Today’s Homemade: Yogurt

I know what you’re thinking…who the F makes homemade yogurt?  I mean, it’s weird, right?  I never thought I would go so far into this whole homemade journey that I would make my own dairy products (never mind the obvious breastfeeding jokes).

But here’s the thing.  Last summer I joined a CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture.  Basically, it means I bought a share in a local farm and got all sorts of fresh and locally made food.  The particular CSA I joined is unusual in that it is a “whole food CSA,” so one area farmer worked with other local farmers to provide her customers with everything from meat to granola to veggies, and yes, yogurt too.

Now I love yogurt, but I had always eaten flavored yogurt.  I found plain yogurt to be too tangy for my tastes and forget plain Greek yogurt, it tasted like licking sour cream off a spoon.  But then I had local, farm-fresh, plain Greek yogurt…game changer!

It was tangy, but not mouth-puckering tangy.  If I swirled just a little honey in and added granola…holy breakfast from heaven, Batman.  Add in fresh berries and I almost can’t contain myself.

So the process for making yogurt is time consuming, but super easy.  It starts with yogurt.  I know, it’s lame that you need yogurt to make yogurt, but get over it already.

So here’s what you need… ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt (at room temperature), a quart of milk and a small slow cooker.  Preferably, you’ll use local, organic milk.  The higher the fat content in the milk, the thicker the yogurt will be.  Make sure the yogurt you use contains live, active cultures.  For the most part, plain organic yogurt will, but read the packaging just to be sure.

Local milk, organic yogurt and a small slow cooker...all you need for making your own yogurt!

 Here’s what you do: Pour a quart of milk into a slow cooker.  Turn the slow cooker on (that part’s important).  Heat the milk to 180 degrees.  If you do it on low, it could take upwards of 4 hours.  On high, it should take about 2-3 hours.  Once you’ve reached 180, turn off the slow cooker, keep the cover on, and let the temperature drop to about 120.  Once the temperature drops, mix in the room temperature yogurt, replace the cover and wrap the slow cooker in towels like a fat guy at a sauna. 

Swathed in towels.

Let it hang out on the counter like that for about 8-12 hours; the longer it ferments, the more tart it will be.  After that time frame, put it in the fridge to set.  Resist the urge to mess with it at all.  Don’t even take the cover off…just move it from the counter to the fridge and let it set for at least 4 hours. 

And then….yogurt!  I was so proud of myself the first time I made it. 

With granola and honey for a fantastic breakfast.

 A couple notes:

To make thicker, Greek-style yogurt, line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth (or paper towels), and strain the yogurt.  The liquid you strain out is called whey.  Save it and use it to cook with.  It has a tang like buttermilk, so you can use it pancakes or muffins…basically any baked good that calls for liquid; you can even add it to smoothies if you like a tangy smoothie.

The organic plain yogurt I buy at the grocery store costs about $4.  I can buy half a gallon of whole milk from a farm 10 minutes away from my house, and make the same amount of yogurt for about $1.50.  Now that’s a deal.  Then I just save a ¼ cup of my own yogurt for the next batch.