Adventures in Yogurt Making

I was tired of buying expensive yogurt from the store. Why not try making my own yogurt at home? It’s apparently easy and cost-effective, but also a fun and rewarding experience. Here are some of my adventures in yogurt making:

Traditional yogurt requires only two ingredients: milk and yogurt culture. 

STEP1: I heat the milk up 180°F/82C roughly for one hour stirring occasionally. I like to clean the kitchen while I am making the yogurt as it ensures I don't get bored just standing there stirring for a whole hour! I tired skipping this step because the milk I bought from the store was already pasteurized so why did I need to heat it? The answer is to evaporate the liquid/water. If you don't do this step you get very runny yogurt. 

STEP 2: Then I let it cool to 110°F/43C and add the yogurt culture. If you don't have a thermometer you can approximate by sticking your finger in the milk, if it feels Luke warm but not cold it’s a good time to add the starter. Also more starter is not better, 2 tablespoons for about one gallon/4Liters of milk is perfect. 

STEP 3: Then I let wrap the pot in towels (see good life permaculture blog hot box for more details) and let the mixture sit for 4-12 hours until it thickens into yogurt. The longer you leave it the more tangy it gets. I like to leave it for 8 hours here (where it is very hot, if your house is cold you will have to leave it for longer to Yog up). 

STEP 4: You can strain the yogurt to make it thicker or add flavors like fruit or honey if you want but I don't bother, it’s delicious plain.

I have found making yogurt at home to be a fun and rewarding experience. Not only is it cost-effective, but it also allows me to control the ingredients and flavors of your yogurt. Any one else have a similar experience? Tell me about it in the comments below.