Can you say YUMMY?!
You’re gonna want to!
For the last year or so, I’ve been identifying things that I consider indulgences and trying to learn how to make them at home instead of paying for them.
It falls into the mindset of hiring myself to do something instead of paying someone else to do it for me.
It started with coffee, muffins and scones, and quickly evolved into snack bars, mozzarella, tortillas, granola, jams, bread, bagels….
Some of these recipes I’ve really mastered and some I’m still working on. But I’ve definitely found nirvana with my latest creation.
Homemade Greek-Style Yogurt.
It’s so good, I want to marry it.
Now before you say, “wow, that’s impressive” let me assure you that this is about as easy as it gets. If you can turn on the stove, stir a pot and set a timer you can do this.
The only two ingredients you need are milk and plain yogurt – 2 Tablespoons of yogurt for each quart of milk you use (in case you don’t know, there are four quarts in a gallon – that means 8 T of yogurt for a gallon of milk).
The yogurt is necessary as a starter to get all those good bacteria going in your homemade yogurt. If you have a friend who makes yogurt, ask for some to use an “heirloom” starter. Otherwise, get some plain yogurt at the grocery store — for this purpose the generic brand is actually better than anything fancy.
You also need to buy some milk, and it must not be Super Pasteurized. You have to use the regularly pasteurized stuff, or you won’t get yogurt. In most places this will preclude the use of organic milk. You can use any other type of milk you want (whole, antibiotic free, skim…) just don’t grab the type that has an expiration in two months. It won’t work.
Now that you have your milk and your plain yogurt you are ready to go!
Start out by heating the milk to 180-190 degrees. If you have a candy thermometer you’ll be able to track it. If not, you’ll know the milk is ready when it is steaming and foaming, but not boiling. I used a gallon of milk for the last batch and it took about 18 minutes to heat up to the right temperature over a medium-low heat.
Once you’ve got your milk steaming and foaming, remove the pot from the stove and let the milk cool down to about 140 degrees. This should take about 35 minutes (you should be able to place your hands on the side of the pot without burning them).
Once you cool down to 140 degrees, measure out the plain yogurt into a bowl and dilute it with some of the warm milk, just enough so that the yogurt is liquid. Then add it to the pot of warm milk and stir.
Now is when the “magic” happens!
The yogurt will start to interact with the milk and the good bacteria will feast on the milk proteins to make your yogurt. To facilitate this process you need to put the pot in a warm spot for 6-8 hours and leave it alone – no stirring!
How you keep it warm is entirely up to you: You can put the pot by a heat register, wrap the pot in some towels to insulate it, or set it in the sunshine. I put the pot in a closed oven overnight, with just the light on.
After the milk has set for 6-8 hours in it’s warm, cozy spot you will see that the milk has changed into yogurt. Put the pot it into the refrigerator to stop the firming process.
Tada, homemade plain yogurt!
But wait — that’s good, but it’s not the thick, Greek Style yogurt I promised! In order to take your yogurt to nirvana you have to do one more step — drain off the whey. Let me assure you that this last step is worth the effort!
Simply ladle some of your yogurt into a colander that you’ve lined with cheese clothe. Place the colander over a bowl. Walk away for three to four hours. Come back and see how much whey is in the pot. Marvel at the sorcery that is happening before your very eyes. The more whey you drain, the thicker your yogurt will be.
Now taste your creation — add some fruit or honey and it’s even better. I had it for lunch today and I still can’t believe how good it is (just restrain yourself from licking the bowl and remember to save a little bit to start your next batch!)
What do you think? Are you willing to try it?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Love this. Just added it to my tumblr linking back here.
Hey sharon, it’s abby. I followed this recipe to a “t” today and by the end of the cooling in the fridge process I had a half gallon of runny milk. Any ideas? Thanks
OH NO! Runny milk is not very fun!
I had that problem when I didn’t heat the yogurt up enough in the first phase…
It can also happen if you don’t use enough yogurt as a starter.
Did you use “normal” milk instead of the ultra pasteurized kind?
But if you followed it to a “T”, I don’t know where it went capooey.
I absolutely need to try this. I love your comment about “hiring yourself.” That’s why I’m trying to do more and more, too!