Easy Homemade Yogurt

Helga Glaesel de BlandingMay 9, 2015

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At first, thinking about making Homemade Yogurt seemed like a challenging task and probably not even worth trying. I also heard some discouraging comments about how it might be a slow and stinky process. Thank God for the internet! I found many recipes that made it look so easy, so then… the only question was, is it delicious? It is. And I will continue to make yogurt because it is so easy.

All you need are a couple of tablespoons of a good store-bought yogurt, a quart of milk and a cooking thermometer. I followed the procedure exactly, and got a wonderfully thick result. I wanted to try flavoring it, by adding a little Stevia and few drops of good quality vanilla extract. It’s a good thing I did a little research, because initially I would have added the stevia and vanilla before transferring the milk and yogurt mix to the glass containers. That would have resulted in a liquid mess, it would have never thickened. Whatever you want to add, make the yogurt first following the recipe’s instructions and add the sweeteners or flavorings only after it has thickened. In my experience, adding the stevia and vanilla did compromise the thickness a little bit. It’s the one pictured in the bowl with the berries.

Another important tip, is that when you cover your container with the kitchen towel, make sure you cover the entire thing, including the top. The more time you let it thicken, the more it will, but you also increase the tartness in the flavor. I left mine for exactly 6 hours because I couldn’t wait to see the results. Next time I will try leaving it alone for 8 hours. Next up, coconut milk and almond milk yogurt.

Have you heard about our Anniversary Giveaway? Over the next couple of days we will be sharing the prizes our amazing friends are giving to you! Start taking pictures of your favorite moments around food and share them on Instagram or Facebook and use the hasthag #tfk5. Good luck!

Helga

Easy Homemade Yogurt

Recipe from Martha Stewart
Yields: 1 quart

Ingredients:
4 cups of 2%-fat milk
3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
Special equipment: candy thermometer
1 packet of Stevia (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Procedure:

Place milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until it reaches 180 degrees, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool down to 115 degrees.
Whisk together 1 cup of the cooled milk and the yogurt. Stir into remaining milk.
Transfer to a your mason jars. Wrap jars (without lid) in 2 clean kitchen towels, completely covering sides and top.
Let stand undisturbed in a warm place until yogurt has the consistency of custard, 6 to 8 hours.
If you are adding sweeteners and vanilla, this is the time to do so. (Once it is set. If you add it before it sets, it will be runny)
Refrigerate the uncovered jars; when it’s cool to the touch, about 30 minutes, screw on a tight-fitting lid.