I kept my promise and I’m posting…How to make homemade yogurt!

Making yogurt at home is actually fairly easy.  I’ve been making yogurt as long as I can remember.  My recipe comes from grandmother, she had thought when they were visiting us here in the states when I was about 14 or so.  I can say that I grew up with home made yogurt, don’t get me wrong I love store bought yogurt as well.  Rather I prefer the taste of homemade yogurt because I can taste the real difference between homemade yogurts and store bought yogurt. 

Today at the local super markets one can find a LARGE variety of yogurts and each yogurt a has a different texture and taste to it.  Most well known and culturaly known yogurt that is close to Turkish yogurt is Greek yogurt.  Their are a large variety and numerous brands of Greek yogurt, but not all Greek yogurts are the same.  Some have a taste that is close to an authentic homemade yogurt while others taste a bit more sour and have a runny texture.  Its all of a personal preference, eat what you like!  I like to try a variety of yogurts, once in a while I will purchase different brands of yogurts to experiment and taste their flavors. 

My favorite supermarket brand yogurts are Dannon All Natural only flavors of vanilla & plain.  Dannon all natural plain yogurt is a great yogurt starter.  My # 1 favorite brand is Stony Fields.  I love their vanilla yogurt and plain yogurt, vanilla flavored is awesome in yogurt parfaits.  When I used to work in Red Hook, Brooklyn, before heading into the office, everyday 5 days a week I would stop by a local pastry and dessert shop called Baked.  I would buy there vanilla, granola and fruit yogurt parfaits – it is to die for good.  I have not had a yogurt parfait that well made, in a long time. Except for the ones I make at home. 

Stonyfield 6oz and Dannon 6 oz plain yogurts are great starts for homemade yogurts.  I do not use and prepare my yogurt with milk powder, because I prefer to use whole milk.  Two good brands for yogurt making are Tuscan and Farmland Dairies.  I have not tried to make yogurt with 2% milk or 1% or even skim milk.  The main reason is this, whole milk has full fat, once the fat is reduced and or completely removed in order for the yogurt to get its texture I need to use milk powder and a few other ingredients.  I do not have time or the patience to deal and work with that, for this reason I prefer to use 100% whole milk.  

This recipe makes for 3 liters about 3.2 qrts equal a 1/2 gallon.

Ingredients

• 1/2 a gallon of whole milk (good full fat brand)
• 1/2 cup of yogurt starter
  ~ first time makers - use 1 – 6 oz Dannon or Stonyfields Plain Yogurt or any brand you prefer 
• good stainless steel pot
• temperature reader
• large cloth to cover the yogurt once it had been fermented 
  ~ old table cloths work fine 

Preparation

1. Wet the bottom of the your stainless steel pot – drain excess water.
2. Pour the 1/2 gallon of milk in your pot and bring to almost a broil over medium heat.  Once the top has risen – a foam will have formed – remove from the heat. Be careful not to over flow the milk.
3. Insert you temperature reader and set a side to cool – it will take about 30 minutes for the milk to cool.  Should come down to a temperature of 110 degrees. See picture below.
   If you do not have a temperature reader that’s okay – wash your hands clean and using your pinkie finger, dip your pinkie slightly not going all the way it into the milk.  Be careful, it might be hot, if it is hot to touch then it had not cooled enough.  Check back again, several times if necessary.  The milk should not burn your pinkie rather it should be a luke warm feeling.
4. Once cooled, add in the yogurt starter from one side using a spoon – important DO NOT STIR - just top it with the pots lid.  Once you have added the yogurt – you have fermented the milk.
5. Now this set step is important because the milk has to be kept at a certain temperature for it to become a yogurt - it must be kept a warm surrounding.  This is the reason why it has to be wrapped in the cloth towel.  Wrap the cloth all around your pot, covering all sides of the pot and set it on your kitchen counter.  It will take about 8 hours for the yogurt to form.
   Note: Prepare everything the night before broil, cool and ferment the milk.  Cover and set on kitchen counter and leave over night.  Leaving it over night is the quickest way to make yogurt.
6. After 8 hours, unclothe your pot and cool to see that you have made yogurt. Put your homemade yogurt into the refrigerator and let cool for another 6-8 hours. 
7. Serve cold and enjoy.    

Milk in stainless steel pot, over medium heat. This is how it should look just before it begins to broil.

Cooling on kitchen counter,  should cool down to temperature of 110 degrees.

Add in starter yogurt DO NOT STIR – Top with Lid

Cover well with cloth.

6-8 hours later - your home made yogurt.

At the store we sell a variety of home style yogurts. We have homemade styles that range from full fat to low fat and ones with real butter on top.  Most popular brands are Arabic, Turkish, Greek and American styles.  Most commonly known and used brands are Romi’s, Ethnic International, Babylos & Greek.