Make your own Yogurt
Want to make delicious, healthy yogurt at home? It’s super easy and actually a lot of fun!
Our family enjoys a bowl of yogurt after dinner; it’s a Treur family tradition and one we’ve continued with our family as well. Loaded with beneficial probiotics to keep your gut healthy, it’s one dessert that deserves second helpings for sure! I personally love a bowl of yogurt and homemade granola and fresh fruit to start my day. It’s light, easily digestible, and so delicious. A yummy start to a good day!
But enough description, let’s get to the recipe!
Ingredients:
milk (whole milk from our milk dispenser is amazing, but any store bought cows’ milk will do)
store bought yogurt to use as a culture. I prefer plain yogurt with no added flavours, fillers, or gelatin. My go-to is either Liberte or the Kirkland organic brand. I use approximately 1 TBSP of yogurt per 1 Litre of milk.
Tools:
large pan
stove top to heat the milk
spatula or wooden spoon
whisk
instant read thermometer
a warm spot to incubate the yogurt (your oven with the light on can work very well)
METHOD
Begin by heating milk gently while stirring occasionally to prevent scalding. Heat until milk begins to steam and nearly come to a boil. Remove from heat.
Place pot of milk in a sink filled with cold water. Stir frequently to cool. If your pot is very large you may need to refill the sink with fresh cold water at some point.
Cool milk to 42C or 110F
4. Measure out your yogurt starter (1Tbsp per Liter of milk).
5. Mix with a little warm milk, then pour mixture into milk. Stir very well.
6. Incubate yogurt in a warm place. Your oven with the light on, or a towel lined basket close to a heat source both work well. Incubation time will vary based on your personal preference. A shorter (6-8 hour) incubation time will result in a sweeter yogurt, longer incubation (36 hours plus) will make a yogurt that is more tart.
7. Chill thoroughly in fridge.
8. After yogurt has chilled, remove from fridge and stir very well until smooth. If desired, pour yogurt into jars or containers for easier serving. Refrigerate until serving.
9. To make Greek-style yogurt, ladle yogurt into cheesecloth bag or new, clean pillow case. Hang and drain until yogurt has reached desired consistency, about 4-6 hours. Spoon finished yogurt into jars or containers and refrigerate until use.
10. ENJOY!
If you try this recipe and love it as much as we do, feel free to share. We’d love to hear your reviews; please leave them in the comment section below!