Homemade yogurt
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Milk cultured in a quart jar with a yogurt starter, kept warm in an oven with the light on until set.
Ingredients
- 1 quart of milk (raw milk is best)
- 1 tablespoon of yogurt culture from a successful batch of yogurt OR one package of powdered yogurt culture (use the powdered culture only the first time)
- Optional: gelatin, added to the milk before culturing for a thicker result
- Equipment: clean glass quart jar with lid; 2-quart bowl; warm water; oven with a light
Equipment
- mason jars
Directions
Make the mix
- Fill a clean glass quart jar with the milk, leaving about 2 inches of space at the top.
- Add one package of powdered yogurt culture or 1 tablespoon of yogurt with live cultures (organic grocery yogurt works).
- Put the lid on the jar and stand it in a 2-quart bowl of warm water.
- Set the bowl in the oven with the oven light turned on for about 20 hours, give or take.
- Take it out and refrigerate. It thickens as it chills and is ready once it is completely cold.
To use
- Heat the milk slowly on the stove to 180 F (80 C), whisking now and then so it does not scorch (this step thickens the yogurt; leaving it out gives thinner yogurt).
- If you are using milk powder, whisk it into the hot milk.
- Pour into a glass jar and let it cool to 105 F (40 C).
- Stir in the culture. You can put the lid on right away.
- Hold at about 110 F (40 C) until it sets to a pudding-like texture: at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours for very sour yogurt. With a slow cooker or Instant Pot: stand the jars in the cooker in 2 inches of water as a warm water bath and use the keep warm setting. (Other options: a fermentation box, an oven with the light on, an insulated cooler with jars of boiling water, or wrapped jars on a shelf above a hot water heater.)
- Refrigerate; it thickens as it cools.
Notes
Make yogurt at least once a week to keep the culture going, using 1 tablespoon from the last batch. This method does not heat the milk first. Safety: raw milk carries a risk of harmful bacteria. A cooler method in brief: heat milk to 180 degrees, cool to 115, add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt, hold in a cooler with a small pot of boiling water 4 to 6 hours, replace the water and hold 4 to 6 hours more.
Second version (with slow cooker / Instant Pot keep-warm method):
– 2 cups of milk
– 2 Tbsp yogurt with live culture (store-bought tends to be weaker; up to 4 Tbsp)
– Options: 2 Tbsp skim milk powder
Notes: a thermometer is recommended. Raw, goat’s or regular cow’s milk all work; UHT may not thicken. Add flavorings after culturing. Starter kept in the fridge must be re-cultured every 7 days; frozen starter lasts at least 4 weeks (thaw 24 hours in the fridge).
Nutrition
Serving: 488g | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9.1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 644mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 791IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 551mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition is an estimate per serving from USDA FoodData Central, for 2 cups; of milk counted as whole milk. Brands and portions vary, so use it only as an approximation.