Making your own yogurt is something I’ve been meaning to share for long time now. It is a very simple and satisfying process. Especially If you are a daily yogurt consumer like me. I love the tanginess and kefir-like consistency of it, which can be controlled by the amount of time you allow it to ferment. 24 hour yogurt is where it’s at!
- 1 gallon organic milk (of any %)
- 10 grams yogurt starter or 1 cup plain yogurt with live active cultures.
Pour milk into a large pot and heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until a thermometer reads 180 degrees. Remove from heat and let cool down to 110 degrees. This will take a bit of time, about 30 minutes. This is the perfect time to sterilize your glass containers by placing them in boiling water for 10 minutes, 4 pint sized mason jars work great! Once milk has cooled to proper temperature, scoop out 1 cup of warm milk into a smaller bowl and mix in your starter or plain yogurt. Add this back to the rest of the pot and gently stir to introduce the cultures to their new environment. Pour mixture into jars, leaving about one inch head space. Put lids on jars & place them in a pot with about 4 inches of hot water. I use the same pot of water I just boiled to sterilize the jars. Put a lid on the pot and wrap it up nice and cozy with a bath towel to insulate & keep your yogurt warm for the duration of fermentation. Set it somewhere on the counter and leave it undisturbed for at least 8 hours. After which you can open up the bundle and check the yogurt out for desired thickness and tanginess. It will get thicker and tangier the longer you leave it. When ready, pull the jars and stick them in the fridge.
Enjoy!