Make your own yogurt

 

My Yogurt Maker

You can make your own yogurt at home. The most common yogurt makers are electric and have little cups that the yogurt is made in. I always thought that little bit of yogurt would be more trouble than it was worth. I bought a non-electric yogurt maker that holds two litres of yogurt and it works great! For the same amount of trouble and time, I can make a lot more yogurt. This type of yogurt maker is called a "Yogotherm" and can be bought many places online. 

 

 

 

If you want thick "Greek" yogurt, you would make it by the recipe below, then drain it in cheesecloth until it's as thick as you want it to be. You could even drain it enough to make cream cheese! (See my post on "Making Your Own Cream Cheese".)

 

 

 

 

Below is the recipe I use to make yogurt. It doesn't hurt to bring the milk to a boil. I have read that it even helps make it thicker. It's the cooling down temperature that's important. If you add the starter yogurt when the milk it too hot, it will kill the bacteria that makes the yogurt. I always use a little yogurt as the added starter for next time. You can use a bit saved from your last batch, for awhile. After a few batches, you should buy new starter yogurt or yogurt starter in powdered form. I just buy a little container, even if it's sweetened fruit yogurt. The very little ones that are only a few bites, are enough starter. If you can find it plain, that's even better. The yogurt you make will be totally unsweetened, of course. You can add whatever you like to the yogurt before you put it in the maker, but I would be careful not to add anything that's going to hinder the growth of the bacteria. 

 

If you don't want it to separate a lot and aren't making cheese with it, the addition of a couple of tablespoons of plain gelatin will help keep it solid longer. (Dissolve the gelatin in a little boiling milk or water before adding it.) Less whey to drain off each time before you eat it. It will still water a little, but not nearly as much. I don't do this anymore, as I like to drain the whey off to make very thick "Greek" yogurt or cream cheese. 

 

To Make Yogurt:  

 

Ingredients & Equipment

• Milk: 1 quart (or 1/2 gallon) of whole, 2%, or skim milk.
• Starter: 2–3 tablespoons of plain yogurt containing "live and active cultures" per quart of milk, or a freeze-dried starter culture.
• Equipment: Pot with lid, thermometer, whisk, and jars or a container for incubation. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat the Milk (Scald): Pour milk into a pot and slowly heat to 180°F–190°F (82°C–88°C). This kills wild bacteria and denatures the whey proteins for a thicker, smoother texture
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Cool the Milk: Remove from heat and let it cool down to 110°F–115°F (43°C–46°C). You can speed this up by placing the pot in an ice-water bath. If you don't have a thermometer, it should feel pleasantly warm (not scalding) to your finger for 10 seconds.
Add the Starter: In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt starter with a small amount of the warm milk until smooth. Pour this mixture back into the main pot and stir gently to combine.
Incubate: Cover the container and keep it warm (around 110°F) for 6–12 hours.
• Methods: Use a yogurt maker, the "Yogurt" setting on an Instant Pot, a slow cooker, or put the jar in the oven with the light turned on.
• Note: The longer it incubates, the firmer and tangier it becomes. I usually let it sit overnight, about 8-10 hours.
Chill: Once set, transfer the yogurt to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours before eating. 

How to Make Greek Yogurt

To make thick Greek-style yogurt, line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a large coffee filter, place it over a bowl, and pour the set yogurt into it. Let it drain in the refrigerator for 2–8 hours to reach your desired consistency. 

Tips for Success

• Save for Next Time: Reserve 1/4 cup of your homemade yogurt to use as the starter for your next batch.
• Avoid Over-stirring, moving or any agitation during incubation: Too much agitation during the setting process can make the yogurt runny.

Making Your Own Cultered Buttermilk

 

Hubby loves buttermilk but buttermilk is expensive, unless you can find it on sale. With this in mind, I have been looking into making our own. I came caross a reference to homemade cultured buttermilk by accident about a month ago and that started the chain of research on the subject. Why should culturing bettermilk be difficult. I have been making yogurt for decades. Can this milk culture be any more difficult?

It isn't. Its easier. The culture that makes "cultured" buttermilk will grow at room temperature! That makes it a lot easier to make than yogurt. No warming the milk and keeping it at that warmer temp for eight hours.

This is not real buttermilk. Real buttermilk is what farmers pour off the butter after churning. This is, however, what most people drink from the grocery store, called "cultured" buttermilk. It is a mesophilic culture growing in milk. This is the same culture used to make many cheeses.

I bought a small container of cultered buttermilk at the store. It is important to buy one with live culture. Only a small portion of this is needed to turn a bowl of milk into cultured buttermilk. The process takes about 24 hours at room temperature.
I used storebought 2% milk and let a bowl of it warm to room temperature. I then added about a 2" square amount of buttermilk and left it for 24 hours.

Ta-da! Buttermilk! Thick and delicious!

 

You can freeze the buttermilk in small pieces, like in an ice cube tray, to use for baking. It is no longer suitable as starter for more buttermilk after it has been frozen. You won't want to drink it after freezing, either.

I don't have ice cube trays, so I put a piece of plastic wrap across the top of a tiny muffin pan and poured buttermilk into each one. I set this in the freezer. When they were hard I put them all in a freezer bag and put back in the freezer. Now I can take out as much as I need for a recipe.

Because we turn our heat down at night, our kitchen is a lot colder than "room temperature". For this reason I left it an extra half day. The next time I make it I will put it in the yogurt maker so the temperature will stay constant. My yogurt maker is a gallon tub in a styrofoam container made for it.