Homemade yogurt -- my first attempt
i made my first batch of yogurt today out of a quart of organic valley 2% milk and a third of a cup of organic valley dried milk. i used a couple of tablespoons of fage yogurt for the starter.
i didn't have a heating pad or a probe thermometer, as suggested by alton, so i decided to try submerging the mason jars of hot milk into a preserving kettle of hot water, then setting the kettle in a cardboard box and insulating it with flannel sheets.
it absolutely turned into yogurt! mirabile dictu! nice and thick! the water was still warm when i took the jars out eight hours later. i took a taste, though, and unfortunately it tasted strongly of the powdered milk. i put it in the refrigerator to chill and i'm hoping that the sweet chalky taste will go away once it's nice and cold.
i remember reading that if you can smell powdered milk, it's too old. i don't know where i can buy fresher powdered milk, though, since i got it at whole foods.
anyway the process was super easy, and certainly a lot cheaper than buying siggi's.
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17 Comments:
The last time I made homemade yogurt I skipped the powdered milk, because no matter how little I used, I could taste it. The powdered milk is what helps to thicken homemade yogurt, so without it, it's quite runny. However, if you drain the homemade yogurt through some coffee filters for about two hours, it thickens nicely- and I love that i can make it without the powdered milk.
ErikaWaz at 8:12PM on 07/23/08
Congrats on your first try at yogurt. But you're doing way too much work.
All you need to do is bring a half gallon of milk to 180 degrees F in the microwave in a pyrex container, or on the stove with a nonstick pot. You'll either need to continuously stir to prevent the milk proteins from sticking to the bottom or not worry about it and pour off the milk into another container after it reaches 180 F, leaving the stuck on the bottom part behind (hence the nonstick pot). Let the milk cool to 105 F and then whisk in 1 tablespoon only of yogurt. Just like using less yeast and fermenting longer results in more flavorful bread dough, less yogurt and a longer ferment results in better flavor. I've used Fage but personally like the tartness of good old non flavored Dannon. Leave your pot of milk in the oven overnight, covered. At least 10 hours for tartness. Or, put it in your parked car with the windows rolled up.
Jay Francis at 9:38PM on 07/23/08
I just recently made my second batch of yogurt, and I gotta tell ya, that powdered milk flavor is not so good. I made the second batch while not thinking as clearly as I should have been and I added way more than I should have. The first batch I made was good, the second is only good if I'm mixing it with something else with strong flavor. Next time, I'm omitting the powdered milk completely.
I second the notion that being too obsessed about managing the temp is probably overkill. Consider that yogurt was created as a way to preserve milk, and that it was done well before there were thermometers.
That said, I stuck mine in the oven at 110 degrees and left it there for about 12 hours.
dbcurrie at 10:03PM on 07/23/08
i'm going to try it without the powdered milk next time and then just strain it if it's not thick enough. it's also not quite tart enough for my taste -- i'll try your suggestion and use less yogurt and a longer fermentation.
the texture is so unlike commercial yogurt. it's runny and gooey in a completely different way.
cybercita at 10:28PM on 07/23/08
Cybercita, the longer the fermentation, the more tart it will get for you. I hope the second batch turns out better for you.
ErikaWaz at 10:46PM on 07/23/08
@cybercita - congratulations on your very first batch! You've inspired me to try making some of my own this coming weekend...
brooke29 at 11:28PM on 07/23/08
@Brooke, I couldn't believe how easy it was. Go for it.
Considering that I seldom buy anything but plain yogurt, I see no reason why I need to buy yogurt any more, unless I need a new starter. This is so much cheaper, I cab make as much as I need, and if I strain it to make it thicker, even the leftover isn't wasted, because I can use that in bread.
And I know exactly what's in it.
Oh -- and before I made the yogurt, I used Alton Brown's recipe for creme fraiche, which was basically to add 1 part yogurt to 3 parts heavy cream and let that sit somewhere warm for 12 hours. That stuff was evil good.
dbcurrie at 12:01AM on 07/24/08
@dbcurrie - that's the thing, I only ever buy plain yoghurt, and have been contemplating making my own for quite some time now. I liked your (and Jay Francis's) tip about sticking it in the oven, too - it seems like the cleanest and easiest way to keep it at the same temperature for 10-12 hours, absolutely brilliant! And I see now that I don't even need to buy powdered milk, so really, nothing stops me from going for a trial batch tomorrow.
brooke29 at 12:57AM on 07/24/08
i use about 1/4 cup of powdered milk per batch, and i don't have any problems with the taste of the powdered milk coming through. i've been using Carnation's brand. i'm kind of intrigued by this, since it's the first time i've seen anyone mention that powdered milk leaves a weird taste in the yogurt. i wonder if it has anything to do with organic vs. regular ? (i'm assuming Carnation's is not organic; i'm not at home right now so i can't look at the box). i do use 2% organic milk from Costco though.
french tart at 8:46AM on 07/24/08
@french, I couldn't taste it in the first batch, which was made according to some recipe I found. The second batch, I thought I was making it by the recipe, but my memory was off on the powdered milk amount, which was where the problem came in. The stuff I had on hand was a store brand, and I'd be surprised if it was organic.
Next time, I'm going to try without the powdered milk, and see how it turns out. The second batch was noticably thicker because of the overage of powdered milk, but I figure that I can get decent thickness by straining it, if that's my goal.
dbcurrie at 11:26AM on 07/24/08
i agree you're doing way too much work! heat up the milk, cool it down, add the yogurt culture, wait a day, voila yogurt
stumbler02 at 12:19PM on 07/24/08
Cybercita: That is wonderful. I had been experimenting with homemade yogurt for awhile but have fallen off the wagon lately. In my experience many things impact the flavor of the finished product. Quality of milk used is crucial, as well as the type of starter you use. The dried milk does serve as a thickener, however you can certainly make yogurt without it.
I used RonnyBrook Farm milk and it was delectable.
http://izzyeats.blogspot.com/2007/10/homemade-yogurt-batch-3-too-yummy-to.html
I also achieved great results with goat milk:
http://izzyeats.blogspot.com/2007/11/getting-my-goat-milk-and-yogurt-that-is.html
izzy's mama at 12:26PM on 07/24/08
also: if you're using fage whole percent yoghurt with only skim milk, that's definitely not going to give you thicker youghurt. try organic whole milk, instead.
parkrangerolivia at 12:48PM on 07/24/08
Yum, makes it sound like it might be worth doing.
Another Alton Brown fan, yay! I love that guy. I would be more starstruck meeting him than Johnny Depp. Does that make me a nerd?
buffy at 5:17PM on 07/24/08
You're all making this sound so easy! I love yogurt, but so often the stuff I get in stores has a weird taste from thickeners - even if it's organic.
I might have to get some of my favorite milk at the Union Square Greenmarket (from Milk Thistle Farms) tomorrow and try this over the weekend. Their milk is so sweet and grassy, and I can just imagine it would make some dreamy yogurt.
butterface at 6:24PM on 07/24/08
i bought some low fat goat's milk and will try again with that, minus the powdered milk. will report back. i'm also going to try it with ronnybrook, since it's such delicious milk anyway. or i'll try butterface's suggestion and get some milk thistle farms, if i can get it home before it goes bad.
i read your blog last week, izzy's mama, and was definitely inspired to try after i read it. yogurt really is stupendously easy, even with all the extra steps i took.
cybercita at 9:00PM on 07/24/08
I've been making my own yogurt and it's just so delicious. The first time I made it, I used powdered milk that was really old -- and it all tasted fine in the end. Lately, I've been using Alba (?) brand powdered milk. It comes 3 pouches per box. I combine 1/2 gallon milk (I use organic) with one pouch (1 c, I think) powdered milk (not organic -- I can't find organic) and a drizzle of honey, then heat to 120F. I add some of my last batch of yogurt (amount varies, depending on how much I have) and instead of doing exactly what Alton says, I put a heating pad in the bottom of a styrofoam cooler on low, then put in containers of yogurt-to-be. I leave it overnight and it's magically delicious. The cooler stays at about 100F. My initial starter a couple of months ago was Chobani plain yogurt. I've been getting beautiful berries from my CSA, so I combine about 1/2 c of berries, 1/2-1c yogurt, 1 tbsp wheat germ, and a drizzle of honey (if the berries are a little tart). It's so good.
azured00 at 11:49AM on 07/28/08