Homemade Yogurt — Yummmmmm!

The plastic purge continues! My next target? Yogurt!

Between my morning protein smoothies and Evelyn’s growing affinity for it, we go through a considerable amount of yogurt every week. And since I am on a crusade to cut out as much plastic consumption as possible, I figured it was time for me to start making this refrigerator staple.

Although it can be done on a stove top, consistent and gentle heat is crucial to a successful batch. So, I splurged on a EuroCuisine Yogurt Maker. The reason I chose this one is because the containers that prepare and store the yogurt are glass (most others are plastic, which would basically defeat my whole purpose — and I don’t want to expose food I am going to consume to plastic and heat).

The Recipe 

42 oz milk from a glass bottle (you can use whole, 2% or skim — I used about 30 oz of whole and 12 oz of skim)
1 5g packet of yogurt starter or 1/2 cup store-bought yogurt with live & active cultures (Stonyfield Farm is a good choice)

1. Heat milk to 180 degrees (just before boiling).
2. Cool milk down to 112 degrees (till its lukewarm, which should take about an hour).
3. Pour milk into a glass pitcher and sprinkle in the yogurt starter or whisk in the yogurt. Stir gently.
4. Pour mixture into the yogurt maker.
5. “Cook” in the yogurt maker for 7-10 hours. The more fat the milk has the less time required. So, whole milk will be about 7 hours while skim milk will be closer to 10 hours.
I know this is a little daunting because it is new and different, but it really was so easy and nearly effortless. Total active time for me was about 3 minutes.

The best part?? The TASTE! No joke, this is really delightful yogurt. It is smoother than the store bought kind, and I know I’ll have fun trying different mix-ins like my homemade strawberry jam or fresh chopped bananas (one of Evelyn’s favorites!).

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11 Comments for this entry

  1. MommaD says:

    I have an award for you on my blog…

    http://tinyurl.com/olbamdatb

  2. maureen smithe brusznicki says:

    You are so so so so so nice!! THANK YOU!

  3. Katie says:

    Thanks for posting this. I've been thinking about trying homemade yogurt and this certainly nudges me a lot closer!
    Katie (Kid Row blogger at http://durangoheraldmedia.com/kidrow

  4. dailythread says:

    Just curious, is your yogurt as thick as, say, stonyfield? I went through a yogurt making spree this past summer, and mine never would get as thick as i wanted it. i have the same machine that you do and used fage plain for my starter, and 2% organic milk. would love to hear what the texture is like for you.

  5. HomemadeMother says:

    Dailythread, I've found that a mixture of whole milk and skim or 2% works well. Also, you might want to try cooking it longer – that seems to help thicken it. I cook mine for 10-11 hours. Let me know if that helps.

  6. Sam says:

    Thanks love the glass containers we have been looking 4 a yogurt maker this may be the one!

  7. Mollie says:

    Mine is somewhat thin, and has lumps in it. How can I change that? Will cooking it longer help that? I prefer the texture of store-bought, is that possible to achieve at home?

  8. HomemadeMother says:

    Mollie, if it is too thin you can cook it longer. Also, if there are lumps you probably heated it too high. Be sure not to let the milk heat above 180 degrees. Let me know if these tricks work.

  9. Patti says:

    In an attempt to cut down the amount of plastic containers my house uses, I tried making homemade ricotta cheese last night. I always thought that making homemade ricotta was a long, time-consuming process, but the recipe below proved me wrong. It was so easy, quick, and so good. Granted, I did have to buy a plastic tub of yogurt, but once my yogurt maker comes in I should be able to use homemade yogurt.

    You do need a lot of milk to make this- it uses a full half gallon. I used the ricotta to make lasagna, so I actually needed to make a double batch (my roommate was kind enough to run to the store for me while I prepped the other ingredients). To the double batch of cheese I added 3 eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley. Delicious.

    Here's the recipe:
    http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_ricotta_cheese/

  10. HomemadeMother says:

    Patti, thank you so much for your comment!! Homemade lasagna with homemade ricotta sounds delicious! I think I am going to make this for dinner tonight!!

  11. Michelle says:

    I have been making homemade yogurt for about a year now. I just use the “heating pad” method, and it works great for us! I have been making it a gallon and a half at a time, and it takes us a little over a week (family of 4) to finish it off. (We’re very blessed, my husband’s family runs their own dairy farm, so we have access to all the milk we could want.)

    If you want your yogurt a little thicker, you can strain off some of the whey. I line a colander with a flour-sack towel and then put the colander over one of my large stock pots. Then pour your finished yogurt in and let it strain in the fridge for about 2 hours and it comes out a beautiful consistency. (Almost exactly like the Brown Cow Greek yogurt that we make the yogurt from in the first place.)

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