How To Make Yogurt

How to Make Yogurt.

Yes, cultured dairy foods like yogurt and cheese enrich our diets with delectable tastes and textures as well as protein, calcium, and other minerals. However, traditionally, they were also means of extending milk’s shelf life. You don’t want to squander any of the abundant milk your nanny goat is providing.

Making cheese will extend its shelf life.
Making your own dairy products also gives you the freedom to choose whether to use full milk or low-fat and whether or not to add salt. Instead of milk from industrial “farms” where the animals are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, you may pick milk from healthy, pasture-raised cows.

To make cheese, stay away from UHT milk. In these recipes, pasteurized milk will function, however UHT-treated milk may not produce viable curds.

Creating Yogurt

It may be argued that yogurt belongs in the Fermentation chapter instead of this one. Only the probiotic, beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria, which also produce vegetable ferments, can turn milk into yogurt. However, I knew the most of folks would search in Dairy, so here it is.

Yogurt

TIME FOR COOKING: 20 minutes PERIOD OF WAITING: 8 hours Recipe yields one pint and may be doubled.
It’s simple to make your own yogurt. In addition, it may be healthier than yogurts sold in stores: You may opt to use organic milk from pastured cows to produce it, and there won’t be any thickeners or additives as there are in commercial yogurts.

Additionally, it will still have less sugar than the majority of store-brand yogurts with fruit flavors, even if you flavor your morning yogurt with a tablespoon of your own homemade jam.
You may simply avoid using plastic containers altogether.

To use as your starting culture while making this recipe for the first time, you will need to purchase some yogurt with active cultures (all commercial brands indicate on the label whether they include live cultures).

Or borrow some from a friend who makes yogurt. You may use your own homemade yogurt as the starting culture after you’ve created some; just keep in mind to always put aside a spoonful of it for this usage.

INGREDIENTS

1 pint of full, 2%, or low-fat milk
1 spoonful of live yogurt cultures in plain yogurt
1 spoonful of live yogurt cultures in plain yogurt
*Using nonfat milk to make homemade yogurt is not advised since the consistency is inconsistent. Nonfat yogurts from commercial brands have thickeners such gelatin added to give them a custard-like consistency.
GEAR
Meat, cheese, or candy thermometer
delicately woven strainer

INSTRUCTIONS

Place 1 tablespoon of yogurt aside and let it sit out till room temperature.
Your starting culture is this. Once you’ve prepared this recipe, keep in mind that you may start subsequent batches using your own yogurt.
Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan and cook it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 180°F. Wait until the milk reaches a temperature of between 110 and 106°F before turning off the heat.
Wash a glass pint or two half-pint jars and leave them with hot water inside while the milk is chilling. Use a bowl or pint liquid measuring cup in the same way. The yogurt should be in touch with warm vessels at all times.
Drain the boiling water from the basin or measuring cup once the milk has cooled to 110 to 106°F. Yogurt at room temperature should be added. Whisk to mix. Pour the yogurt into the jar(s) after draining the water from them. Fix the lids.
The yogurt must spend the next eight hours at around 110°F, which is warm but not hot. The ideal oven is an old-fashioned one with a pilot light that is always lit. A cold oven with the light on is the same.
A dehydrator set to 110 degrees Fahrenheit with a few trays removed may also be used to
A dehydrator set to 110°F with some trays removed to make place for the jars is another option. A thermos is an additional option; be sure you warm it up by rinsing it with hot water before adding the yogurt. Of course, there are specialized yogurt makers that can sustain this temperature. However, avoid buying one since it won’t be worth the money.
Once the jars are in their warm location, it’s crucial not to move them since doing so might prevent the yogurt from setting.
Store the yogurt in the fridge and consume it within two weeks.
NOTE
Sometimes it takes a few of attempts for the Lactobacillus bacteria to adjust to various kinds of milk before yogurt is produced from milk. This implies that the first batch of yogurt I make with the new sort of milk may not be as thick and creamy as later batches would be if I switch milk brands or move from whole milk to 2 percent.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ROOT CELLARING