Podcast #35

How to Make Yogurt

Making your own yogurt isn’t as hard as one may think. It is actually a very simple and easy thing to do plus you have the added benefit of knowing exactly what is in your yogurt.

There are two ways that I recommend making yogurt: the good old fashion way(aka stovetop) and the new-fangled way(aka in the Instant Pot). Both ways require two simple ingredients: milk(raw or store bought but I recommend at least 2% or thicker) and a starter yogurt(plain yogurt or Greek yogurt)

The Old Fashion Way

Ingredients

1 gallon of milk- preferably raw or whole
8 oz of starter (plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt)

Instructions

Heat milk in a stainless steel pan over medium heat until it reaches 165-185 degrees.
Cool, either by sitting on the counter or in a cool water bath until the temperature drops to 110 degrees.
Add culture-2 oz of starter (of yogurt from a previous batch, store-bought yogurt) per quart of milk(so 8 oz for a gallon). Gently stir just enough to incorporate into the milk.
Pour into mason jars and put the jars into the oven with the light on for 8-24 hours. I like to place in warm water (110-115 degrees) and put in the oven but some just place the jars in too. The light should provide a consistent heat of about 110 degrees.
Put jars into the refrigerator until the yogurt is cold and set.
Once the yogurt is set you can pour off the liquid whey from the top or strain the yogurt using cheesecloth for a thicker consistency(Greek yogurt).
Enjoy!

The New- Fangled Way

Ingredients

1 gallon of milk- preferably raw or whole
8 oz of starter (plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt)

Instructions

Pour milk into Instant Pot(IP), hit yogurt button and then hit adjust until you select the “Boil” option
Walk away and it will shut off when it is done (magic!!)
Once it is done boiling, you can allow to cool on its own or put it in a cold water bath until the temperature is down to 110 degrees
Once the milk reaches 110 degrees you can gently add the starter yogurt
Again select the yogurt button and adjust it from “boil” to anywhere from 8-24 hours.
Once the allotted time is up, put yogurt into mason jars and allow it to cool and set up in the refrigerator.
Once the yogurt is set you can pour off the liquid whey from the top or strain the yogurt using cheesecloth for a thicker consistency(Greek yogurt).
Enjoy!