How
To Make Yogurt At Home
Yogurt is very
easy to make at home. Many homes in India and US still make yogurt at home
each and everyday. It is almost a ritual. Yogurt can also be bought
fresh in India from a milk vendor. Special yogurt-making equipment
allows for careful temperature control without a thermometer and
reduces the chances of failure. But you can use any pot or bowl. Making yogurt at home is fun and less expensive than buying it. Although
I do like the firmer textures of store bought yogurt.
Yogurt is made
by inoculating certain bacteria Streptococcus thermophilus and
Lactobacillus bulgaricus, into milk This is called - starter
culture.
The easiest and
least expensive way of obtaining a starter culture is to purchase
"plain" yogurt at a grocery store. You must use a brand of
plain yogurt whose label indicates that the product contains a live
culture; some brands of plain yogurt do not contain a live culture
because the yogurt has been pasteurized.
After
inoculation (or adding the yogurt culture to the milk) the milk is incubated
(stored in a warm area) until firm. Accurate temperature
control helps assure rapid coagulation and a good-tasting
yogurt.
1
gallon whole milk - you can use 2% or skim milk
1 cup starter culture - plain yogurt at room temperature
Bring
milk to just a boil and then set aside to cool.
Discard any "skin" that may have formed on the milk. Heating
the milk to boiling kills any undesirable bacteria that might be
present and also changes the properties of the milk protein so that it
gives the yogurt a firmer body and texture. Just
cool enough or until luke warm to touch. - about 110 degrees F
.
Spread
the starter culture into the container that you are going to make the
yogurt in. Pour
the warm milk into it. Mix well but gently. Do
not incorporate too much air. If too much air is mixed in, the starter
culture will grow slowly. Cover
with a couple of towels top and bottom to maintain an even
temperature.
Keep
covered at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Yogurt
containers can be kept warm in a gas oven with pilot light and
electric bulb, or an electric oven with light bulb of sufficient
wattage - approximately 100 watts. Wide-mouth thermos bottles, heating
pads, and sunny windows also have been used.
Do not stir the yogurt during this period.
Refrigerate
for 8 hours before serving. To store, keep in refrigerator. The
yogurt will keep well, a week or two.
Method #2
Boil the milk
and allow it to cool well. Use preferably whole milk to get a
thick consistency of the yogurt. Pour the milk to another vessel
because, it might have remnants that we don't want. Add cultured
buttermilk 2-3 tablespoons. Cover it & Place it in the oven and
set oven to 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes. Now switch off the oven!! Let
the milk be in the oven overnight. Next morning you will have a rich
thick yogurt !. Remove it from the oven and place it in the fridge.
