Ah, yogurt. Perfect addition to sauces and smoothies. Nutritious base for tasty granola. Gut-healing source of probiotics. Easy and cheap to make yourself.
Wait, what? Easy and cheap to make yourself? Trust me, I was pretty surprised when I discovered that you don’t have to buy yogurt in little plastic cups. And while the storebought kind has some creative flavors, it’s often full of sugar and unhealthy additives. Making yogurt at home is cheaper and better for you- and it’s easy! That’s what I call a win-trifecta right there.
The process is über simple: heat milk until it reaches 180˚F. This sterilizes the milk and also denatures the proteins so they can’t interfere with the incubation process. Let milk cool, stir in starter (aka previously made yogurt, or a smidge of store-bought), and stick it all in a warm place to incubate for 8-12 hours. Strain, chill, eat, repeat. See? Simple! And no worries, there’s a much more detailed explanation of the process down below.
The only downside to making homemade yogurt is that it takes a loooooong time. But you know, lots of things worth making take some time – cinnamon rolls, lasagna, sourdough – and that’s fine by me. The best part about making yogurt is that it only include a teensy bit of active time- the rest happens while you sleep. Or shop, or watch tv, or whatever. I like to start this in the evening, let it incubate overnight, and strain it in the morning. This also keeps my oven free during the day for important tasks, like baking pizza or cookies or what have you.
I enjoy eating this homemade yogurt with granola or fruit for breakfast. My husband isn’t a big fan of it because it’s not sweet, and I’m still working on a fruity mix-in that will convince him to eat it. Even if you don’t eat yogurt by itself, it’s great for blending into smoothies and adding to other recipes. I often use it in place of sour cream for homemade ranch dressing or enchilada sauce. It’s also commonly used in many Indian recipes.
Homemade Greek Yogurt
2013-03-02 14:06:40
Cheap, easy and delicious! I keep this on hand for adding to recipes or smoothies and eating with granola.
995 calories
95 g
160 g
40 g
65 g
25 g
1983 g
932 g
100 g
2 g
12 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 995
Calories from Fat 357
Trans Fat 2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 11g
Total Carbohydrates 95g
32%
Sugars 100g
Protein 65g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
2 quarts milk
2 TBSP plain yogurt (make sure it says "live and active cultures")
Heat 2 quarts of milk in a saucepan over medium high heat; stir occasionally. (I use whole, pasteurized milk, but you can use 2% or whatever you have on hand. I've not yet made a successful batch of raw milk yogurt, but low-heat pasteurized works well.) When the temperature of the milk reaches 180˚ F, remove the pan from heat.
Pour into a glass or ceramic container. (Glass measuring pitchers or mason jars work well.) Leave uncovered and stir occasionally while the milk cools. When the temperature reaches 110-120˚ F, stir in 1 TBSP plain yogurt.
Preheat the oven for one minute (to warm it up a bit) and then turn it off. Turn the oven light on. Cover the dish, place it in the oven, and wrap it in a thick dishtowel or two. Allow yogurt to incubate for 8-12 hours. I almost always do this process overnight to keep my oven free during the day. I've read that you can also make yogurt with a slow-cooker, but I've not yet tried that.
After 8-12 hours, remove the dish from the oven and check to make sure the yogurt incubated correctly. It will be thick with a layer of milky, watery liquid on top. This liquid is whey, and you'll want to strain most of it off. I use a cheesecloth over a mesh sieve. The whey can be discarded or saved for other uses- if you're into culturing homemade condiments or baking bread with whey, this is the stuff you want.
If you want a thick, greek-style yogurt, strain most of the whey. If you want a creamier yogurt, you can add some whey back in and whisk until you get the consistency you're after.
Store yogurt in the fridge in an airtight container. Keeps for 1-2 weeks.
By Audrey Steinbach
Adapted from Annie's Eats and Kitchen Stewardship
Adapted from Annie's Eats and Kitchen Stewardship
audrey steinbach http://ilmucca.com/
Pin It
, 
, 
, and 
is a super-helpful breakdown of 52 different projects to simplify your life. I went through the book at the beginning of this year and designated months for each specific goal, usually putting similar goals in the same month so I can focus on one big area each month. March goals are all about cleaning so, uh, I’m definitely excited about that. *wince* But it’s timely, because we’re anticipating a move in late April so it’s about time to clean up and purge before packing anyhow. And, you know, spring cleaning is a thing, right??
