How to Make Yogurt
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Sure, it's easy to stroll down the supermarket aisle and throw a cup of yogurt into your cart, but have you ever been tempted to make yogurt in your own kitchen, and get benefits in the area of digestion, improved immunity and lessened food allergies, by making natural yogurt with good bacteria probiotics?
EditIngredients
- 1 quart (946 mL) milk (any kind but if you use "ultra-high pasteurized" or "UHP" or "UHT" then you can skip step one, as the milk has already been heated to this temperature before the pack was sealed)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk (optional)
- 1 tablespoons white sugar to feed the bacteria
- pinch salt (optional)
- 2 tablespoons existing yogurt with live cultures (or you can use freeze-dried bacteria instead)
EditSteps
- 1Heat the milk to 185ºF (85ºC). Using two pots that fit inside one another, create a double boiler. This will prevent your milk from burning, and you should only have to stir it occasionally. If you cannot do this, and must heat the milk directly, be sure to monitor it constantly, stirring all of the while. If you do not have a thermometer, 185ºF (85ºC) is the temperature at which milk starts to froth. It is highly recommended that you obtain a thermometer in the range of 100 - 212ºF, especially if you plan to make yogurt on an ongoing basis.
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www.PURA.com.au - 2Cool the milk to 110ºF (43ºC). The best way to do this is with a cold water bath. This will quickly and evenly lower the temperature, and requires only occasional stirring. If cooling at room temperature, or in the refrigerator, you must stir it more frequently. Don't proceed until the milk is below 120ºF (49ºC), and don't allow it to go below 90ºF (32ºC); 110ºF (43ºC) is optimal.
- 3Warm the starter. Let the starter yogurt sit at room temperature while you're waiting for the milk to cool. This will prevent it from being too cold when you add it in.
- 4Add nonfat dry milk, if desired. Adding about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk at this time will increase the nutritional content of the yogurt. The yogurt will also thicken more easily. This is especially helpful if you're using nonfat milk.
- 5Add the starter. Add 2 tablespoons of the existing yogurt, or add the freeze-dried bacteria. Stir it in or better yet, use a blender to evenly distribute the billions of bacteria throughout the milk.
- 6Put the mixture in containers. Pour the milk into a clean container or containers. Cover each one tightly with a lid or plastic wrap.
- 7Allow the yogurt bacteria to incubate. Keep the yogurt warm and still to encourage bacterial growth, while keeping the temperature as close to 100ºF (38ºC) as possible. An oven with a pilot light left on is one option; see the "Tips" section for other ideas.
- After seven hours, you'll have a custard-like texture, a cheesy odor, and possibly some greenish liquid on top. This is exactly what you want. The longer you let it sit beyond seven hours, the thicker and tangier it will become.
- After seven hours, you'll have a custard-like texture, a cheesy odor, and possibly some greenish liquid on top. This is exactly what you want. The longer you let it sit beyond seven hours, the thicker and tangier it will become.
- 8Refrigerate the yogurt. Place the yogurt in your fridge for several hours before serving. It will keep for 1 to 2 weeks. If you're going to use some of it as starter, use it within 5 to 7 days, so that the bacteria still have growing power. Whey, a thin yellow liquid, will form on the top. You can pour it off or stir it in before eating your yogurt.
- Many commercial yogurts include a thickening agent, such as pectin, starch, gum, or gelatin. Don't be surprised or concerned if your homemade yogurt has a somewhat thinner consistency without these thickeners.
- Many commercial yogurts include a thickening agent, such as pectin, starch, gum, or gelatin. Don't be surprised or concerned if your homemade yogurt has a somewhat thinner consistency without these thickeners.
- 9Add optional flavorings. Experiment until you develop a flavor that your taste buds fancy. Canned pie filling, jams, maple syrup, and ice-cream fudges are good flavorings. For a healthier option, use fresh fruit, with or without a small amount of sugar or honey.
- 10Use yogurt from this batch as the starter for the next batch.
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EditVideo
EditTips
- You can use any kind of milk, including whole milk, 2 percent, 1 percent, nonfat, pasteurized, homogenized, organic, raw, diluted evaporated, dry powdered, cow, goat, soybean, and more. UHP, or ultra-high pasteurized milk, is processed to a higher temperature, which breaks down some of the proteins that the bacteria need to make the milk into yogurt. Some have reported difficulties in making yogurt from UHP.
- You can use a crock pot once the milk is heated as an alternate method.
- All yogurt needs "good" bacteria. The easiest way to add this is to use existing yogurt. The first time you make your own yogurt, use store-bought plain (unflavored) yogurt. Be certain it has "active cultures" on the label.
- Taste various plain yogurts before you get started. You will find that different kinds taste a bit different. Use one you like for your own starter.
- Alternatively, instead of using existing yogurt, use freeze-dried bacteria cultures (available in specialty stores or online), which are more reliable as a starter.
- In a pinch, you can use a flavored yogurt, but the taste of the resulting cultured yogurt will not be exactly the same as using plain yogurt.
- Any good tasting sour cream can be used, particularly if you do not wish ropey or stringy strands of bifidus (usually found in commercially made and thickened yogurt for its ability to stand up to the processes and still be an aid to your digestion). If using a bifidus culture, mix in with a sterile blender to obtain the proper distribution with the proteins in the milk. If you still have stringy ropes you may be heating your scald too fast or too long, use a double boiler in that case. At high altitudes this can be more of a problem.
- There are many methods available for incubating yogurt. Use a thermometer to make sure the temperature stays consistent. Choose the method that is most convenient and consistent for you:
- Use a yogurt maker.
- Use a food dehydrator.
- Use the pilot light in your oven, or preheat the oven to the desired temperature, turn it off, and then leave the oven light on to maintain the temperature.
- Turn your oven on periodically, as needed to maintain the temperature. This method is tricky; make sure that it doesn't get too hot.
- Use a rice cooker's warm setting (ie.plugged in, but not on cook)
- Use the bread proof setting if your oven has one.
- Place the container of yogurt in warm water in a sink, large bowl, or small picnic cooler.
- Use a stove burner on low to keep a water bath warm.
- Use a warming tray.
- Use a crock pot or slow cooker on its lowest setting or turned off.
- Use a large thermos.
- Use aquarium heater in bucket of water. (NO auto shutoffs)
- Use a sunny window or a car in the sun. Note that light exposure may degrade the nutrition in the milk. It is best to maintained the temperature below 120ºF (49ºC), don't allow it to go below 90ºF (32ºC); blood temp to 110ºF (43ºC) is optimal.[1]
- Use warm blanket(s) to wrap your container(s).
- To check the oven temperature, put a candy thermometer in a bowl of water inside the oven.
- The longer the mixture incubates, the thicker and more tangy the yogurt will be.
- Putting the yogurt in the freezer to cool it before to moving it to the refrigerator will result in a smoother consistency. You can also stir or shake in the lumps.
- Strain the yogurt through cheesecloth for a thicker consistency. Put the cheesecloth in a colander, put the colander in a large bowl to catch the whey, put the yogurt in the colander, cover the colander with a plate, put it all in the refrigerator. Strain for a couple of hours for greek yogurt. Strain overnight for a very thick yogurt, almost like soft cream cheese. Find uses for the whey on the internet.
- Persevere; your first batch is always the hardest.
- Using a double boiler makes it easier to control the temperature.
- Commercially available yogurts are usually heavily sweetened. Making your own is a good way to avoid this excess sugar.
- For a delicious appetizer, use your yogurt to make labneh cheese or tzatziki.
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EditYogurt Makers
Some folks prefer using a yogurt maker that can supply heat for the yogurt making process by using electricity:
- The containers of the cooled, tempered dairy product (usually plain milk), also containing yogurt bacteria, are placed into the yogurt maker.
- A cover is supplied to keep in the heat and that maintains the containers at a temperature which, hopefully, allows the bacteria in the tempered dairy product in the containers go grow and thrive to make yogurt.
- In due time - depending on bacterial strain(s) used, temperature and food available in the dairy product - the dairy product will firm up to a yogurt consistency. This can take as little as 2 hours and can last 12 hours or longer. The shorter times usually result in less tart yogurts and longer times provide completion of the bacterial growth. For those lactose intolerant folks, the longer times may produce a more digestible yogurt.
- Once the yogurt has gotten to the consistency and time desired, the containers are removed from the yogurt maker and placed in a refrigerator to cool for storage until consumption. The containers, which may be supplied with the yogurt maker, can be small cups so that the user can eat the yogurt right out of the cups. Containers as large as a gallon or more can be held by some yogurt makers for those who need large amounts of yogurt on a regular basis.
There are 3 major categories of retail yogurt makers available today:
1. The untimed, resistance heated yogurt makers are in the first category and are generally popular because of their low cost. They tend to be less expensive because they are designed with no control over the temperatures needed to properly incubate the yogurt bacterial culture(s) in the dairy product used. They are designed for average home temperatures but higher or lower environmental temperatures can change the time it takes to make the yogurt and quality of the yogurt produced. They generally come with smaller cups and must be used repeatedly throughout each week to provide for daily consumption of yogurt. With larger families, they can become impractical because of the time it takes to make a given quantity of yogurt.
2. The temperature regulating yogurt makers are in the second category. And these are more expensive as they require more electronic components to be able to maintain temperature settings. There are two types within this category:
- The user can adjust the temperature setting of the yogurt maker to maintain the proper temperatures associated with the bacterial strain(s) used in the culturing of the yogurt. Once set, they will maintain the setting, regardless of how warm or cold your home or kitchen may be.
- Another type has an (optimal) factory temperature setting which is maintained regardless of environment. You cannot adjust the temperature setting in this type.
3. Yogurt makers which allow the user to set the amount of time the yogurt maker applies heat to the containers are in the third category. While this time setting may be handy should you need to leave the yogurt maker unattended, it is suggested the user remain in the general area (home) so that if anything should go wrong (like the unit failing to shut off) - granted a rare occurrence - may deal with the situation.
Now there are yogurt makers which combine some of the features found in some of the above categories. For example, one yogurt maker provides a factory set regulated temperature with a time - display and cut-off feature. This unit is capable of producing a quality yogurt result in as little as 2 hours as the temperature setting is well above popular home yogurt culturing temperatures. It allows the user to use more than cup-sized containers, although they are supplied in several sizes with the yogurt maker. You can use a gallon size container or 4 wide-mouth quart containers to make as much as a gallon at a time. However, with the taller jars, either a larger cover may be needed or towels may be used to cover the gap between the supplied cover and bottom (heating and control) unit.
It has been suggested that users of the smaller, restrictive yogurt makers tend to make yogurt for only a short while after purchasing the yogurt maker and then storing it away in the attic. It seems that they are not able to easily keep up with the demand for yogurt and require too much work for the amount of yogurt made at one time.
The larger, more flexible and temperature regulated yogurt makers are heavily used and are capable of keeping up with the demands of even a large family. The only hitch is that you need more cold storage room to hold the greater amount of yogurt made at once... not a great problem for most.
Just about all yogurt makers require you to add water to the bottom unit so the heat is easily conveyed to the containers. Follow the instructions provided with your yogurt maker.
How can you tell if your yogurt is ready? Try gently jiggling one of the containers - the yogurt will not move if it is ready and you can take it from the yogurt maker and put it in the refrigerator then. Or you can wait and let it get more tart for 12 hours or more.
EditWarnings
- Watch your temperatures. Don't let the milk get too hot or too cold.
- Old starter won't grow yogurt.
- If your yogurt smells, tastes, or looks strange, don't eat it. "If in doubt, throw it out!" Try again with a new batch.
- Get a second opinion on the taste of your yogurt, to make sure it's okay. But if you won't try it, please, don't ask others to try it!
- Keep the yogurt still during incubation. Jiggling won't ruin it, but it makes it take a lot longer.
EditThings You'll Need
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Article Info
Featured Article
Last edited:
September 26, 2012 by Awesomedude3857
September 26, 2012 by Awesomedude3857
Recent edits by: JirachiQueen, Countrymusicisawesome, Jenna
In other languages
Español: Como fabricar yogurt, Deutsch: Wie man Joghurt macht
Español: Como fabricar yogurt, Deutsch: Wie man Joghurt macht
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