Try new recipes, learn from your mistakes,
be fearless, and above all,
have fun!...
The only real stumbling block is fear of failure.
In cooking, you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.
-Julia Child-
The quote that I shared above from Julia Child pretty much sums up my philosophy of cooking, and certainly my journey to making yogurt from scratch at home. Today I am excited to share with you an easy, fail-proof method of making yogurt at home. And the best part, aside from the delicious results, is that you don't need any special gadgets or tools! No slow cooker, no pressure cooker, no yogurt maker. Just a pot on your stove, jars and a cooler, fresh milk and a bit of already-made yogurt.
Shall we begin?!?!
Easy, Fail-Proof Homemade Yogurt
1/2 gallon fresh *whole* milk
3 Tbsp. yogurt with live cultures (see note)
Pour milk in a pot on the stove over low-medium heat. Heat until the milk reaches 180*F, almost boiling, but not quite. Stir often. It is best to allow the milk to heat up slowly, so this process should take at the least 30 minutes. Heating it up too quickly will ruin the process.
Once the milk has reached 180*F, turn the heat off and allow the milk to cool slowly to 110*F. Again, allowing it to come down in temperature slowly is the key. The most important thing with making homemade yogurt is you do NOT want to rush the process. (A good lesson for life, too, eh?!)
Once the milk has cooled to the desired temperature, whisk in the yogurt with live cultures (see note). Pour the milk into jars and secure the lids very tightly.
Place the jars in a cooler and pour very hot tap water in...about six cups or so. Fill the rest of the way with boiling water, so that the jars are just covered. Close the cooler and place in a safe place so it won't get dumped over.
Allow the yogurt to set for 8 hours.
After the appointed time has passed, remove the jars from the cooler and place in the fridge. Allow to cool completely.
At the point, you may wish to strain your yogurt if you prefer a thicker consistency. According to some information I read, thicker yogurt has less sugar, fewer carbs and more protein. All of which are good things!
To strain yogurt, simply place a colander over a large bowl. Line the colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and pour the yogurt into the colander. Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Then spoon the yogurt on top of the cheesecloth back into your jars and enjoy! The whey which is in the bowl can be used for a variety of things including recipes and even feeding plants. Look up some cool ways to use it instead of letting it go to waste!
(Note: Yogurt with live cultures is simply yogurt that is already made. Store-bought yogurt should say this on the label..."with live cultures". You can also save a bit of your homemade yogurt from a previous batch to use as your starter in the future.)
There you have it, friends! I've done this once and it worked like a charm and this week, I'll be making another batch. We love to add a bit of maple syrup to our individual servings, homemade granola (here's our favorite recipe) and fresh fruit. It's delicious and the perfect snack!
Have a lovely day!
♥
*I found this method on Instagram from the account "thenourishingcup".*