Our Favorite Homemade Yogurt
My family eats a LOT of yogurt. We really like the taste of the Stonyfield Farm organic whole milk yogurt with six live active cultures… but the containers are small (only four cups) and expensive ($3.59 each), and it seemed like I was always buying yogurt and we were always running out. Happily, I have found a recipe and a method that makes a yogurt my whole family thinks tastes even better than the purchased organic yogurt. Using organic hormone-free whole milk, I make up a half gallon of yogurt at a time, and even when milk isn’t on sale, I can make $7.18 worth of organic yogurt for only $2.15… that’s a savings of 70%. When organic milk IS on sale (as it is this week), the savings are even bigger.
Incubating at a constant 100°F
Here’s how I make this yogurt. I bring one quart of whole milk just to the boiling point using moderate heat. (This part is important because it ensures a smooth, even curd.) Then I cool the milk to 95°F to 110°F and remove any skin that has formed on top of the milk.
Next I measure out three tablespoons of plain whole milk yogurt (purchased organic yogurt or my own yogurt from a previous batch) into a large mixing bowl, whisking the yogurt until it liquifies. Then I whisk in the milk and mix well.
Now the milk and yogurt mixture needs to incubate. Yogurt will incubate successfully at temperatures between 85°F and 100°F, although the lower temperatures will take a longer time. Temperatures higher than 100°F will result in a yogurt that looks curdled with an uneven texture. I try to keep the yogurt mixture at a constant 100°F. I have found what works best for me is to keep the bowl of yogurt in a large pan of 100°F warm water… I frequently check the temperature with a candy thermometer and warm up the water when it cools. If you have a gas oven with a pilot light, that may keep a constant temperature of 100°F for you… or putting the bowl on a heating pad works, too. Just keep checking the temperature until you have found a method that will keep a constant temperature of 100°F.
After about four or five hours I start checking the consistency of the yogurt, although the entire incubation process will take longer than that. Most yogurt recipes specify seven hours and some even as much as eight to ten hours or more. I never let this yogurt incubate that long… perhaps because the whole milk makes a thicker yogurt more quickly. The yogurt is “ready” when it has a custard consistency, although at this point it may look slightly thinner than I want it to be. Oddly, more incubation time now will only keep fermenting the yogurt 
and adding to the “sour” taste that many people don’t like… additional incubation time after the yogurt has reached the custard stage will not make the yogurt firmer, so now is the time to stop the incubation by refrigerating the yogurt. The yogurt will become even firmer when it cools.
This homemade yogurt will keep in the refrigerator for about one week, but it’s always gone before then with our family, so it’s fortunate that I make a new batch of yogurt at least once a week. Of all the yogurt recipes I have tried, this one is by far my favorite. The yogurt is very thick and has a wonderful flavor, which I think comes from the organic whole milk.
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Doing It Ourselves, Frugality & Nutrition series, My Family's Favorite Recipes, My Soy-Free Recipes
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Comments
Comment by Philippa:
Hi Shirley,
I also make my own yogurt regularly, and am amazed at the vast price difference ~ plus the convenience of always having yoghurt on hand!.
I incubate my milk and starter overnight in a cooler with warm water. This gives a constant temperature and I find it more convenient than the oven or stockpot methods.
By the way, my family loves your chocolate cake recipe!!
Comment by Julie:
Instead of using a heat source, I just heat the milk, cool to 120F,add starter yogurt, pour in a thermos and set on the counter overnight. I drain it a bit in the morning and use the whey in baked goods. I always use non-fat or 1% organic milk and it comes out great.
If you let it drain a while it will get really thick like that pricey greek yogurt.
Comment by Antonietta:
I tried making yogurt for the first time and I incubated it for about 10 hours. It seemed like yogurt but was softer than I wanted it to be and had a lot of separation from they whey. However, since it incubated for so long, I thought it would taste sour, instead it tastes very creamy. I even took some and squeezed out the whey with a cheesecloth and I got a very thick cream that tastes like ricotta and butter.
Now, where did I go wrong as far as getting the taste of yogurt? And is it still safe to eat?
Comment by Shirley:
I have no idea why your yogurt would turn out like that… except it almost seems that the yogurt you used as your culture wasn’t “alive”. You should have the taste of yogurt if you have a good yogurt to start with and keep the proper temperatures. I don’t know about the safety of eating milk that has sat for ten hours without turning into yogurt. I am overly cautious about anything like this, so I don’t think I would eat it.
Comment by Ivonne:
Hi!
i found this site with tips for yogurt making. I just bought a Donvier yogurt maker and I have tried making yogurt twice but somehow it comes out too liquid. I am using as a starter plain bought yogurt from the store with live cultures. I am following instructions to the letter. I am not sure what is going on. The machine has a timer and it is working right. I have left it once for 10 hrs and another time for 14 in hopes that maybe the consistency would change.
If anyone has a tip or a suggestion please let me know. I bought it because of health reasons and I was so excited that it would work :(…I am sure it is me doing something wrong but just wanted to hear suggestions.
PS> I wait till the temperature is right before adding the two tablespoons of the starter yogurt and mix it first in a small amount of the meilk and once it is completly mixed I pour it with the rest of the milk (as instructed in the booklet)
Thanks so very much
Ivonne
Comment by Irene:
Hi,
Love this site. I would like to respond to the yogurt makers with problems.
1) If you want thick yogurt more like the commercial variety, add non-fat dry milk powder to the milk. It gives more protein solids to the yogurt. I don’t remember exactly how much to add per quart of milk, but this information is easily obtained on the web.
2) The “sourness” or tang in the yogurt is related to the temperature and fermentation length. The culture will be WAY less tangy if given a short ferment at a low temp. Conversely if your yogurt is TOO tangy, give it a much shorter fermentation time. I have had the yogurt come out both ways, and I would suggest that the temperature was too low or the fermentation time too short. But I HAVE eaten yogurt which was sweet and creamy as described. Still alive and never got sick either. Perfectly fine.
3) If yogurt is disturbed or jiggled during fermentation it will not set properly – by that I mean that it won’t have that solid coagulation like you see in commercial yogurt. It will be thick and soupy instead. Again perfectly fine.
4) The type of milk used affects the texture of the final product. Skim milk produces the firmest yogurt, especially when nonfat dry milk is added. I think whole milk would account for much softer yogurt. In areas such as Greece and the Middle-East they use full fat milk AND add cream!
Been a while since I’ve made it! But I did enjoy it. Very tasty. I stopped because it was not cost effective for me as my local stores sell plain yogurt for cheap.
Hope this helps!
Irene
P.S. I would love to have your oatmeal bread recipe, if you wouldn’t mind sharing. :-)
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