Homemade natural yoghurt
For us DIY-ers, this is an easy way to make creamy, smooth yoghurt at home! It tastes GREAT, and it works! It is yummier and cheaper than shop-bought. When you read it, you might think it is too involved... but really, you just let it sit in the warm water, checking the temp every now and then. It actually does its own work - kind of like letting bread rise. I use the time to get other things done around the house. Don't be scared off - it's really pretty easy.
Ingredients
Serves: 5
- 1 litre semi-skimmed milk
- 4 tablespoons dried milk powder
- 3 tablespoons natural yoghurt with active cultures
Method
Prep:20min ›
Cook:6hr ›
Ready in:6hr20min
- Place a large pot on the hob and place five sterile 250ml jars inside. Fill with enough water so that the jars are immersed up to their necks. Set the burner to low heat. The goal is to be able to maintain a consistent temperature between 43 and 46 degrees C for 4 to 6 hours. Check the temperature using a sugar or meat thermometer periodically.
- Meanwhile, pour the milk and dried milk into a large saucepan. Stir to dissolve the powder and set over medium heat. Heat until just steaming; your thermometer should read 82 degrees C. Remove from the heat and place the pan so the bottom is sitting in a bowl of ice water. Cool until the temperature has dropped to 45 degrees C.
- When it reaches the temperature, remove it from the heat and stir about 250ml of the milk into the natural yoghurt until thoroughly blended. Stir this mixture back into the pan of milk.
- Pour the milk mixture into warm glass jars to within 1cm of the rims. Set in the warm water bath. The water level should be up to the level of the yoghurt in the jars. Cook uncovered and be sure to maintain the temperature at 43 to 46 degrees C for 4 to 6 hours. I like to do 6. Do not stir or poke the yoghurt at all during this time - even if you are tempted! Doing this may cause it to become watery.
- When the time is about up, you can check the yoghurt by pressing gently on the top or tipping the jars to see if it is set. It is done when the yoghurt is firm and there is a thin layer of yellowish liquid on the top. Remove the jars from the water and dry off. Seal with clean lids and rings. They should be good to keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks.
- Be sure to save a little extra out as a starter for the next batch. Over time your homemade yoghurt will start to lose it's potency as starter (like making a copy of a copy of a copy), so every fourth or fifth batch you may want to use shop-bought yoghurt as starter. Just make sure it says ''live active cultures'' on the tub. Good luck!
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(40)
Reviews in English (29)
**I have an easy way to keep it warm without using the stove..but first I'll say I .....I have made this tons of times...as long as you use the powdered milk, it will be thick enough. I follow the directions, but once it hits 115 degrees and I've added the live cultures, I pour it in jars, and set on a heating pad on low, with the jar wrapped in a towel and a metal pan over it. 7 or 8 hours works great. (I learned the heating pad trick from the book "the complete tightwad gazette") and it ALWAYS works. If you go for a longer time, it gets more tart. I have used it in place of sour cream in recipes, and when I make some, I put some in an ice cube tray and freeze, so I have some to use as the starter for my next batch. YUM! - 29 May 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
I made three batches right away and we like it. I left one plain to use in place of sour cream,and then added about two teaspoons of honey and about a teaspoon of vanilla to the milk mixture of the other two after I stirred the yogurt in before pouring into jars. I then used my crock pot to keep the mixture at the right tempurature. I covered the jars with warm water and set it on low uncovered. I watched the temperature and turned it off and covered it when it reached 110 degrees. If it dropped to low I would turn it back on. It was ready in four hours. Very good recipe! - 23 Jan 2008 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
I use whole milk and skip the milk powder. I increase the yogurt starter to 1/2cup. I sterilize everything that touches the yogurt before I start. For incubation, I pour the yogurt into a glass casserole dish, wrap it with a towel, and leave in the oven with the pilot light on between 7-8 hours. Very easy to make, and the yogurt turns out well every time. - 02 Mar 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)