Homemade Yogurt Making 101
The thought never really crossed my mind to make yogurt at home until I found out how easy it really is. You don't even need a yogurt maker. There are actually a variety of ways to make yogurt using different kitchen appliances you may have around. I personally find using my dehydrator which I can set at an exact temperature to be the easiest way for me. You can also use a crock pot if it has a temperature setting, an Instant Pot with a yogurt setting, or you can even use your oven by setting only the lamp as long as the lamp will heat your oven to at least 95-100 degree F. Some oven lamps are hot enough and some are not. You can check by placing a cooking thermometer or oven thermometer in your oven.
My family tolerates good quality dairy so we do incorporate it into our diet. I personally don't drink lots of milk, but I do seem to do fine with some occasional fermented dairy such as yogurt, kefir, and cheese. Fermented dairy such as yogurt can be a healthy food to incorporate into your diet. The probiotics present in yogurt especially homemade which I like to ferment for a whole 24 hours promotes gut health. Grass Fed full fat dairy contains many beneficial nutrients such as fat soluble vitamins vitamin A, vitamin D3, and K2. It also contains CLA (conjugated linoleum acid) and omega 3 fatty acids. When choosing your milk you want to pick a high quality full fat source. I would raw 100% grass fed milk would be the top choice. There is lots controversy if raw milk is safe, however, from personal experience and research I have done I have come to the conclusion that it really is the best stuff you can get with the highest health benefits. I will probably write a post just on raw milk at another time. Raw milk still contains the enzymes such as lactase to help brake down the lactose in milk, there is beneficial bacteria present in raw milk (quick little fact is that you can heal pink eye with both human breastmilk and Raw Cows or Goats Milk). Raw milk also contains more vitamins and minerals than pasteurized milk. The pasteurization process actually kills and decreases many of many of the vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, iron, copper, and manganese. It also hinders the bioavailability of vitamin B6. You can read more about the benefits of raw milk here . My family has been consuming raw milk that we get from a local farmer for 6 years now and we have never had anyone get sick. However, ultimately you have to choose what is right for you and your family. I am not here to tell you what to drink or not drink but just share info that I believe is important for your knowledge! If you can't r choose not to do raw milk than the second best option would be ORGANIC 100% Grass Fed Flash Pasteurized Whole Milk.
Servings: 6 Cups/3Pints
Ingredients:
- 6 Cups Raw or Organic 100% Grass Fed Cow or Goat Milk (If using goat milk your yogurt will turn out thinner)
- 3 TBSP Yogurt from previous batch or high quality plain yogurt
- 3 Pint Size glass jars with metal lids ( I use ball jars)
- A Cooking thermometer
Directions:
- In a saucepan pour all 6 cups and heat slowly until the is between 100-110 degree F.Make sure to check frequently with the thermometer not to overheat the milk. If you do heat to a higher temperature just make sure it cools down to around 105 degrees before you ad it to the jar with the yogurt or else it will kill of the culture.
- While milk is heating add 1 TBSP to each pint sized jar.
- Remove milk from heat and let cool for a couple minutes until temperature is between 100-105 degrees F. Add warm milk to each jar and stir to make sure the yogurt is mixed in with the milk.
- Cap your jars and place in either your dehydrator, crock pot, or oven. Set the temperature between 100-105 degrees. This is VERY important because if your temperature is too cool the culture will not grow, and if it is too hot it will kill of the culture.
- When you have set your milk at the right degrees then you can now leave it alone for 24 hours. Remove the yogurt and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours before consuming.
** If using the oven make sure to test first to make sure your oven light gets warm enough.
**Homemade yogurt will be thinner than store bought. So if yours is a little thinner than you are used to that is completely normal. If however, your yogurt is more milky than thick you may have either killed off the culture and heated it too hot or not kept your yogurt warm enough.
