How to Make Yogurt
You can buy a perfectly delicious cup of yogurt from the supermarket, but have you ever tried making it by yourself? Homemade yogurt, when done properly, tastes just as good as the one you bought. To help you out, here are some steps you can follow.
What You’ll Need:
One quart of milk
Two tablespoons of existing yogurt with live cultures ( freeze-dried bacteria is also a good alternative)
¼ to ½ cup of non-fat dry milk (optional)
Pots
Metal spoon
Container with a lid
Oven
Candy thermometer
Double boiler (optional)
Refrigerator
Flavorings (optional)
Procedure:
Get your milk, then heat it to 185 degrees Fahrenheit or 85 degrees Celsius using a double boiler. Any kind of milk will do (whole, non-fat, soybean, diluted evaporated). If you don’t have a double boiler, then just use two pots that can fit inside one another. Put the milk in the smaller pot, and enough water in the larger one. This prevents your milk from being directly placed under the heat, so it won’t burn. Stir it occasionally, and monitor until it starts to froth.
eating yogurt
Cool the milk to 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 43 degrees Celsius. You can do this with a cold water bath. Transfer the small pot of milk to a tub of cool water. Stir it occasionally.
Warm the starter (existing or the freeze-dried bacteria) yogurt. Allow it to sit at room temperature as you wait for the milk to cool. By doing this, it won’t be too cold when you add it.
Add the non-fat dry milk, if you want. This increases the yogurt’s nutritional content and allow it to thicken easier. If you’ve non-fat milk for the yogurt itself, this will be very helpful.
Add two tablespoons of your existing yogurt, or the freeze-dried bacteria and mix it in well.
Transfer the mixture to several clean containers. Tightly cover with the lid or plastic wrap.
Let the yogurt bacteria incubate. You should keep the yogurt warm, while still encouraging growth of bacteria. Use an oven with a pilot light for this. The temperature must be kept as close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius.
After seven hours, your yogurt will have a cheese-like odor, greenish liquid on the top, and a custard-like texture.
Refrigerate the yogurt several hours before you serve or eat it. You can keep it for one to two weeks. If you want to make more yogurt and use this as a starter, use it within five to seven days, so its bacteria will have growing power. If whey forms on top, you can either remove it or stir it in the mix.
Add flavors. Fruit bits, vanilla and other additional ingredients will be great.
Some Tips
The longer you leave the mixture to incubate, the thicker and tangier your end result will be.
A double boiler makes it easy for you to control the temperatures as you heat the milk.
Aside from the oven, you can also warm your yogurt, using a stove burner, warming tray, heating pad, or even in your car on a sunny day.
Yogurt makers are also widely available today to help making yogurt easier. There are also food dehydrators which let you do this.
A bowl of fresh and homemade yogurt will definitely please anyone. The first time you attempt this, don’t expect it to come out perfectly. You’ll need to practice