Easy Homemade Yogurt - The Recipe

This is the simplest method I have found to make homemade yogurt – after a long and arduous journey.  This yogurt will not be quite as thick as store-bought, but otherwise is a good mild yogurt with live cultures, and you do not even need a thermometer to do it.  It should be stored
in the refrigerator and treated as an open container of yogurt - only keep for a few days.

Ingredients: (this makes 5 quarts – see measurements for 1 quart in parentheses)

1 Gallon plus 1 ½ cups Milk (3 ½ cups) – I use 2%, the higher the milk fat, the thicker the yogurt will be.

1 1/3 cups Yogurt. (1/4 cup)  You must have plain yogurt with live cultures.  Dannon and Stoneyfield Farm are both good.  My family prefers the taste of Dannon.

Step-by-Step Instructions and Photos:

First, remember that all these amounts are approximations – this is NOT a careful science like cake baking as far as amounts go.  Temperature is another matter, if you add the yogurt while the milk is too hot, it will not work.

Second, many places recommend sterilizing your jars.  I do not do this, but rather just wash them thoroughly and in over a year of yogurt making have had no issues.  You may wish to research this yourself.

Heat milk to 185 degrees and hold it at this temperature or above for 10 minutes.  If you do not have a thermometer, heat to just before boiling.  My family prefers that it actually be boiling.  My stainless steel pans are heavy enough that I can put the milk in the pan, turn it on low, and walk away while it heats – 1 ½ - 2 hours.  You may need to stir to keep it from scorching.

Cool to 115-120 degrees (very important not to leave it too hot or it will kill the culture in the yogurt).  You can test this without a thermometer by putting a (very clean) finger into the milk.  If you can hold it there for 20 seconds, it is cool enough.  Some people put the hot pan of milk immediately into a sink filled with cold water.  I do not like to do this for fear of warping my pan, but it does work very well and quickly.  You could pour the milk into a plastic container for cooling as the cold water should not harm this.

Place yogurt into a liquid measuring cup (because this will be easy to pour out of).  Stir to form a smooth consistency which will be easy to blend with the milk.  Add a little warm milk at a time until you have a mixture with a liquid consistency.  I usually add 2-3 times as much milk as yogurt, but it does not really matter.  All we are trying to do here is mix the yogurt thoroughly with the milk.  Exact method really does not matter.

Pour this mixture back into the rest of the warm milk and stir well.

Ladle into clean jars.  Put lids on tightly because you do not want any water to splash in.  If you want to make this often, I would advise purchasing plastic lids – metal ones rust quickly and have to be replaced.  They are widely available and usually cheap.  (You do not have to use jars.  Any clean non-metal container of suitable size will work.)

Now it is time to incubate the cultures so they turn all that milk into yogurt.  Put jars into a cooler.  Fill with hot tap water (ours is set to about 130 – if yours is hotter, put a little cold water in with it).  What we are looking for here is a wide temperature range – it should be warmer than body temperature, but not so hot that you cannot stand to put your hand in it. Just guess by feeling it. There is no need to be precise or fumble with the thermometer. It usually needs to be replaced with fresh hot water after about 2 hours.

I incubate my yogurt for about 4 hours.  My family does not like tart yogurt.  You can take a jar out and tip it gently to see how much it has set up.  Keep in mind that it will set up more as it cools.  Dry jars well and loosen lids - they will become impossibly tight as they cool.  Refrigerate immediately.

Because homemade yogurt does not have thickening agents like yogurt at the store, it is important not to stir it up while serving or serve it before it has thoroughly cooled – this will keep it from losing its thickness and texture.

Serving:

This is plain yogurt.  I know of no way to safely incubate flavored yogurt at home.  My family adds jam or jelly of the desired flavor when they serve their yogurt.  Fruit or Nuts could also be added.  If you like sweet yogurt, add sugar or sweetener just before serving.

Incubation Ideas:

If you do not have a cooler, just use your sink or a container the right size.  You will have to change the hot water more often because it will cool faster if it is not insulated, but it does not matter a bit.

If it is warm and sunny outside 80-95 degrees – Put the cooler out in the sun.  It will stay quite warm and will not require changing the water.

If it is 95-105 degrees put the cooler out in the shade.

If it is over 105 you can just set the jars in the shade with no hot water.  I do not see why this would not work, but I do not live in an area this hot so this is somewhat speculation.