Make Your Own Yogurt, It's EASY!

Yogurt. 

It's delicious, isn't it?  I bet you have no idea how simple it is to make.  Yes, you yourself can play chemist in your own laboratory, all you need to do is learn a quick thing or two about lactic acid fermentation and producing your own bacterium.  What? BACTERIA? Gross!  

First things first, not all bacteria are harmful.  Maybe you've heard of probiotics before?  These microorganisms are helpful lil buggers that grow in your yogurt, survive the crazy acidic environment in your stomach, and thrive harmoniously in your intestines, all the while improving your digestion and overall health.  Sure, you can consume these probiotics in supplemental (pill) form, and they will be beneficial to you, but lets just face it, eating them is better!

Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus are the two main bacteria found in all the yogurt manufactured in the US, although different companies add different strains to their products, making them unique.  My favorite yogurt adds Lactobacillus acidophilus

Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus casei, so these are the ones I'm adding to my creations, and if you follow in my foot steps, your creations, too!

Okay, so now lactic acid fermentation.  Sounds intimidating, right?  All you are essentially doing is creating an optimal environment for your bacteria to digest the natural sugars found in milk (lactose --> a disaccharide made up of glucose and galactose), producing lactic acid.

That's it... Well, that's all you'll need to know about it anyway.  I told you it was easy.    

Objective: make yogurt at home from scratch 

The Plan:

Gather your equipment, you'll need:

◦ a heavy bottom pot, big enough to hold a quart of milk

◦ thermometer, I like my digital one

◦ glass pitcher, again, make sure it's big enough

◦ wooden spoon or (heat resistant) rubber spatula

◦ 4 mason jars, with lids

◦ an oven with 13x9 pan, turn on light to pre-heat (for incubation)

Yogurt ingredients

◦ 1 qt milk, I use 1% milk

◦ 1/4 cup yogurt, I use 2% Fage Greek Style yogurt (PLAIN)

◦ 1 vanilla bean (optional)

◦ 1 tbsp powdered milk (optional)**

Let's get started. 

• Add the entire quart of milk to the pot and heat over medium/high heat until the milk is brought up to 171-180° F.  Stir occasionally, this keeps the milk from burning on the bottom of the pan. It should take about 10 minutes to get to temp.

• Now it's time for an ice bath.  Fill your sink with ice and water, just enough so when you place the pot in the sink the water won't be too high.  Maybe test this out before starting the heating process if you're unsure.

• While the milk is cooling, take the already prepared yogurt and pour into a glass pitcher.  Split the vanilla bean in half with a sharp knife and scrape out the insides (using the back of the knife or small spoon) and gently mix into the yogurt.

• Chill milk until it's in the 105-115° F range. This should again take about 10 minutes. If too cold, heat back up to this temperature, the bacteria grows best in this range, so this is an important step.  I like to stay on the higher side of this range since you are adding this milk to the chilled "starter culture".

• Add only a cup or so of the warm milk to the yogurt/vanilla bean mixture.  Gently mix together until most of the lumps are smoothed out.  Add the rest of the milk.  Stir to incorporate.

• Pour mixture into mason jars.  Place jars (sans lids) on a 13x9 pan and place in the oven, shut the door.  The oven light should have already been on, but if not, turn it on now and keep it on the entire time.  This produces just enough heat to keep the bacteria happy, and happy bacteria is what we want.  This step is also known as the incubation period, and can range from 4-6 hours all the way to 24 hours (I do 24 hours).

• After incubation, put the lids on the jars and refrigerate.

• Once the yogurt has chilled thoroughly, you can either eat as is, or add some VT maple syrup and fresh/frozen berries to create one of the best snacks of all time!

• Store up to 7-10 days in the refrigerator.

**Powdered milk: the theory behind using this is to create a thicker yogurt.  I happen to have some on hand since I use it quite a bit for back packing, but it's not necessary, so don't feel as if you NEED it for thicker yogurt, we'll get to that. If you decide to use it, mix into milk when it's still on the stove and at the desired temperature range.  I mix it in the moment I turn off the heat, and stir for about 15 seconds before taking the pot over to the ice bath.  

I can tell you still have some questions, let us go over a few more things.

Can I use fat free milk? Whole milk?

Yes.  You can use any milk (containing lactose) to make yogurt.  If using fat free milk, may I suggest using the powdered milk (fat free or whole fat depending on preference) so that the yogurt is less runny and more creamy.  It will still work without it, but like I said, it may affect the texture.  You can also use goat or sheep's milk.  

How about the starter culture, what % milk fat is best?

Pick your favorite!  It doesn't matter if it's fat free or full fat, just make sure it is PLAIN yogurt.    

Plain yogurt as a starter, why?

If you haven't noticed yet, flavored yogurt has a myriad of other things added to it, high fructose corn syrup, carrageenan, dextrose, other "natural flavors" to name a few.  You don't want this crap in your delicious and nutritious yogurt, I promise you that!  Instead, add sweeteners and flavors to your yogurt after it has been completely chilled for best results.  

Do I need to boil my mason jars like if I were canning?

You can if you want to, but I most definitely do not!  Boiling your jars is great for killing bacteria, and is essential for canning to kill clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes Botulism. Here, you are not storing your yogurt for nearly as long, so you don't have to worry about contamination like this.  Just make sure you clean your jars (and lids!) with soap & hot water, and let air dry.  

What's the deal with the incubation periods?  

Okay, here's the deal.  It takes about 4-6 hours for the yogurt to set, it is technically "done" at this point (the bacteria has metabolized the lactose, producing lactic acid via fermentation).  If you like mild yogurt, this is the time you want to transfer to the fridge.  If you like a creamier yogurt with a bit of a tang, then wait until about 12 hours before removing from incubation.  And if you are like me, let that yogurt sit undisturbed for 24 hours.  Don't touch it!  This is my favorite type of yogurt, both creamy and tangy.  Delicioso! 

So, I did everything right, and still want a thicker yogurt, what next?

I thought you would never ask.  Here you are going to need a few additional things... such as a nut milk bag and a mesh strainer.  Oh, you don't have a nut milk bag, well you can do one of two things: 1) use cheese cloth or 2) go on amazon.com ASAP and buy one for $10.  It's totally worth it, I promise (and then you own something that is called a nut milk bag, ha!).  Now here's what you need to do: place the strainer on top of your glass pitcher you used earlier, line it with cheese cloth or place your nut milk bag inside of it.  Pour your yogurt into the bag (or lined strainer) and put the entire thing back in the fridge.  What will happen is the whey will separate from the solids (kind of like cheese making), and you will be left with a THICK, rich, and creamy Greek-style yogurt.  You can strain this for a few hours or overnight for best results.  

Some final tidbits of info:

The longer your yogurt sits in the fridge, the tangier it will get.  This is not a bad thing, but if you don't like it tangy, eat within the first couple of days.

Remember to save 1/4 cup of your yogurt for the next batch you make.  There is something satisfying about creating yogurt from your own starter culture.

Don't like plain yogurt? Add these:

• VT maple syrup (grade A medium amber)
• honey
• fig butter (from Trader Joe's)
• fruity jams or preserves
• fresh/frozen berries
• lemon/lime zest
• granola
• dried fruit
• shredded coconut
• chocolate chips (don't judge)

Add fresh dill and lemon juice to your yogurt with a lil S&P and onion powder for a great topping to grilled fish!

You can also try this smoothie recipe:

• 1/2 c. yogurt
• 3/4 c. almond milk (yes homemade! I'll teach you next time)
• 1/2 frozen banana (cut into chunks)
• 1 tbsp peanut or almond butter
• a dash of pumpkin pie spice

The possibilities are endless, please feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions or comments: stefanie.notte@gmail.com

Enjoy!