Yogurt Making 101

There's been a lot of discussion lately about making yogurt...mainly because I posted my yogurt maker on Freecycle, I think. Everyone seems interested in how to make it and noone knows how to do it without the actual machine. I have to tell you friends, it's as easy to make yogurt with a thermos as it is with a yogurt maker, and far less mess. Here's how you get started.

To make your homemade yogurt, you need a starter or a 'mother', for which you have 2 sources; either freeze-dried yogurt starter, or a good quality plain yogurt, either homemade or store bought. On a personal note, I use the Euro Cuisine freeze dried starter that I purchase from Amazon for just over a dollar a pack. I've tried store bought yogurt and I never have much luck. I don't know if it's because pasteurization destroys milk proteins or if the store bought doesn't have enough 'live and active cultures'. Or it could just be user error ; )

Once you have your starter of choice, you need milk and either powdered milk or cream. Either one will raise the protein levels in your yogurt and yield a thicker, richer yogurt. Add 1/2 cup of powdered milk or cream to 5 cups of milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 8-10 minutes til the milk is steamy and the edges of the milk are bubbly. Remove from the microwave and allow to cool to just over 100 degrees...this should feel just barely warm to your fingertip. Or use a thermometer and get a reading of 105 degrees or so.

To the warmed milk add your starter, either 1/2 c. of pre-made yogurt or the freeze dried starter and stir gently til the starter is thoroughly dissolved into the milk. Now all you need to do is pour it into a thermos and cap tightly. The thermos will retain the heat and create delicious plain yogurt in 6-8 hours. After 6 hours, check your yogurt to see if it's beginning to thicken. It will still be thin as it's fairly warm, but once it's refrigerated, it will continue to thicken. If your yogurt still seems very thin, recap and allow to 'cook' for another hour or two.

Once your yogurt begins to thicken, refrigerate and cool. If you like extremely thick yogurt as I do, pour the yogurt into a colander lined with muslin or cheesecloth to allow the excess whey to drain. Once it's as thick as you like it, set aside 1/2 c. of your plain yogurt as a starter for your next batch. Sweeten or flavor the remaining yogurt with honey, fruit preserves or sugar.