Making Regular or Greek Yogurt
Ingredients/Equipment:
1.5 gallons of milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt (make sure this has live bacterial cultures) and
cheesecloth (this is only required if you are making Greek yogurt)
Six Steps:
Step 1) Warm the milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees celcius). At that temperature the milk should start to boil (don't worry if you forget about the oven and the milk starts boiling a little bit it will usually come out okay anyway. However, it is most prudent not to let it boil).
Step 2) Cool the milk down to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Anywhere close to those degrees are the ideal temperatures for culturing yogurt.
Step 3) When the milk will cool off it will form a skin at the top of the pot. Skim the skin off.
Step 4) Add the yogurt (which has the live bacterial cultures) to the milk. For optimum results, it is helpful to try and put some of the already heated up milk into the yogurt so that the yogurt will dissolve. Next, pour the yogurt (either dissolved or not, depending on your choice) into the pot. If you dissolve the yogurt first, it will help the yogurt mix in the pot better when you stir.
Step 5) When you are done stirring, pour the solution into containers. Mason jars are useful for this but you can use any jar that seals well. Just as a useful tip: do not use jars that have a taste from a previous food otherwise your yogurt will take on that taste (e.g., do not use pickle jars!).
Step 6) Keep the jar(s) warm at about 110 degrees F (43 C) for about 8 hours (or 7-12, 8 should be the needed amount though). To accomplish this you can put the jars in a cooler and then wrap the cooler in a blanket. This will maintain their temperature and the jars will still be warm when you remove them.
Now your yogurt is ready! All you need to do is add some flavoring. To make Greek Yogurt or to thicken the yogurt that you made (it may not come out as thick as the yogurt you buy in stores) strain the yogurt using extra fine cheesecloth.
1.5 gallons of milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt (make sure this has live bacterial cultures) and
cheesecloth (this is only required if you are making Greek yogurt)
Six Steps:
Step 1) Warm the milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees celcius). At that temperature the milk should start to boil (don't worry if you forget about the oven and the milk starts boiling a little bit it will usually come out okay anyway. However, it is most prudent not to let it boil).
Step 2) Cool the milk down to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Anywhere close to those degrees are the ideal temperatures for culturing yogurt.
Step 3) When the milk will cool off it will form a skin at the top of the pot. Skim the skin off.
Step 4) Add the yogurt (which has the live bacterial cultures) to the milk. For optimum results, it is helpful to try and put some of the already heated up milk into the yogurt so that the yogurt will dissolve. Next, pour the yogurt (either dissolved or not, depending on your choice) into the pot. If you dissolve the yogurt first, it will help the yogurt mix in the pot better when you stir.
Step 5) When you are done stirring, pour the solution into containers. Mason jars are useful for this but you can use any jar that seals well. Just as a useful tip: do not use jars that have a taste from a previous food otherwise your yogurt will take on that taste (e.g., do not use pickle jars!).
Step 6) Keep the jar(s) warm at about 110 degrees F (43 C) for about 8 hours (or 7-12, 8 should be the needed amount though). To accomplish this you can put the jars in a cooler and then wrap the cooler in a blanket. This will maintain their temperature and the jars will still be warm when you remove them.
Now your yogurt is ready! All you need to do is add some flavoring. To make Greek Yogurt or to thicken the yogurt that you made (it may not come out as thick as the yogurt you buy in stores) strain the yogurt using extra fine cheesecloth.
