How To Make Yogurt at Home

Recently, I got to teach a lesson in a Relief Society meeting (the Women's organization of my Church) about how to make your own yogurt.  I did a lot of research, tested out a lot of different things, and then compiled everything I learned into a handout.  This is essentially that handout, with a few pictures added.  I hope it's helpful to someone out there. We've definitely been enjoying this newfound commodity around here.

Actually, my favorite way to eat it is with peach nectar or fresh lemon juice and a little stevia.

How to Make Yogurt at Home

The Basics to Yogurt Making:

         I. Heat milk to 180°F

         II. Cool to 110°F and Add Starter.

         III. Culture at 110°F for at least 7 hours, stir, chill, and…

Voila!  You have yogurt!  It’s that simple!  Now let’s go through and add directions and various options to make yogurt making work for you.

I. Heating the milk. 

         You can use any type of milk you want, with varying results; so just use what’s easiest (or cheapest) for you. Skim and 1% will make a little bit thinner yogurt, while 2% and especially whole milk will make thicker, creamier yogurt.  Whole cream may not have enough lactose in it (which is what the yogurt bacteria uses for food), so try half and half if you want really thick yogurt.  Powdered milk, canned milk, raw milk, organic milk, and I think even soymilk, can all be used as well, so look for sales (or a neighbor with a cow).

The preliminary heating of the milk serves two purposes.  One reason is to kill unwanted bacteria (after all this is practically going to be one big Petri dish you’re making, so it would probably be a good idea to sterilize containers and instruments that will touch the milk after this phase as well) and to prepare the milk for only the good bacteria that makes yogurt to grow. Some think heating the milk to 180 is unnecessary, but I’d say, better safe than sorry.  The second reason is to prepare the proteins in the milk for culturing.  In fact, if you can keep it at 180 for 30 min, your yogurt will be thicker and creamier.  Using a thermometer helps a lot but is not absolutely necessary.  You’ll know you’re there when your milk is just starting to froth, but not quite boiling.  Don’t boil. Also, there may be a thin film that forms on top of the milk, just skim it off every once in a while.

Now there are various ways you can heat the milk:

1. Use a double boiler on the stove.

2. Microwave in a microwave safe bowl, stirring occasionally–test as you go until you figure out about how long it takes your particular microwave to heat milk to 180.

3. Heat directly over the stove.  This could scald if you’re not careful, so use a thick-bottomed saucepan, and stir constantly.

  

II. Adding starter. 

         After the milk has cooled to 110°F~120°F or a temperature you can stand to hold your finger in for more than 10 seconds (placing the pan or bowl in a sink full of ice water can speed up the process), go ahead and add your starter.  Starter can be a store-bought powder, or it can be as simple as a spoonful of plain yogurt at room temperature (going from cold to hot too quickly can shock your starter) –just make sure it says on the package that it contains “live” or “active” cultures.  Use about 2 ½ Tablespoons for a half gallon of milk, or similar ratio depending on how much you’re making.  More is not always better though. Bacteria don’t like to be crowded; if there is not enough food to go around (meaning the natural sugar in milk, or lactose) they will not produce enough of the lactic acid to thicken it into yogurt.  Incorporate your starter well.

III. Allowing milk to Culture.

         Keeping the temperature between 100°F and 120°F allows the bacteria to grow, with 110°F-115°F being ideal.  7 hours is average if not minimum amount of time for yogurt to set up.  The longer you let it culture the more lactic acid the bacteria will produce which gives the yogurt its “tang,” and the thicker it may be --too long though will result in a more sour taste. Also, if it is lumpy, a blender will take care of the lumps nicely, and you can still have the smooth texture you expect in a yogurt.  Experiment with what tastes best to you –tangy or mild, lumpy or smooth, thicker or “drinkable.”

         There are various methods for keeping the yogurt at a constant temperature of 100-120.  Obviously a yogurt maker will do, and often you can find these at a second-hand store very inexpensively, but for those of us who don’t have kitchen space for a “one-use wonder” appliance like that, here are several ways to do it using everyday household items. Just set it out of the way where it won’t get disturbed; that could interrupt the bacteria and cause it to stop growing.

1. Crock pot with a “keep warm” setting.  Crockpot temperatures vary, so keep an eye on it the first time.  Using a water bath in the crockpot, and setting another container with the milk and cultures in that, will keep the temperature from fluctuating.

2. Oven.  If your oven has a “proof” setting or goes down to 100°F, then you can just use that.  Otherwise, heat your oven for a few minutes, and turn on the oven light.  A 60 watt bulb will keep the oven at the temperature you need.

3. Cooler.  Coolers can keep things warm just as well as they can keep things cool.  Add a couple bottles of really hot water, and wrap everything in blankets.  You may need to replace the hot water halfway through the process, just be careful not to jiggle things too much.

4. Electric Heating pad.  Generally, set at medium this will keep your milk at the right temperature. Wrap your container in the heating pad and a blanket and stick it in a box, or set it flat on the counter with a blanket or towel over top of it.

         5. In a closed car on a sunny day.  Generally, if it is cloudless day in the upper eighties or nineties outside, car temperatures will be around 110°F -120°F.  It might get too hot if it is over 100 outside, otherwise it should be fine. The only problem with this method is what to do if you need to use the car.

These are just a few ideas. There may be others I haven’t mentioned …under heat lamps, using lizard rocks, food dehydrators…you get the idea.

Once you’ve left it 7 or so hours, you should have a noticeably thicker consistency (it will never start out as thick as the stuff in stores, but they often add gelatin and other fillers to make it thicker anyway). Drain off any of the watery whey –but don’t throw it away; whey is packed with protein and nutrients –great for making bread or pancakes etc, and if nothing else you could feed it to your cat or dog or even use it to water your plants. After pouring off the excess whey, give the yogurt a good stir.  This will interrupt the bacteria, and refrigerating it for a couple hours will pretty much halt the culturing process. You may drain it even more with cheesecloth or a very fine mesh sieve, and you will have Greek Style Yogurt.  

(Authentic Greek yogurt is actually made with sheep or goat milk, so the stuff you find in the U.S. is usually only “Greek Style,” and yes, removing the whey is the only difference.) Drain it even longer and you’ll have Yogurt Cheese, which is comparable to cream cheese and with a few added ingredients can be a delicious topping or spread. 

Just remember to set some of the yogurt aside to be used as a starter for your next batch!

Add flavorings and enjoy! Honey and nuts, real maple syrup, agave nectar, juice concentrates, fresh fruits, and other natural sweeteners such as stevia, can make a tasty, healthy treat.  Adding your favorite flavored syrups, any flavored Jell-o powder you like, or even just adding jellies and jams can sweeten your yogurt, but at least you can control how much sugar is in there. Eat it with granola, add it to smoothies, use it in place of sour cream, make it into dressings, dips, spreads… enjoy it in a myriad of ways!

Making your own yogurt can be an inexpensive and healthy alternative to many of the over-processed, over-sugared, and over-priced products we find in the stores today.

Here’s a few recipes to use your yogurt in:

Avocado Smoothie (from Everyday Foods)

1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

3 cups fresh squeezed orange juice

¼ cup honey

1 ripe banana

1 ripe avocado

3 cups ice cubes

Blueberry “Secret Ingredient” Smoothie

1 ½ cups Apple juice

1 c fresh baby spinach

         blend until smooth

1 1/2 c frozen blueberries (if your blueberries aren't very sweet, add a little sugar or stevia to taste)

1 tsp vanilla

1 ripe banana

1 c Plain Yogurt

8-12 ice cubes (depends on size of cubes)

Easy Yogurt Vegetable/Cracker Dip

1 cup Greek or Thick-Strained Yogurt

1 tsp Original Mrs. Dash (salt-free)

½ tsp salt

dash garlic salt

Yogurt Fruit Dip

1 c Greek or Thick-Strained Yogurt

1/3 c Brown Sugar