If I haven’t mentioned it before, our family likes to eat….A LOT! Food planning, prepping, and consuming takes up a good portion of our day. Which, is fine, since we already stay home most of the time (before it was mandated…)
About two years ago, I decided there were a few regularly bought prepared food items that I wanted to learn how to make at home. The benefits of making things at home mean fresher, cheaper, less ingredients, etc… Believe me, it is well worth the extra time spent to make homemade bread, pasta, applesauce, yogurt……..
During our sugar detox, I have made about 2 gallons worth of homemade, delicious yogurt (& this keeps up with the demand!) Four people eating about a cup of yogurt most days gets expensive. At the store, I usually buy plain, whole milk, organic yogurt for about $3-5 per quart. At home, I can make a gallon of yogurt for about $3-5 (depending on the milk used.)
We are using Braum’s milk, which is not organic, but after touring their facility and seeing their process, I am more than happy to use their A2 whole milk. It gets to the store within 36 hours of coming from the cow, which is great for yogurt making. The milk, while not raw, comes from happy Oklahoma cows and the money stays in our state! (Yes, they are a bit bigger than most of your “small businesses” but they are local!)
The reason I am not using raw milk from our local, small dairy farm is due to the heating process required for making the yogurt. It just doesn’t make sense to me to buy raw milk and heat it up….
How to Make Yogurt
1. Gather supplies:
-large soup pot
-food thermometer
– insulated thermos(es) or crock pot
-Milk to make your desired amount of yogurt (I used 1 gallon of Braum’s A2 whole milk)
-already made yogurt (from a previous batch or store bought)
-spoon to stir
-jars/containers to store yogurt in once made
2. Fill large soup pot with desired amount of milk. Attach a food thermometer to the side of the pot, making sure the temperature is being read from the milk, not the bottom of the pot. Heat on medium until the milk reaches 185 degrees.
3. Remove pot from stove and WAIT….. The milk must cool to 110 degrees before you can move on. You can put the pot into an ice bath to cool it down faster, but sitting on the counter is fine too. (If a film develops on top of the milk during cooling, just skim it off.)
4. When the milk has cooled, add prepared yogurt. I use about 2 tablespoons per quart of milk, or about 8 tablespoons per gallon. Stir the mixture and pour into an insulated thermos or into glass jars and place those in the crockpot on warm.
5. Another round of waiting….. This step can take a minimum of 8 hours, but you can allow the yogurt to culture for longer if you prefer a tangier finished product. As tempting as it may be, do not disturb, touch, jiggle the yogurt as it is setting. Just wait! (I normally make the yogurt at breakfast, allowing it to set until dinner, and stay busy throughout the day so I am not tempted to check it!)
6. Once the yogurt has cultured for at least 8 hours, stir and pour into the storage jars (I use glass quart-sized mason jars.) Refrigerate and enjoy often!! You can also strain the yogurt overnight to make greek yogurt or a dip/dressing base.
My kids prefer homemade yogurt to the store bought one. Not sure how they can tell the difference, but I will happily make it, if they will eat it! The beneficial bacteria will keep our gut’s happy and healthy!
