Not to
brag but, the best vanilla yogurt I have ever had is my own homemade
yogurt. It has the texture of a Greek
yogurt, which I know is quite popular right now, and is pretty simple to
make. Yes it is science, but it's not
rocket science. Not to mention a
fraction of the cost of buying the equivalent in the grocery store.
If you
think you might want to try making your own yogurt you will need the following high
tech supplies:
One picnic cooler
One large pot
One small sauce pan
One candy thermometer.
One wooden spoon
One whisk
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Four pint jars and one half pint jar with
lids and rings
Prepare
your equipment by filling the pot with water and bringing it to the boil. Place your clean jars in the sink and fill
with the boiling water. Put your lids
and rings in the small sauce pan and cover with the remaining hot water to just
to make sure to get rid of any unwanted bugs.
Now
assemble your ingredients:
1 half gallon of whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla
1/2 cup yogurt starter*
What
the heck is *yogurt starter you ask?
Simple. You just need some yogurt. For my first batch I used a 6oz cup of
vanilla yogurt from the grocery store.
After that I use my own homemade yogurt.
That is what the half pint jar is for.
You don't ever eat this one because next time you make yogurt you dump
it in the new batch. It becomes
perpetual, just like Friendship Bread, only it doesn’t grow out of control like
Friendship Bread. Oh I could use a slice
of that right now. J
Where
was I? Oh yes.
Put
your milk in the pan and stirring constantly over medium heat bring it up to
185°. Whatever you do don’t let it boil
and don’t scorch it. Stir, stir,
stir. This is when a kid comes in handy.
Once
the milk reaches temperature remove from heat.
Fill your sink a few inches with cold water. Carefully put your pot in there. Don't let water get in the pot. Allow milk to cool to 120°. Remove your pot from sink and add sugar,
vanilla and yogurt starter. Use a whisk
and thoroughly combine.
Pour
your yogurt into your jars (actually I like to use a ladle because I have bad
aim) and put the lids on tightly. . Place jars in cooler. Fill your pot (you may want to wash it out
first) with warm 120° water. Not too
hot, not too cold. Pour water into cooler
to cover up jars. Close lid and place
cooler in draft free place for 3 hours.
Leave it alone. Walk away man,
don't even peek.
At the
end of three hours remove jars from cooler, wipe dry and place in refrigerator
overnight. Then enjoy your delicious
yogurt.
You can
eat it as is or with fruit, homemade granola, or both. For a plain yogurt version just omit the
sugar and vanilla. Give it a shot!
I read this post over twice and I keep asking myself- "Is it really that easy to make?" I would like to try this- we eat a lot of yogurt in this house. It would save a bit of money if I could make it myself. I don't have a candy thermometer though. Maybe I can find one at the dollar tree?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! :)
I got my thermometer at Walmart and it wasn't very expensive. This is the easiest method I've found and (knock on wood) so far I have yet to mess it up.
DeleteMy mom used to say that making Friendship bread was like having gerbils! Tana
ReplyDeleteExactly! Or guppies. But it tastes soooooo good. :)
Delete