How to Make Yogurt

I have worked with my own equipment and gotten the routine down to a science for me:

Total prep and waiting time: 24 hours.

I let the milk--half gallon-- sit more than 24 hours. I skim it in the morning so that I'm done before evening so it doesn't end up being the middle of the night when the finished yogurt needs to be put into the fridge. Skim the cream with a small gravy ladle out of the top of the wide mouth jars that I use for milk. (Pour it into something that makes it easy to skim and then let it sit a day or two.)

Skim the fat so that you can have the raw, grass-fed cream and use it raw on something else. Or pour that into another jar of full fat milk and let it be extra creamy for the kids, or you if you are breastfeeding. Pour it on berries, etc. I even pour raw cream over top of the finished, cooled yogurt on per-serving basis.

I skim it because after many different experiments (I even tried rennet!  Nope that doesn't work), skimming the fat is the best way to get firm yogurt. And, I like my yogurt firm.

Now, to culture it I like to use yogurt that I buy at the store. I have been going with a decent brand of nonfat or lowfat yogurt.  I also recommend having some of the powdered yogurt culture on hand for times when you run out of the tub yogurt. I like having tub yogurt on hand because it works to serve in a pinch if I didn't make the yogurt. Kinda takes up space in the fridge though.

After skimming, I pour the jar right into a big pan. I put a glass thermometer on the side right away, along with a metal large ladle, figuring that if the ladle is not sterile the heating of it along with the milk will sterilize it. I set the timer and keep it on just above low.

I have tried different heating temps. I'm no longer worried about being exact. It definitely firms up more if you let it go to 180 or even get up to a boil. I stressed about this a lot in the past because I WISHED for raw milk yogurt. I no longer wish. I just figure I'm saving a ton of money over yogurt in the store, Van loves it and eats a lot and this is with the best milk I can get, so we're doing pretty good here. I like the yogurt firm, period. So, I let it get up to 180 or more or less.

Next, I set the timer again for the cooling. I get out my bowl. I use a bowl on top of a yogurt heater. I came with little jars, but I decided no more little jars for me. I use a pyrex bowl I had on hand already. Same one each time. I do not skim the milk until it's time to put it in the bowl. The skin forms as it cools. I then carefully lift the ladle out, gently pulling the whole skin out with it, tipping the ladle to let out the fluid milk and just dump the ladle into the sink---skimming is the only purpose I use it for as it does a good job. You could feed the skin to the dog or something.

Next, I grab a spoon and the tub of yogurt or powder. Put some yogurt into the bowl. I now eyeball this instead of measuring. None is going to be wasted anyway. I generously go for about a cup of yogurt. I then pour in a little milk from the pan (not worried about any small bits of leftover skin) and wisk it together til smooth. Then a little more (2x). Then the rest of the milk (total of 3x). I now put a plastic wrap over the bowl. This wrap will be used the rest of the week to cover the bowl in the fridge. Put the bowl on the warmer, turn it on for six hours with a towel over it to help insulate. Set the timer. 6 hours.  (I think I'll try making it with JUST the towel over it and not the plastic wrap. I've been getting a lot of whey separation and condensation--no water is lost with the wrap on but it might be even thicker if I keep the wrap off. But, then yeasts from the air can get in there, so it'll be interesting if it stays fresh as long. With the wrap on, my yogurt stays fresh a long time in the fridge.

Put it in the fridge overnight and enjoy the next morning.

Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker (warmer)

Cuisipro yogurt cheese maker (yogurt strainer) makes Greek style yogurt, which is good for making Tzatziki