DIY a Delicious Homemade Yogurt - Self-sufficient

You are in for a real treat if you’ve never tasted homemade yogurt. It has a far-superior taste to the commercial variety. Instead of the sweet taste that many of us are used to in commercial products, homemade yogurt tastes fresh and tangy. In addition, homemade yogurt isn’t as smooth or as thick as commercial yogurts. It doesn’t have the added sweeteners, stabilizers, and natural or artificial flavors found in commercially prepared products.

Note that goat’s milk or sheep’s milk can be used to make yogurt, and skim or low-fat milk can be used as effectively as whole milk, though yogurt made with whole milk will have a thicker consistency. All homemade yogurt will separate. The whey may pool, but it can be mixed in again or spooned off for use in other fermented foods or in recipes. Yogurt can also be made easily into delicious low-fat cheese (called “yogurt cheese”) that has a consistency somewhere between sour cream and cream cheese.

EQUIPMENT

• Large Pot
• Thermometer that registers from 40 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (boiling)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Slotted spoon
• Long-handled wooden or plastic utensil for stirring milk

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups (1 quart) milk, skim or whole works best ¼ cup yogurt starter (see Note)

Note: For your first batch, you can use store-bought yogurt for the starter. Just make sure the label says it has live cultures. Otherwise, purchase a commercial starter from a cheese-making supply house.

Temperature recommendations on packaged starters may vary, so be sure to read the instructions before you begin.

The most important factor to keep in mind when making yogurt or any cultured dairy product is that everything must be perfectly clean so that you don’t invite any unwanted bacteria into your mix. It’s not necessary to sterilize equipment and utensils, but they should be washed thoroughly in hot, soapy water, then rinsed and air-dried.

1. Heat the milk to 185°F in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Remove from heat and allow it to cool to between 105 and 115°F, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the starter and mix well. Pour the mixture into a commercial yogurt maker, if using, and follow manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively, pour the mixture into a clean, quart glass jar and put on the lid. While the culture is forming, the temperature of the milk should remain at about 110°F. (To regulate the temperature or incubate the yogurt, try one of these ideas) 

3. Incubate the yogurt for 6 to 12 hours, depending on how firm and tart you want the final product to be. When the curd is well formed, refrigerate the yogurt. A little whey may form around the edges — simply pour it off or stir it in when you’re ready to use the yogurt.

To regulate the temperature or incubate the yogurt, try one of these ideas:

• Put the quart jar into a medium-size picnic cooler with a few jars of hot water, then close the cooler.

• Put the quart jar of yogurt mixture into a gas oven with a pilot light. Do not turn on the oven.

• Put the mixture into a thermos bottle.

• Wrap the jar of yogurt in a blanket.

YOGURT TROUBLESHOOTING

IF YOUR YOGURT IS TOO THIN …

• The milk may have cooled too much before the starter culture was added.
• The yogurt may not have been kept warm enough during incubation.
• The starter may have been too weak.
• Antibiotics that may be in farm-fresh milk could have killed the starter. If using farm-fresh milk, allow it to stand in the refrigerator for about 2 days to diminish the antibiotics before using.

IF YOUR YOGURT HAS CURDLED…

• The milk may not have sufficiently cooled before the starter culture was added. The hot milk can cause the starter to curdle.

IF YOUR YOGURT HAS AN OFF TASTE …

• You may have over-boiled the milk without proper stirring, which can cause the milk to scorch and give the yogurt a burned taste.
• You may have over-incubated it (allowed the milk and yogurt to sit for longer than required), giving the yogurt an overly strong, tart taste.
• You may have used containers that were not entirely clean. Foreign bacteria may have entered your yogurt and produced an off taste.