November 17, 2006
-
YoGurt
Saving money, adding health and taste
Ever considered how small yogurt containers were getting, and how expensive they could be? Think about it- if a gallon of milk costs you… let’s be expensive, and say $4.00. Take a quart of that, which would be $1.00. Now, you could use that- and nothing else save flavouring- and have yogurt that costs you $1.00 for an entire quart. Pretty nice, huh? And it doesn’t take a lot of effort, considering. I think it is fun- it’s healthy, too, AND you can make it “to taste”. If you’ve ever tried plain yogurt in the store, it is actually MORE sour than if you made it yourself.
No fancy equipment necessary. All you need is an oven- though it is easier if you have a nice oven like we got when we bought our house, that has the ability to be set at a VERY low temp and just keep the yogurt slightly warm (you want it warm in the oven- leaving an oven light on can do it, or setting it to ‘warm’ or even below warm if possible. If you aren’t sure warm or below warm isn’t too hot, then just preheat your oven and occasionally go back and gently reheat it just a little. You have LIVING yogurt cultures in there and you don’t want to kill them). If you want to give it a try, here’s a simple recipe.
1 Quart milk (I use 2%, you can use skim or another- realise it will effect how ‘thick’ yours is. Store bought yogurt, unlike fresh, sometimes uses other ingredients to be thick- including gelatin)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (buy plain yogurt from the store, look for “contains live bacteria/yogurt” in it… all the ones I have gotten do- you need it to be live. Once you make yogurt this way, however, future yogurt you do NOT have to buy this from the store)
Optional- evaporated/condensed milk (use this if you want thick yogurt, like you buy in the store. Without this, it will be runny- they like it that way in Europe, actually, but we have our own American way. Use about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup)1) Put all milk into a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Try not to do it too quickly, since you do NOT want to scorch the milk. Stir occasionally to avoid it sticking to the bottom. This is the longest part- I’d say try medium, or if you don’t want to wait try medium-high heat (7 or 8 on a 10 scale dial). Medium-high does risk scorching, so stir a LOT.
2) Watch closely, once it boils milk usually will IMMEDIATELY fill the pot and try to boil over- quicker than water. The minute you see it start to bubble and rise, take it off the heat and put it over the sink… it took me several tries to avoid it spilling over the rim.
3)Let milk sit until lukewarm- don’t let it get cold. Check it every fifteen minutes if you have the time, and more frequently as it gets to the point you can put your finger in. Once you can put your finger in and it doesn’t burn it or feel uncomfortable- and is getting lukewarm- you can begin.4) Pour milk into a medium to large bowl (large enough for the milk, without spilling). Set aside 1/2 a cup of the milk in a small bowl/container and add the two tablespoons yogurt. Stir or whisk it until it is completely smooth and combined, then return the mixture to the rest of the milk. Stir it together. IF you want a starter for the next batch of yogurt, put some of the mixture into a seperate jar (something you can put a lid on and seal, then leave in the fridge until the NEXT time you make yogurt- after you follow the next step with it, of course).
5) Pre-heat your oven slightly at a low temp. You don’t need a thermometer, but if you want to use one, you are looking for around 115 degrees F- warm, but not hot (in oven terms). Cover the bowl (and the optional jar seperately) with a cloth, then set in the oven.
6) Let these sit in the oven for 6-8 hours depending on desired consistency. The warmer it is, the FASTER it goes (provided it is not too warm), likewise if it is too cool, it will go slower than expected. Check it starting with 4 hours to be safe- you are looking for it to ‘gurt’ (or ‘yo’ if you like), that is to ‘jell’ up a little all the way through. Also, in addition to gurting, you will notice the longer it is there the more of a yogurt ‘sour’ flavour it gets. It will only gurt so much- after a certain point, it will actually seperate a little with watery parting from the rest. This is NOT bad, and all you need to do when serving is stir it a little, or you can heat it slightly later to fix this. NOTE- stirring the yogurt makes it more runny, I usually try to stir it as little as possible until I am ready to actually eat it.
It should be done in 6-8 hours- completely gurt’ed, and when you taste it it should taste like yogurt (unflavoured- to check this, try a fingerfull of the store bought yogurt and compare. NOTE- you don’t have to make it as sour as the store bought if you like, so long as it is as firm as you desire you can take it out sooner).
Many people eat yogurt plain- because it isn’t always as sour as you get it in the store. It is very healthy to do this- and some will add their own ‘fruit on the bottom’ (add the fruit to the bottom of the bowl while it is still milk, before pouring in the mixture- in this case, mix up the milk with the yogurt while it is still in the pot, perhaps- or another bowl) or just add fruit and stir it in when you eat it. You can also sweeten it, but I’m not sure if it will adversley effect the oven process if there is a higher amount of sugar. I sometimes add honey and stir it in when I eat- you can try adding light amounts of other syrups too.
This can be done with ANY milk, EVEN breast milk for mothers who want to make yogurt for babies. Have fun, be healthy, and save money.
-Patrick
(Recipe is copyright Patrick F., 2006- if you want to post this or publish this in any way, you must get my written/typed permission first. Please, just ask)