Homemade Yogurt
Ingredients:
1 (1000 ml) carton/bottle Milk (Whole or Low-fat UHT-sterilized) (you can also use Almond Milk or Soy Milk)
1 (150 ml) bottle Plain Yogurt Drink or 3 tbsp Plain Yogurt (purchased or homemade)
*If using store-bought yogurt, choose a yogurt that tastes good to you. It's important to select an unsweetened version that contains live cultures, but the fat content doesn't matter.
Choose milk that is preferably whole or low-fat and sterilized at ultrahigh temperature (UHT). This kind of milk does not need to be boiled before use and is the best to make good, firm and skinless yogurt. Do not use UHT skimmed milk; whole UHT milk will give you the best results.
Pasteurized milk is not sterile. It still contains bacteria that resist heat and that pasteurization has not destroyed. If you use this milk without boiling it first, a bacterial flora other than that of the yogurt will develop. It is obviously not dangerous but causes a change in the texture and taste of the yogurt you make.
The milk should therefore be boiled, then left to cool to eliminate the skin. You can then use it in your yogurt maker. This milk will provide you with a creamier yogurt, with a thin skin on top resulting from the cream rising the surface.
Tools:
Yogurt Maker
Mason Jars, clean and sterile
Instructions:
Clean and sterilize the mason jars as well as your work surface.
In a medium bowl, combine milk (UHT-sterilized) with the yogurt, and stir until completely incorporated. Do not stir vigorously!
*How to boil your milk: (You may skip this step if using UHT-sterilized milk, but if you still want to do this step with UHT-sterilized milk, you may do so.)
If your milk requires boiling, prepare an ice bath on your kitchen sink, no more than a few inches of water and ice cubes.
Pour your milk into a saucepan; heat the milk. Whisk frequently to avoid charring. When the milk starts to bubble or reaches 82 °C, place the saucepan into the ice bath and cool it into 37 °C.
Remove 1 cup of the milk from the saucepan, and pour the rest in a pitcher.
Stir-in the yogurt with the 1 cup warm milk.
Then pour-in your 1 cup warm milk mixture into the warm milk in the pitcher, and stir until completely incorporated.
Pour or ladle the mixture into the mason jars in equal amounts, about 80% full; cover, and place them into the yogurt maker; incubate between 8~12 hours, depending on the desired flavor and consistency. Yogurt can safely incubate for much longer than 8 hours, even overnight. *Longer incubation periods produces thicker, more tart yogurt. (Do not disturb the yogurt during incubation.)
If you're using a yogurt maker with a timer and you set it for a shorter incubation (5 hours), it's fine to let it sit there for several more hours.
*For thicker, Greek-style yogurt, after incubation, spoon the yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl and let it drain, covered in the fridge, for at least 1 hour or overnight. Discard the whey that drains out of the yogurt or reserve it for another use.)
After incubation, refrigerate the fresh yogurt until cold, 2~3 hours. It needs to firm up in the fridge before it's ready. Serve them chilled straight from the jar, or you can simply add them into your favorite cereal, or serve in a bowl with seasonal fruits and spices.
Happy Yogurt Making!!
Note:
You can stir any flavorings (such as jam, honey, dulce de leche, fresh or dried fruits, etc.) into the yogurt just before serving.
Yogurt can be stored in the fridge, in covered glass, ceramic, or BPA-free plastic containers. The yogurt will stay fresh for up to 10 days, but the flavor will be the best during the first week.
As yogurt ages, it becomes more tart. If more whey separates out of the yogurt, just stir it back in before serving.
Save some of your homemade yogurt to use as a starter for your next batch. Generally, this only works for 4~5 batches before having to start again with some store-bought starter.
