We go through a lot of yogurt at our house between P and L so last weekend I thought I would give this method a try. And I have to tell you that I am a convert. I will not be buying yogurt again [except to be used as a starter for this recipe]. It was very easy and the flavor is amazing. Not to mention that I know EXACTLY what went into this. If you eat your share of yogurt I highly recommend making your own.
I added a 1/2 cup of mashed blue berries and a tablespoon of agave nectar just to add some flavor. Next we will be trying strawberry banana mix-in, as this is P's favorite yogurt flavor.
2 quarts organic milk
2 tsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 tsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp vanilla extract (optional)
Add 2 quarts of milk to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the temperatures reaches 180 F. Remove from the heat.
Set aside and let cool, stirring occasionally, until the temperature has dropped between 110-120 F. It is important that the temperature is within this range for the bacterial cultures.
Add the milk to a ceramic or glass bowl and stir in 2 teaspoons of plain yogurt. This will provide the live active cultures needed to make your yogurt work.
Preheat the oven (to any temperature), shutting the oven off after one minute, this will slightly warm the oven. Turn the oven light on. Cover the dish and wrap the covered bowl in a couple of thick kitchen towels. Close the oven and let the mixture incubate in the warm oven for 8-12 hours. It is important that the mixture stay within 110- 120 F for the entire 8-12 hours. If you feel the milk mixture is getting too cold just preheat the oven for an additional one minute every couple of hours. (I had to do this as I do not have an oven light, which I assume keeps the oven just warm enough.)
The mixture will be ready when it is thick like yogurt. At this point there will be an excess of liquid that needs to be drained. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl, and line with a double layer of paper towel. Pour the yogurt into the sieve, place the straining set up in the refrigerator, and strain until most of the liquid has been drained from the yogurt. This step takes approximately 20-30 minutes.
Place the yogurt in a storage container, whisk in one tablespoon of vanilla extract [and any optional mix-ins] and store in the refrigerator. The yogurt will keep for one week.
I always thought you needed unpasteurized milk and starter to make yogurt; I love this recipe. We go through a lot if yogurt too.
ReplyDeleteI brought a dedicated coffee filter (you know the gold ones that are very fine?) and use it as my filter when I make yogurt cheese instead of paper towels; it's cheaper in the long run and you won't get any chemicals from the paper towel in the yogurt!