The list of health benefits associated with eating the type of yogurt which contain live, active bacterial cultures is a long one. So beneficial in fact that if you've cruised down the dairy aisle lately, you'll see that manufacturers are making a killing by repackaging yogurt and yogurt drinks as "probiotics" and slapping a higher price on a smaller package.
Like many of my fellow Kossacks, the economic downturn has hit our family so I've been looking for a way to cut costs while maintaining a healthy diet. One of my best discoveries is that it is both easy and cheap to make homemade yogurt. No fancy schmancy yogurt maker is required. Cheap, my new favorite word...cheap, cheap, cheap.
Not only does yogurt have a million and one uses, the benefit of a fresh, culture rich batch runs circles around a product that has been sitting on a store shelf for (insert deity her) knows how long. So, follow along and I'll take you through an easy step-by-step instruction with various options as well as several yummy serving suggestions.
We'll start with a list of items that you will need to make yogurt. I'll include optional items and explain those as we go along.
1 large, thick bottomed pot
Candy thermometer
Canning jars for yogurt. If I plan to strain the batch of yogurt to make it thicker, I'll use just one half gallon size jar. Boil the jars for ten minutes to sterilize. If you don't have canning jars, plastic will do in a pinch.
Yogurt starter. You can buy packaged yogurt starter but it's simpler just to buy a small container of plain yogurt at the grocer. Check the ingredients to be sure it contains live culture and make sure it's fresh. I used Stoneyfield Farms organic whole milk plain yogurt because it contains six types of live active cultures including probiotics.
One half gallon of milk. You can use whole, low-fat, fat-free, goat or soy. The more fat, the richer the yogurt. I haven't done this but if you want a thicker, richer yogurt without straining (especially for the low-fat and fat free options) add a few tablespoons of powdered milk prior to heating.
One 1/2 cup sugar (optional). I don't use it because I find it limits my choices for how to use the yogurt but if you prefer a sweeter yogurt rather than the tart Greek style, use the sugar.
One tsp. vanilla (optional). Again, I don't use it but in combination with the sugar, you will get a wonderful tasting breakfast-style yogurt.
Strainer and cheese cloth (optional). When your yogurt has fermented, you'll find that it contains some liquid. This is actually whey which is rich in riboflavin. You can either stir it in before refrigerating or strain your yogurt through a cheese cloth. The longer you strain, the thicker and creamier the yogurt. Greek style yogurt is strained.
One large cooler or insulated bag.
One or two containers to that will hold hot water.
If you've stuck with me this far, we'll move on to the actual yogurt making.
Pour the milk or preferred product into the large pot and heat slowly over a medium flame until the temperature reaches 180-190F to scald the milk. It'll bubble but it doesn't need to boil and watch that it doesn't boil over. I've found that 180F works just fine.
When the milk reaches temp., remove from the flame and let cool to 110-120F. If you are the impatient type, you can put the pot in a sink of cool water to bring the temp. down faster.
When your milk reaches 110-120F (I prefer 120F), remove a half cup and mix it together with your starter yogurt. This melts the yogurt and makes it easier to mix with the milk. Add the starter yogurt/milk mixture to your pot of milk and stir. If you are adding sugar and vanilla, stir that in too. Don't let your milk temperature get below 90F.
Pour the mixture into your container or containers, seal and place in the cooler or insulated bag. Place a couple of containers full of hot tap water in the cooler/bag with the yogurt. Close the cooler and let sit for six to eight hours. Don't peek! You'll let the heat out that the bacteria needs to grow.
When you open the cooler, you should have a fresh batch of culture rich yogurt. It will firm up some in the fridge but if you want a thicker, creamier yogurt, place a strainer over a bowl and line with a double layer of cheese cloth. Pour the yogurt into the cheese cloth. When I strain, I like to let it sit in the fridge like this for one and a half to two hours, which gives me that perfect Greek-style consistency. This will decrease your volume of yogurt by half to about a quart.
Now for the yummy things you can do with your yogurt. You can use it to replace sour cream by adding it to baked potatoes, soups, chili and rice dishes. It can be strained into a cream cheese consistency, flavored with herbs and used as a spread. You can add fresh fruit, mix it with cereal or granola or just drizzle it with honey and add some sliced almonds. Add some chopped cucumber and garlic to make a homemade Greek tzatziki sauce. Yogurt smoothies...the options are endless.
My personal fave is a simple drink I learned to love in India call sweet lassi. Three parts thick yogurt with one part cold water, a tablespoon of sugar and whip into a frothy drink. You can add rosewater or lemon as well as mango or other fruit juice but I like it plain.
If you've opted to add sugar and vanilla to your yogurt, you can eat it as is or make it into a delicious frozen yogurt dessert without an ice cream maker. Strain the flavored yogurt for a few hours, then put it in the freezer. Give it a good stirring every two hours. Do this about four times and you will end up with a creamy frozen yogurt.
All this for the price of a half gallon of milk. Who knew?