a little side effect from living in sunny California).  So I grabbed my oldest daughter and we gathered up our cooking pot, glass measuring cup, candy thermometer, and our empty yogurt container, and went to work.

We followed the very simple recipe – boiled our milk, cooled it, added the yogurt, covered it, and put it into a warm spot to sit for the next six hours.  As I was sitting down, thinking, “Maybe there’s something missing?”…it hit me.  I have to make sure to keep the yogurt at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit for it to coagulate and thicken to a consistency that isn’t too runny (this wasn’t mentioned in the recipe).  So I took it out of my unheated oven – it just didn’t seem like the yogurt would stay warm enough – and put some aluminum foil around my yogurt container.  Then I placed the container on the end of a large heating pad set on low, draping the other end of the heating pad over the container, and covered it with a hand towel.  I checked the temperature of the yogurt after about three hours to make sure it was staying around 100 degrees, and then again after abut five-and-a-half hours.  At this point I kind of goofed and stirred the yogurt a little bit while checking the temperature.  I think this was a bit of a no-no, but I was just a little too curious about the whole yogurt-making process.

While I was waiting for the yogurt to finish setting, I did a little more research into making yogurt at home, and found a really good yogurt making tutorial (which I wish I would have found earlier in the day, …but oh well).  After reading a little bit more about making yogurt at home, I decided I needed to let the yogurt sit for seven hours instead of six.  I made a final check of it after the seven hours had elapsed – by this time I was feeling pretty yucky from my allergies and just wanted to get the yogurt stirred and put into the fridge so I could get into bed and call it a night.  I stirred the mixture as thoroughly as I felt up to (I’m sure I could have done a much better job of it), and stuck the container in the back part of my refrigerator to chill overnight.  I checked on my yogurt first thing this morning, and was surprised to find that it looked and smelled like yogurt (thank you God!), but was a little disappointed to find tiny curds that didn’t get completely dissolved.  This left the yogurt with an almost cottage cheese-like quality to it, however, the taste was not affected.  All in all, not a terrible first try, but now I know what to do (or not to do) the next time I make my own yogurt.  Next time I will NOT touch the container at all until the seven hours is up.

Here’s the recipe I used from Greenista.com – with my own personal changes, and a list of what you’ll need to make your own batch of organic yogurt.

Ingredients & Supplies:

• 1 tablespoon organic yogurt
• 3 cups organic milk
• Large measuring cup
• Large saucepan/pot
• Candy thermometer
• Empty container large enough to hold 3 cups of yogurt (I used an empty yogurt container – I love recycling)
• Heating pad (optional, but it sure does make it easier)

Directions:

First bring your 3 cups of milk to a rolling boil on your stovetop (be careful not to let it boil out of the pan.  I kept stirring occasionally so the milk wouldn’t scorch or boil out the pot).

Next, pour the milk into a large measuring cup to cool (I only use glass), keeping an eye on the temperature with your candy thermometer.  Once the milk has cooled to about 110 degrees, stir in 1 tablespoon organic yogurt (this is called pitching the yogurt).  Once mine cooled I transferred the milk to my empty yogurt container before pitching the yogurt.

Next, place yogurt in a warm spot or on a heating pad to sit undisturbed for seven hours.  Again, I wrapped my yogurt container in foil and placed it on the heating pad with a hand towel draped over it.  I just couldn’t let it sit undisturbed – bad girl!

Once your seven hours has elapsed, stir your yogurt mixture VERY well and place in the coldest part of your refrigerator – typically the very back.  Chill yogurt overnight and enjoy the next day, and remember to save some yogurt for your next batch.

Let me know if you try this recipe – I’d love to hear how your batch went.  Peace.

Here is the article I found very useful for making my own yogurt:

• How to Make Yogurt:  A Step by Step Tutorial

Have you ever made your own yogurt? 

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