Homemade yogurt requires only milk and a few spoonfuls of starter.
If you've never cooked with bacterial cultures before, making homemade yogurt is a wondrous experience. With proper care and feeding, live probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus or Bifidobacterium in a few spoonfuls of yogurt will grow, thrive and turn fresh milk into a huge batch of thick, creamy homemade yogurt. Electric yogurt makers are convenient, but not necessary -- you can make yogurt at home without any special kitchen equipment.
Instructions
1. Warm milk in large saucepan over gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, and hold it at this temperature for a few minutes. If you don't have a thermometer, bring the milk just to a boil, then immediately turn down the heat until it's barely simmering. Allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Remove the milk from the heat and cover it.
2. Cool the milk to 116 degrees Fahrenheit, if using a thermometer. It's okay if the milk cools to as low as 106 degrees, but don't allow it to become any cooler than that. If you don't have a thermometer, award-winning food writer Claudia Roden advises cooling the milk to the point where you can put a clean finger in the milk for a count of 10 before it becomes uncomfortably hot.
3. Whisk one-half cup plain yogurt into the hot milk until completely combined. Choose a commercial yogurt with live cultures and a taste you enjoy. Transfer milk to a large glass bowl and cover it. Plastic wrap works well if your bowl doesn't have its own cover.
4. Place your inoculated milk in a warm environment of approximately 115 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a food dehydrator, place the bowl in the dehydrator at 115 degrees. If not, you have three options. You can place your bowl of milk in a sink full of 115-degree water, adding warm water as needed to maintain 115 degrees, using your thermometer or the finger test to gauge heat. You can also turn on your oven briefly to the lowest heat setting, turn it off, and let it sit with the oven door open for a few minutes. If you have an oven thermometer, wait until the oven reaches 115 degrees. If not, use your best judgment. Place the bowl of milk, wrapped in a towel or blanket, into the oven and close the door. Or, Roden suggests wrapping the bowl of milk in a wool blanket or shawl and leaving it in a warm place.
5. Let the milk mixture sit undisturbed for four to eight hours. After four hours, check to see if the mixture is thick, creamy and slightly sour. If not, check again every hour until it reaches the desired consistency. The yogurt will grow more acidic over time; let it culture longer for a tangier end result.
6. Chill your freshly made yogurt in the refrigerator for several hours. It will continue to firm up as it gets cold. Your finished yogurt may produce some whey, a thin yellowish liquid. Simply drain it off or drink it; it's full of beneficial yogurt cultures and milk protein.
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