Yogurt Making 101
My good friend Bennett Gray, who used to be a chef, still does a lot of experimentation in her kitchen. Recently she shared with me the details of her yogurt-making secrets. I'm excited to try this recipe, especially since I had some of her yogurt on cherry pie last week. Oh. My. Goodness.
Ingredients:
1 quart milk (farm fresh or store-bought but cannot be homogenized)
1 tablespoon starter yogurt (either good organic store bought, such as Ronnybrook, or saved from a previous batch)
Yield: 1 quart yogurt
Step 1: Sterilize the jars by filling with boiling water
Step 2: Fill a cooler halfway with extra hot tap water. 110-120 degrees. Close lid and set aside. You can also set the yogurt by wrapping in heating pads or blankets or in a pot of hot water. The key is to keep the setting yogurt at a certain temperature or at least within a temperature range for many hours.
Step 3: If you use store-bought milk: Heat milk to between 86 and 110 degrees. The lower the temp. the less sour the yogurt will be. The lower the temp., the longer it will take to set (ranges from 4 to 18 hours). For explanation of the chemistry read Harold McGhee "On Food and Cooking."
If you use raw milk: Heat the milk slowly to 185 degrees, stir constantly. Hold it at this temp for 30 mins. You must do this with raw milk or the whey will separate from the proteins. Fill the sink with cold water and standing the pot of hot milk in it while stirring to cool to 110 degrees to 86 degrees.
Step 4: Put a cupful of the warmed milk into the starter yogurt and blend it. Pour that into the whole pot. Pour the lot into your jars.
Step 5: If you are using the cooler method, check the temp of the water in the cooler. If it is still too hot, add cold water until it’s at the desired temperature (between 86 and 110). If you are using the lower temperatures to set, check the temperature in a few hours to be sure it’s constant.
NOTE:The yogurt does NOT like to be disturbed while setting. Don't take the jars out to check until many hours have passed. And if you must check, don't tip them.
When your yogurt is finished it will firm up a little more after refrigeration.
To make Greek-style yogurt:
Strain before refrigerating. Put a sieve over a bowl and line it with cheesecloth and then dump in the fresh yogurt, put a lid on or more cheesecloth over the top and walk away. Remove when yogurt is the consistency you like. I left it all day once and nearly had cream cheese...needed a knife to spread it! Make sure it is not a shallow bowl....it fills up pretty quickly.
Leftover whey:
Give it to your dog, or soak beans in it. Or add it to a smoothie.
Optional additions:
The following things are delicious if put in the jars before adding the warmed milk/starter ... vanilla extract, maple syrup, mashed banana, jam.
Ingredients:
1 quart milk (farm fresh or store-bought but cannot be homogenized)
1 tablespoon starter yogurt (either good organic store bought, such as Ronnybrook, or saved from a previous batch)
Yield: 1 quart yogurt
Step 1: Sterilize the jars by filling with boiling water
Step 2: Fill a cooler halfway with extra hot tap water. 110-120 degrees. Close lid and set aside. You can also set the yogurt by wrapping in heating pads or blankets or in a pot of hot water. The key is to keep the setting yogurt at a certain temperature or at least within a temperature range for many hours.
Step 3: If you use store-bought milk: Heat milk to between 86 and 110 degrees. The lower the temp. the less sour the yogurt will be. The lower the temp., the longer it will take to set (ranges from 4 to 18 hours). For explanation of the chemistry read Harold McGhee "On Food and Cooking."
If you use raw milk: Heat the milk slowly to 185 degrees, stir constantly. Hold it at this temp for 30 mins. You must do this with raw milk or the whey will separate from the proteins. Fill the sink with cold water and standing the pot of hot milk in it while stirring to cool to 110 degrees to 86 degrees.
Step 4: Put a cupful of the warmed milk into the starter yogurt and blend it. Pour that into the whole pot. Pour the lot into your jars.
Step 5: If you are using the cooler method, check the temp of the water in the cooler. If it is still too hot, add cold water until it’s at the desired temperature (between 86 and 110). If you are using the lower temperatures to set, check the temperature in a few hours to be sure it’s constant.
NOTE:The yogurt does NOT like to be disturbed while setting. Don't take the jars out to check until many hours have passed. And if you must check, don't tip them.
When your yogurt is finished it will firm up a little more after refrigeration.
To make Greek-style yogurt:
Strain before refrigerating. Put a sieve over a bowl and line it with cheesecloth and then dump in the fresh yogurt, put a lid on or more cheesecloth over the top and walk away. Remove when yogurt is the consistency you like. I left it all day once and nearly had cream cheese...needed a knife to spread it! Make sure it is not a shallow bowl....it fills up pretty quickly.
Leftover whey:
Give it to your dog, or soak beans in it. Or add it to a smoothie.
Optional additions:
The following things are delicious if put in the jars before adding the warmed milk/starter ... vanilla extract, maple syrup, mashed banana, jam.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Winnie Abramson on -
Nice post Meghan! Looks like you have the process down! I have a yogurt making post on my blog too...feel free to check it out! http://blog.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/yogurt-making.html
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Permalink Reply by Emily Siddique on -
I will definitely have to try this sometime! Would be great for smoothies this summer.
While not yogurt related, exactly, this reminded me of making homemade ricotta... which I suggest all try if you have not yet. I use this recipe from Simply Recipes which is ridiculously easy and produces the tastiest ricotta I have ever had.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_ricotta_cheese/ -
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Permalink Reply by Meghan E. Murphy on -
Thanks! I was looking at some ricotta recipes but they seemed complicated. This one looks great. I will definitely try it soon.
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Permalink Reply by Julia Sforza on -
Making ricotta is super easy and well worth it. I use a different recipe that calls for buttermilk (which is also easy to make). Your yogurt is probably so good that you might not want to sacrifice it for ricotta!
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000282.html
This makes a lot! You can half it; 8 cups of milk and 2 cups of buttermilk. -
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Permalink Reply by Emily Siddique on
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I have seen the 101 cookbooks recipe before but don't usually have buttermilk on hand (that's something I'd have to plan ahead of time, and I'm not always good at that :) ...but I really should try it sometime.
Instead of sacrificing the homemade yogurt for ricotta (I wouldn't want to do that either!), I recommend getting the whole milk yogurt that they sell at Krishna's on Rte. 9 in POK.... or go to any other Indian grocery... I've tried this recipe with other yogurts and they just don't end up having the best taste or consistency, for some reason. -
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Permalink Reply by Emily Siddique on
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Here are some more things to make with your homemade yogurt, if you're looking for new recipes... I've made all of these before at least once, and all were yummo! (Though I do suggest making them when you can also use fruit that's in season, if you possibly can... it's that much more delicious.)
Strawberry Frozen Yogurt: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/strawberry_frozen_yogurt/
Blueberry Frozen Yogurt: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/blueberry_frozen_yogurt/
Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/lemon-yogurt-anything-cake/ -
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Permalink Reply by Meghan E. Murphy on
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Thanks Emily! You inspired my to buy an ice cream maker :)
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Permalink Reply by Emily Siddique on
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If you have a KitchenAid mixer, try out the ice cream attachment. I have that and it works great for these recipes!
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