Homemade yogurt

Course Pantry

Cuisine American

Keyword cultured milk, fermented dairy, oven light yogurt, yogurt recipe

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings 2 cups

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

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

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.