Living Well: July 2007 Archives

One of the very best things I have learned to do is make yogurt at home in my very own kitchen. The kids eat about 1.5 quarts every day or day and a half. They have it for breakfast, make smoothies or have it for a snack. What is left in the jar gets scraped out and fed to the chickens as a cool treat in this hot, hot weather we are having. (It was 101 today! And we need rain so very badly right now.) You will need: A couple of clean quart jars with lids and ring A couple clean dish towels A cooler Boiling water A candy thermometer (Or a digital one) Milk Dry powdered milk Yogurt culture Boil a large pot of water. Pour it into your empty cooler to allow the cooler to begin heating up. Close the lid and let the cooler sit while you work on the next steps. This is your incubator. You are going to grow all of the beautiful and healthy bacteria that makes milk into deliciously thick and creamy yogurt. You can make more than 1 quart at a time, just remember to keep the ratio - (2 quarts milk, 2/3 cup dry milk powder, 4 tbsp culture) - (3 quarts milk, 1 cup dry milk powder, 6 tbsp culture) - (4 quarts milk (1 gallon), 1 & 1/3 cup dry milk powder, 8 tbsp culture). I make 3 quarts at a time. To make 1 quart of yogurt - 1 quart of milk 1/3 cup dry milk powder Mix well. Place over medium heat. Stir to prevent scalding. Heat milk to 185 degrees F. Watch it carefully. Don't let it boil and don't scorch it. In an ice bath begin to cool the milk down to a temperature of 110 degrees F. Sometimes it will drop very quickly. Other times it might take awhile. It depends on your type of pot and how much ice in your water bath. While your milk is cooling take the time to boil some more water and fill a couple of quart jars, wrapping them in a dish towel to insulate the heat. At 110 degrees add 2 heaping tablespoons of your yogurt culture to the milk mixture. Stirring well to mix. You can buy a yogurt culture in powder form but that is not what I use. I buy a very good organic PLAIN yogurt from the grocery store. Stoneyfield Farms to be exact. It has 6 different cultures in it and it one of the best on the market available in commercial form. You must use a plain yogurt. No flavors. None of that with the fruit already in it. Plain. Once your culture has been added pour your milk into your quart jar closing the lid hand tight. Wrap it in a towel. Pour the boiling water out of your cooler. Put the yogurt and hot water jars all in the cooler and close the lid. Don't open for 10 to 12 hours. When the yogurt is set move it to the refrigerator. Allow it to get cold before serving. If you make it in the morning it can incubate throughout the day and go into the refrigerator that evening. The yogurt will be perfect for breakfast the next day. I serve the girls a plain bowl. They top it with fruit, honey and granola. 3 quarts every 2 days. It must be good. I promise you it is good. Better than anything you can get in a grocery store. The homemade yogurt doesn't have a bitter after taste and it isn't as sour as its store bought cousins. You can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar to the milk in the beginning if you prefer a sweeter dessert type of yogurt. If all you can find is the large containers of plain organic yogurt go ahead and buy it. You can spoon the yogurt into an ice cube tray and freeze it. Pop them out and keep them in a freezer bag. To make another batch of your own yogurt just set the number of cubes you need of the frozen yogurt out on the counter and let it thaw. In the beginning whne you mix your milk and dry milk powder you can also add a couple tablespoons of instant pudding to flavor it. Once you accomplish the basics of making the yogurt you can experiment and create your own custom flavors. This is one of the easiest, healthiest, best things I have taught the girls to make this summer. Next we are tackling mozzarella cheese. Go on. I dare you to make a quart.