Yogurt is something I have wanted to make for a lonnggg time, but I was just, well, kinda.....nervous. I thought, what if it doesn't turn out right? what if I don't get the temperature just right? What if I just end up making curdled milk? Do I need a yogurt maker? Well, I tell ya...I stepped out of my shell and made yogurt and guess what, I AM SSOOO GLAD I DID!!! It was so EASY and DELICIOUS!!
I seriously couldn't believe how incredibly easy it was!! SERIOUSLY!! You HAVE got to try it!!!
I read several recipes and how-to's on making it and at first I got a bit overwhelmed with all of the specifics given in all of the directions, so I simplified it for you all. I tried to get as many pictures of each step so you can all follow along easier.
Doesn't that look so good and creamy? Let's make yogurt!!....
STEP 1: Gather your ingredients and supplies. you will need:
-heavy stockpot
-whisk
-thermometer
-measuring cups
-2 quarts milk (i used store bought, whole milk)
-1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Chobani Greek yogurt)
-crockpot
-towels
-2-quart canning jars
-foil to cover tops of jars, or canning lids and rings
-flavoring for yogurt, such as vanilla, sugar, fresh fruit, or flavored gelatin
STEP 2: Heat milk to 180'.
Whisk often to prevent scorching.
STEP 3: Remove from heat. Allow milk to cool to 112'-115'. This takes about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, turn your crockpot on warm or low if you don't have a warm setting.
STEP 4: Measure out 1/2 cup yogurt.....
...put it in small mixing bowl and whisk about 1 cup of cooled milk into yogurt.
STEP 5: Mix yogurt in with rest of milk.
STEP 6: Pour milk/yogurt into canning jars. I used a canning funnel to help with this,
and I'm glad I did because when I was pouring the milk and tryng to take a pic, I ended up with this...
What a mess!! Pouring the other jar went much smoother and cleaner!
STEP 7: Turn crockpot off and place towel in bottom. Cover jars with foil or lids, and place in warmed crock. Wrap towel around jars. Place another towel over entire crockpot.
STEP 8: Let sit for at least 4 hours. The longer it sits, the more tart the yogurt becomes.
I let mine sit for 4 hours. I didn't have any problems with it not staying warm.
There ya have!! Told ya it was easy!
I will tell you that when I first took the yogurt out of the crock pot, I thought I had curdled milk for sure! You will notice a bit of liquid floating at the top of the jar, separate from the yogurt, this is just whey. You didnt mess anything up! Whew! You can pour this off for a thicker yogurt, or stir it back in. I just stirred mine back in and still had a thick, creamy yogurt!
STEP 9: Flavoring. For vanilla yogurt, I mixed 3 1/2 tbsp of raw sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp of vanilla in a small bowl to dissolve the sugar a bit. I mixed that into 1 quart of the yogurt.
If you want a fruit flavored yogurt, you can mix in 4 tbsp of your favorite flavored gelatin.
Refrigerate for about 3 hours. It gets even thicker once it is cooled.
Enjoy it as a healthy snack...
...or top it with granola, and have it with your morning coffee!
I also doubled this recipe and made a gallon, yes, a gallon of yogurt!! It turned out great!
Let me know how yours turns out! If you have any questions, leave me a comment below!
-Tiffany
4 comments:
My husband wants me to start making our own yogurt (since our kids eat so much of it and we know the store bought stuff is pretty bad for you), but I get nervous about making certain things (seafood is another thing that makes me nervous).
My youngest wild thing asked me last nite to make yogurt. I told her it was way to hard for me to make. Truth is I am too scared to try it! Maybe one day I will conquer my fears too.
Once you make it, it becomes like second nature! In fact, I am now so comfortable with making it, I make a gallon once a week and I just make it while I clean the kitchen! Maybe you and your girls will have to come over and make some!
Part of why I first wanted to make yogurt was just to give it a try, and then after I saw how easy it was, I now make it all the time! It has become part of my weekly routine to make a gallon of yogurt! And the kids loved it, they add fruit and granola and customize it exactly how they want!
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