Yogurt can be made at home without going to the grocery store. You can make yogurt at home in your kitchen. The easiest way to make delicious yogurt is without a yogurt maker, using only a few ingredients. Of course, if you decide to make yogurt, you’ll need some supplies, but you can always make yogurt in your home with just a spoon and a bowl.
Is It Easy To Make?
Making yogurt is one thing that many people believe is difficult to do; however, it is far easier than you imagine. All you need is a stovetop, pot, spoon, and bowl! You can make homemade yogurt in an instant pot, yogurt maker, or by hand on the stove. This post will cover the stovetop method so anyone with a cooker can participate and make yummy yogurt.
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Milk Should Be Heated Until It Reaches 180°F (82°C)
Also known as pasteurization, heating rids milk of any bacteria, pathogens, molds, or spores; it kills unwanted microbes. As soon as you introduce good bacteria to the milk, you want them to multiply without interaction with the undesirable bacteria. Changing the structure of the proteins in the milk also makes the yogurt thicker by heating it.
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The Milk Should Be Cooled To 115°F (46°C)
Once you have sufficiently heated and killed the unwanted bacteria, you will need the milk to cool down enough to get ready to add in the good bacteria. It is vital that you use a thermometer to be as accurate as possible.
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Add Your Good Bacteria (Yogurt Starter Or Pure Yogurt)
Add 3 tablespoons of pre-made yogurt or yogurt starter to one cup of warm milk. The best thing to do is to identify bacteria that produce lactic acid. The bacteria you will need to add includes:
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
- Streptococcus thermophilus.
- Lactobacillus acidophilus.
- Bifidobacterium lactis.
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Mix It All Together
Add everything together and give it a good stir. Don’t be too violent but ensure that you are mixing enough to join it all up.
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Pour The Mixture into jars and incubate
It will be thicker and tangier the longer you incubate it. Your healthy, dense, and creamy yogurt will be ready in about 8 hours. The good bacteria you added to the milk thrive in a warm, consistent environment. To do this, you will place it into your oven at a low temperature and let it grow.
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Final Step
Once your yogurt has had enough time to ferment, you should take out the jars and place them into your fridge. As they cool down, they will thicken even further.
Eat and enjoy the yogurt with your favourite tea cake, biscuits, or fruits!
Quick Tips
Before diving into the process, there are few quick tips that will make the process easier and let you know what to use.
Equipment
You will need some utensils such as:
- You’ll need a large pot that can hold all the milk.
- The bowl/container should be heat-resistant and non-metal, and big enough to contain all the milk.
- A whisk if possible, but a fork and spoon will do if you don’t have one.
- Stove for heating milk.
- The oven in which yogurt can be incubated.
Ingredients
The best part about making yogurt is that the ingredients list is straightforward:
- Whole milk.
- Live or active bacteria (AKA yogurt starter).
Which Milk Is Best
It’s up to you; buying whole milk often produces the creamiest variety. However, you can opt for low-fat milk or even goat’s milk if you want to make something different.
Your First Batch Might Not Taste Right (But It Is The Real Taste)
Even after incubating the yogurt for a long time, it will likely taste tangy after the first batch. It is because store-bought yogurts are too sweet for your taste buds and have altered the way you perceive yogurt should taste. Maple syrup or honey can be added to taste if you’d like to sweeten it up.
Fruits Before Or After?
Definitely afterward. That is to say, add any fruits once the incubation period has finished. The sugar from the fruits will affect the bacteria from incubating correctly.
How Long Will It Last For
In theory, your yogurt should last for up to ten days if properly sealed and refrigerated. However, this will depend on how cold your fridge is and if you leave the yogurt in an airtight container or not.
You Can Make Vegan Yogurt
If you are vegan and cannot use milk, you can replace it with coconut, soy, or almond milk. The process is slightly different in terms of temperature, but the overall idea remains the same.
Making yogurt at home is a fun thing to do and allows you to avoid the overpriced and over-surgery store-bought varieties.
