[Collegiate Meals] How to Make Yogurt

Since this summer, I've gotten into having smoothies on a regular basis. And yogurt is a key ingredient in my smoothie. The only option was "non fat" yogurt at my local grocery stores - I want a bit of dairy fat in my yogurt. So here's how to turn milk and cream into yogurt :)

Step 1: Ingridients

Foodware
4 Cups of Milk
2 Cups of Cream (Half and Half works too)
4-5 Tablespoons of already made yogurt

Hardware
A glass vessel that can hold about 6 cups of yogurt
A pot
Spoon
Cup
Thermometer (optional)

Comments

[fegundez1]

You haven't put anything about adding flavors or fruit,I realize you are making smoothies but I was wondering if adding fruit or flavoring would change the consistency or would you have to change anything?If you eat this stuff plain you are WAY more manly than I am!

[orangesrhyme]

Two delicious words: (homemade, preferably) strawberry jam.

[batonas]

would I still need to add cream if I use real cow milk not that from the shop ?

[SpinWard]

Thought I was supposed to drain it, drained it in a cloth and wound up with some VERY tasty cream cheese!!

Thanks for the easy instructions!!
Next time, maybe I'll wind up with yogurt! :)

[stasterisk]

Berkeley Bowl just started selling Raw (!!) milk, and I'm making my first batch of yogurt with the stuff, tomorrow. I don't have an oven (I traded it for getting to live in a sweeeet machine shop instead), so I'm putting my yogurt in a dark bag in the sun tomorrow (on the advice of another local yogurt-making friend). It's an aerobic reaction, right? Thanks for contributing the vast repository of food knowledge, Paul! I definitely intend to have copious homemade yogurt, kraut, and kombucha in my Collegiate Meals this coming semester. --Star

[miaspamm]

Yum. I made some yesterday, and although it was in the warm oven for about 24 hours, it was still great! I love my yogurt thick, so I strained it (I had no powder milk) and put it in a pickle jar (cleaned many times of course). I just had some with blueberries, it's so good!

[arwyn]

Is there a way to make yogurt without having yogurt as one of the ingredients? I need to make my own yogurt so there isn't any sugar in it and all the yogurt at the store has some sugar, so I can't eat it.

[linafha_craft]

Try Middle Eastern stores. They might have unsweetened yougurt.

[stasterisk]

As I understand it, the original yogurt was fermented in skeins of leather that had the acidophilus bacteria in it. Yogurt's been mostly made from other yogurt since, and you shouldn't need to use too much for a starter culture -- I'd love to know if you could pick up some acidophilus/lactobacillus from a store and use that to start some yogurt.

[Derin]

my dad said add water to yogurt and get more yogurt

[corey_caffeine]

(removed by author or community request)

[blodefood]

You should pick up PLAIN yoghurt with LIVE bacteria. The ingredient list should tell you what you are getting. Ensure there is no gelatin, pectin or sweeteners either. All you need is a small container to use as starter. You can also use yoghurt starter or in a pinch the contents of yoghurt capsules from the health food store.

[Derin]

yogurt was invented at Turkey(my home-country)

[hlanelee]

I make a gallon at a time like this, just milk no cream. After I sterilize the milk and cool it down to 120 degrees to mix in the yogurt, I put the whole bucket in my gas oven with the pilot light on. The pilot light keeps the temperature perfect. A package or two of unflavored gelatin will make the yogurt firmer. You can make it plain or if you like mix in some sugar or honey and vanilla before you heat it up. The plain yogurt is good to mix with garlic for dip and the sweetened yogurt is good with pureed fruit.

[IvanJM]

If you want thicker yogurt add 3/4 - 1 cup of powdered milk instead of the cream and use whole milk (5 1/2 cups). Just remember to add the powdered milk when your milk is warm or it won't mix in as well and the texture isn't all that nice. If you have an electric heating pad, and a reasonably insulated box, these work as well as the oven. If you have small (about 1 cup) canning jars (or similar sized cleaned out jam or whatever jars) you can divide it among them rather than use one big jar. That way you don't have to scoop or measure later, just dump in the blender.

[trebuchet03]

I guess the powdered milk serves the same purpose as cream? A heating pad... that's a pretty good idea :p As for measuring -- I don't measure normally anyway... Just dump in what "looks" right and blend away. 4 cups typically does 5 batches of smoothies (2 servings each). Extra yogurt in a smoothie just makes it that much more smooth :D

[HeyLQQKhere]

I've known this one for years.....I ONLY eat yogurt I make. It is best to use acidopholous milk as well. Make sure you save a 'mother culture' from your batch for the next batch.

[Mitten]

Its yogurt and some cheeses like this that remind me that my intestines are full of bacteria that help me digest all that yummy food. Symbiotic relationships are more common that any of us realize.

Maybe add some carbonated fruit to jazz it up? Fizzy and creamy. Interesting combination!

[trebuchet03]

I do own a CO2 cylinder and soda keg now..... perhaps I should just carbonate the whole thing... Fizgurt :p

[Mitten]

Copyright that and mail that idea to yourself so you have the date on it. It might be the next new health food craze!

[trebuchet03]

Just FYI, that method doesn't work for protecting ideas (at least not in the states) ;) Prior art is established VIA publication ;)

[zachninme]

Whats the price difference here? Thats normally emphasized in your other collegiate meals. And why cream?

[trebuchet03]

Oh... and cream... So without the cream, you end up with runny yogurt. Which may be fine for you :p But it's not like yogurt you buy from the store ;)

[zachninme]

Yeah, if thats what cream did, I was going to suggest the powdered milk that IvanJM did. I remember that from Good Eats :P

[trebuchet03]

Good point.... Gallon of milk is $4 -- we're using 4 of 16 cups in a gallon - so $1 worth of milk. Maybe $1 worth of cream I can buy 4 cups of yogurt for around $3.50. Instead, I made 6 cups for around $2.50 + labor (on the conservative side).

[Tonamel]

Note: Make sure that your starter yogurt has "active culture" on the label, or else there won't be any bacteria to convert the milk and cream into delicious, delicious yogurt!

[trebuchet03]

That's a good point... My yogurt didn't say anything about active cultures or anything... Perhaps I got lucky :p