Friday 22 April 2016

Homemade Yogurt.

- Homemade Yogurt - David Lebovitz
Yogurt, yoghurt, or yoghourt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk.
"No Mess Yogurt Making.
1 quart (1 L)

I use a heavy, heat-proof jar, and sterilize it by pouring boiling water into it and letting it stand, then draining it well before adding the yogurt mixture. Swaddling the jar with a towel is a good way to keep it warm if you don’t have a warm place in your house or apartment.

I’ve never made it with low fat or reduced fat milk because I like whole milk yogurt. People do say it works although I haven’t tried it. Be sure to use a brand of yogurt that has live and active yogurt cultures in it. Buttermilk won’t work, which I learned from experience the night before ; )

1 L whole milk
1/4 cup (60 g) plain whole milk yogurt
you can use either regular unflavored yogurt or Greek yogurt.

1. Clean a 1 quart (1 L) jar by pouring boiling water in it and letting it stand 5 minutes.
Drain the water (carefully, as the water and the jar will be hot), and let the jar dry.
2. Heat the milk in a saucepan fitted with a thermometer, or use an instant read thermometer, until the milk reaches 180ºF (82ºC). Remove from heat.
3. When the temperature drops to 115ºF (45ºC), stir in the 1/4 cup of yogurt, then pour the mixture into the jar and cover it.
4. Put the yogurt in a slightly warm place, and leave it undisturbed for 10 to 12 hours. The longer fermentation will yield a more tart yogurt.
An oven that has a pilot light, is good. I have radiant heat (under-floor* heat) and put it in a warm spot.
5. Chill the yogurt thoroughly, at least three hours. The yogurt will thicken up once cool.

*For those concerned that I am putting it on the floor, I make sure there is a protective layer of glass between the yogurt and the floor.

Notes
When it’s done, place them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before use.
You may cover the lid after 3 hours in the refrigerator.
Keeps well for 1 week. You can reserve half a cup for your next batch.

Because it was a last-minute decision to make yogurt, I used regular, non-fancy milk for this batch. However using good-quality milk will result in the best-tasting yogurt. I spent a sleepless night while this batch of yogurt fermented, worrying that I didn’t use milk from the natural food store. (Please don’t tell me that I should get my own cow and make my own milk – at least until I catch up on my sleep.)

Some folks add dried milk powder and/or powdered yogurt starter. Others use slow-cookers to make yogurt.
Here are a few posts below that discuss those methods and ingredients in depth:
- Homemade Yogurt Recipe - 101 Cookbooks
- DIY Greek Yogurt | Annie's Eats
- How to Make Greek Yogurt


Notice the absence of of the messy heating and cooling step.
The milk is already ultra-pasteurized when you get it from the store, which means it was already heated to 138C at the dairy-so why would I re-pasteurize and re-denature the milk by heating it again?

I use milk from a carton that has not been opened until I'm ready to make the yogurt.
My incubator box is my oven, which I am able to set to any temperature above ambient.
I like to use 46C for 24 hours because I like my yogurt really tart.

Remember that yogurt was made for hundreds of years, long before thermometers and refregration was invented.
It can't be that complicated.
- Live and Active Culture (LAC) Yogurt Facts

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