Homemade Yogurt so good...you'll never buy it again!

My apologies in advance.  This may quite possibly be the world's longest post. Bear with me, it's worth it.   Today I am going to show you how to make homemade yogurt using a crock pot.  While this recipe takes a long time to become yogurt, it involves minimal labor, I promise. It is sooooooo good!  After trying this yogurt, you will NEVER buy store-bought again....unless you need a little bit for your starter.  More about that below....

Here's what you'll need:

1/2C Store-bought UNsweetened PLAIN Yogurt (Preferably Fage Total Brand or Greek)
1/2 Gallon WHOLE Milk
1 Quart (2 Pints)  Heavy Whipping Cream ($1.58/pint at Aldi's)
Crock Pot
Butter Muslin or a Tea Towel
Medium sized glass bowl
Ladle (not pictured)
Plastic mixing spoon (not pictured)
Large Bath Towel (not pictured)
Strainer and bowl (not pictured....yeah, you get the idea.)

Making sure your Crock Pot is IMMACULATELY CLEAN,

pour a half gallon of milk in it.  If it's not immaculate, run

the insert through the dishwasher once or clean and rinse in screaming

hot water.  We don't want anything tainting

our delicious yogurt.  I just can't figure out how

my crock got all those cracks inside.  I blame my husband.

(You might blame my dishwasher?)

Certainly some poisonous substances are leaching into 

my food, said the paranoid mom.  Mehhhhhh....Moving on....

Next, pour in your cream.  This is clearly the full fat version,

but there is no taste comparison, I promise!  Afraid of fat?  Think

fat makes you FAT?  Think again!  Some reading material for you

right HERE!  You're gonna be shocked, I swear!

Turn your crock on LOW, put the lid ON and set a timer for 2 1/2 hours.

Here's what you'll have when that timer goes off.  Hmmmm, thick milk.

I gave mine a stir, but you'll just leave your lid ON, but turn the crock OFF.  

Let sit for 3 hours.  Do not disturb.

During this time, it will cool down to approx 110 degrees.  

Avoid lifting the lid and checking on it while cooling.

We don't want to cool it down too quickly or to introduce

any bacteria into our yogurt.  I also use plastic spoons 

rather than wooden when I work with yogurt because I'm a dork
and I'm worried some hidden germs in the spoon will taint my whole
batch of yogurt, lol.  Ever wonder why you came here in the first place?

After the three hour cooling period, your milk/cream mixture may

look something like this with a yellow film on top.  This is okay.

It's just buttery fatness.  Give it a stir.  Note:  the rest of the pix

tend to have a yellow tint to them because it's later in the day.

Take a cup or two of your heated milk mixture and

ladle it into a separate bowl.  We are going to temper our yogurt.

To temper just means to bring two UNlike temperatures closer

together without shocking/curdling one of our components. In this

case, we don't want to kill our bacteria in our store-bought yogurt.

 

Now, you will take 1/2C of your 

STORE-bought yogurt and put it the same bowl.  This is your starter.

It already has the live cultures in it that we need to turn our milky

concoction into yummy nummy yogurt.

Stir a bit.  Doesn't matter if you break up all of the chunks.

We're just trying to gently introduce the live cultures before

we plunge them in the pool of hotter milk mixture.  BTW, I have

forgotten this step and dumped my starter right in the crock 

and it worked fine.  A little runnier, but still tasted good.

Now, dump the whole bowl back into the crock and stir gently.

Put the lid back on and wrap the whole crock with a large, heavy

bath towel.  Yes, a bath towel.  Run! Get one now!  Remember, 

your crock is still OFF and will remain that way from this point forward.

Now, the next part is up to you, but I find that my yogurt tends to 

get thicker if I place it in my COOL 

(not used in the last couple of hours)

oven over night, away from drafts.  UPDATE: I have since started
turning on my oven lights about an hour ahead of time.  This makes
the oven a nice warm temperature when I put my crock in.

If you do this, make sure you don't have an oven with a pilot light

that will set your towel on fire!  You might also want to put

a sticky note on your oven saying, "DO NOT USE".  In my

house, that'd never happen.  I'm the only one who knows how to 

use the damn thing.  I'm not bitter though.  Place your racks in

the lowest position and carrrreeeefuuuulllly move your crock 

into the oven.  Leave the light on because it makes a perfect environment
for your yogurt to grow and thrive.  Just make sure your towel is clear
of touching anywhere near the light(s).

Close the door and let sit for a minimum of 12 hours or overnight.
It's even better if you let it go 24 hours because then the lactose
(milk sugar) will be eaten up and the probiotic cultures to become strong.
So, you'll have low sugar, high fat, darn tasty, gut-improving yogurt!
Note: the longer you ferment, the tangier the end product will be.

In the morning you will have something like this.

It's actually a little runnier than it looks.  Here's what

it looked like after stirring well.  Kind of like an unset pudding consistency.

Get yourself a large bowl and set a sieve/strainer/colander inside.

I originally opted for this plastic bowl, but later decided it was

easier to see how much whey was collecting in the bottom

with a clear glass or plastic bowl.

Line your strainer with butter muslin or a tea towel and pour your liquid

inside.  Depending on the size of your strainer and bowl, you may need

to do two batches.  Since making this tutorial, I've switched to tea towels. 

I find them easier to work with.

Double it over or the whey will run right through and 

will be white.  This means you're losing too much of 

the milk solids.  It's still fine, but I don't think the whey would

last as long. Your whey should be yellow.  I save mine to add

nutrients into other dishes (coming soon). I'm also planning

on using it for some lacto-fermented foods that I hope to make soon!

Ohhhh, the things I've been reading about since I last posted!

 

Because I don't want my muslin to lay right on top of my yogurt,

I came up with a little trick.  Who knows....maybe everyone who

makes yogurt does this, but I thought it was pretty neat.  I take the

longest utensil I can find, usually a wooden spoon (which my brain

tells me is okay since it's not technically touching the yogurt), and

lay it across my bowl.

Bring two opposite corners together and tie. 

Not too tight.  Don't want it to squish out the sides.

Then I bring the other two corners together and tie.  This

will put a little pressure around your yogurt so it will drain better.

It will also protect your yogurt from other smells/tastes in the 

fridge.  AND from getting a grody looking skin on it.

Put in the fridge to drain for at least 12 hours.  If you want it even 

thicker (I do), let it go for 24 hours.  Check it every few hours to

be sure your drained whey isn't touching the bottom of the sieve.

If you're like me and you had so much you needed to drain

it in two batches, you can always put the UNdrained yogurt

in the fridge for a day or two.  Doesn't hurt a thing.  If anything,

because of the whey, it will last longer!  Just put it in a covered

container and place in the fridge until you're ready.  You could just use

it this way if your intent is to make really nutrient-dense smoothies.

You can just add a few berries and some ice and whirl away!

Oh, don't forget the sweetener!  I use Stevia.

This is what your whey should look like, yellow.  If it is a little

white, that's okay.  Sometimes I get a mixture of the two. 

Just dump it in a jar and refrigerate for other uses, like the

best homemade Ranch Dressing without a packet

that you've ever had!  

 

Here's what the yogurt looks like after about 12 hours.  See how

it's pulling away from the sides?  This is a good thing!

Look at the consistency!  Yummmmm-O!  Looks like sour cream,

doesn't it?  Taste it!  Tastes like the BEST sour cream ever!  Not 

exactly what you had in mind when you were making yogurt?  That's

okay.  We can sweeten it up later and your taste buds and gut will thank you!

If you want, set a cup of this aside in a container to use as sour cream!

Save yourself $2-3 by not having to buy it.  I like multi-purpose recipes!

Here's what I always do that this point.  You'll notice that the center

is still pretty wiggly, while the outside is pretty firm.  I take a plastic

spoon/spatula/whatever is available and scrape the bottom and the

sides of the muslin.  I stir it around well to redistribute the liquids

and solids.  This can be a messy job as you always end up getting 

some on your hands.  Tie it back up now.

At this point, because it's more solid, I sometimes just take the sieve

away.  I hang the spoon over my bowl, hoping gravity will help

drain the rest of the whey out of there.

In another 12 hours, we have nice thick yogurt!

This takes some scraping to get the yogurt off the muslin.

Transfer to your container of choice.  Sometimes this

can be a two person job.

I store my yogurt in an old store-bought yogurt container.  Be

sure to label the top with the date.  I'm fairly certain this will last

a couple of weeks, but mine never lasts that long because I always

eat it all up.  I've heard other sites tout that the whey 

itself can last up to 6 months in the fridge, 

but I'd never trust that.  Kinda creeps me out.  I'd bet you could freeze it.

Here's how I eat mine.  I scoop about a cup in a bowl and add about

8 drops of liquid Stevia. If you use something like Truvia or sugar, it will

be grainy.  I like Stevia because it's natural and has zero calories.  Then 

I add about 1/3C blueberries or raspberries and a dozen (soaked/baked)

almonds.  (More about that whacky practice here)  Mix well and enjoy!

Notes:  This is by far the best yogurt I've ever had in my life.  And I've never even been wild about yogurt (until now).  It's so creamy, almost buttery.  The bowl you see above frequently appears as my lunch for the day.  A cup of yogurt doesn't seem like much of a lunch to you?  Well, this one is and I'll tell you why.  It's got so much good fat and protein in it that it's incredibly satisfying!  Our brains and bodies need fat to stay satiated and to function properly.  Ever been on a low fat diet and are constantly hungry and craving?  That's why!  Low fat doesn't give your body what it needs!

I've found that when I eat lots of good, healthy animal fat (sound like an oxymoron?), I very seldom crave ANYTHING and I'm not hungry in between meals either. I find if I eat this for breakfast or lunch, it doesn't affect my weight at all.  If I eat TWO bowls of this in a day, or eat it late at night, I will go up a tad, but it's gone the next day.  So, you decide when is best for you.  Or, just have 1/2C as a snack.  Either way, it's got wonderful probiotics which are great for your digestive system!

Now, granted, this is the very high fat version for people who wish to MAINTAIN their weight.  If I was trying to lose weight, I would make it with just whole milk or 2% alone, no cream.  Although I can't imagine ever liking yogurt any other way now.   For more reading about animal fats and why they are the healthiest fats you can eat, click HERE.  (I know, I know!  It flies in the face of everything you were ever brainwashed with, errrr, taught!)  I'll climb down from my new-found-know-just-enough-to-be-dangerous soap box now!

This also saves you money making it at home.  See that quart container of Fage Total?  That baby costs about $7.49!!!  (And worth every penny)  I got it on sale for $6 and thought I was in heaven!  I can make the same quart at home for $4.35 and have lots of healthy whey out of the deal, too.  Still sound like a lot of cash?  When you compare the prices of the good stuff, it's worth it.  Besides, you'll never get the good nutrients from store-bought like you will with this.   Did you know....most store-bought yogurt is only 'fermented' for about one to three HOURS?!  Imagine how much sugar is still in there!  Remember,  the longer the ferment, the less sugar.  That's just one benefit of the homemade.  Another good thing...when you're done, you can always use the yogurt you just made as the starter for your next batch!  Cool, huh?!

Okay, on to sweeteners.  I've been using Stevia (NOT Stevia in the raw....there is a difference) because it tastes good and doesn't add any calories.  Which is really funny when you consider the caloric density of this yogurt, lol.  But it does need something to sweeten it, at least for me.  Otherwise, it's kind of like eating a very high quality sour cream.  I love sour cream, but not as lunch.  You use whatever sweetener you like.  I've tried two different kinds of Stevia.  One I got at Whole Foods ($7 and kind of bitter) and one I got at GNC ($11, but tastes great!).  It's expensive for a 2oz bottle, but it lasts a long time.  Stevia in the Raw is different because there's something in it that raises blood sugar.  If this is an issue for you, I'd do the drops.

From our half gallon of milk and quart of cream, this yields about a quart of yogurt and a quart of whey.  Save the whey to fortify soups, salad dressings, soak grains and beans, anything that calls for liquid.  Okay, maybe not Kooooool-Aid, but you get what I mean. Some people even drink it straight.  That doesn't appeal to me as it has a somewhat slimy texture.  It has many health benefits, actually.   If it creeps you out to use it, put it in the fridge and feed to the dog for a couple of weeks.  Careful, not too much or it can give them tummy trouble.  I usually give my dog a piece of bread, then enough whey to soak the bread.  She loves it.  Dorkily, we've started calling, "Siiiisssssssssyyyyy,  wheyyyyy wheyyyy!"  You oughtta see that canine fool come a-runnin'!  LOL!

When you're done transferring your yogurt to a container, the muslin has little chunks of yogurt on it.  I just soak mine in the sink for a while in hot water, then hand wash well. If using muslin that cannot be washed in the washer, you can throw it in the microwave for 4 minutes to zap any bacteria, turn over and zap again, then hang up to dry.  My muslin has raw edges, so if I threw it in the washer, it'd get torn to shreds.  Since I've started using tea towels, I go through the same steps, but throw it in the wash at the end. I still zap it because I figure if it doesn't get washed until the next day, it won't be going sour in the laundry sorter. I was the tea towels in hot water by themselves, not with the family laundry.  I use homemade laundry detergent and NO fabric softener on them.  I don't wanna eat that stuff.

Starting this whole yogurt procedure (from step one) is a good activity for about 2:30 in the afternoon.  It's heated by 5pm.  It's cooled by 8pm.  By the time you get up the next morning, it's ready to drain.  If you drain it for 24 hours like I do, it's ready for breakfast the next day.  As mentioned earlier, it takes a long time in total, but very little work on your part is needed.   If you decide to make some of this yogurt, let me know what you think!  You can always start with a smaller batch and use just a quart of whole milk and a pint of cream.

And lastly, phew!  A note about safety.  As earlier mentioned, I only use plastic utensils when stirring/scraping, etc.  Wood utensils, even though thoroughly cleaned, can contain trace amounts of bacteria/germs that won't harm us when we stir our soup with it.  However, since we're making a fermented dairy product, I don't want to add ANYthing that will spoil my hard work.  I also NEVER dip my finger in to taste it.  Do I ever taste it while fermenting/draining?  You bet!  BUT, I dip a plastic (or metal) spoon in, taste the spoon, then throw the spoon in the dishwasher.  I don't even run my finger along the spoon, then reinsert it into the yogurt.  Not taking any chances!  Your finished product should taste sour as in 'sour cream', not sour as in rancid.  If it tastes 'off', use your best judgment and discard it.  If it has any discolored or moldy areas, discard it.  Something has contaminated it.  I have made several batches so far and have yet to encounter this problem.  But, I'm also very psycho careful about my sanitary conditions while making this.  Let me know if you try this...and let me know what you think!
{Printer Friendly Version}

Pin It