Friday, January 9, 2015

No-Frills Homemade Yogurt



This recipe is titled "no-frills" because
no special equipment is needed.
Yogurt has so many beneficial elements
and truly keeps a body balanced.
Some of the brands advertised are so full of junk,
you may as well be eating sugar out of the bag.
As always, we aim to be as self-reliant as possible,
and when this video was found online,
I knew it was something I just had to try.
It appealed to me mostly because we enjoy 
using what we already have on hand to fill our needs,
so no yogurt maker is needed.
Although store-bought yogurt is needed the first time,
you'll never need to buy yogurt again.

Fill any empty beverage container
(we used a gallon-sized water jug and a lemonade bottle)
halfway with room temperature water and top off with boiling water.
Set inside a large cooler and close lid.
This will be your incubator.


Clean 2 quart-sized jars and one smaller jar.
Set aside to dry.

Fill a pot with whole milk and place on high heat.
Be sure that the temperature reaches 185 degrees.
Stir pretty regularly for 20-30 minutes.


Shut the burner off and cool the milk to 110 degrees.
This can be accomplished either by being very patient and simply waiting,
or using an ice water bath under the pot.
We didn't have any ice, so we just used cold tap water.
As the water in the bowl warmed,
we just dumped it and added more cold water,
until the milk temp got to 110 degrees.


Add 1/2 C yogurt (either from a previous batch or store bought)
to the milk and stir thoroughly.


Add the milk mixture to your smaller container
(this will house the starter for your next batch),
and then into your quart-sized jars.

Place the jars in the cooler and close the lid tight.
Leave overnight.
By morning, you'll have your own homemade yogurt.
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before using.


I've been adding it to everything from homemade cereal
to baked potatoes to muffins.
I'm thrilled with the texture,
as it is similar to the firmer store-bought yogurt.
The taste can't be beat,
and the best part is that I know exactly what's in it.
Simple, intentional food.
That's the way we like it around here.
Let me know if you try it!

16 comments:

  1. Daisy, looks to be pretty simple to me. I've been considering more fermented food in my diet. This seems to be a perfect fit for that.

    Have a great yogurt making day.

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    1. It's so easy, Dave. I hope you'll give it a go!

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  2. Wow, that is so cool! I've read before about using a machine to make your own yogurt, but I had no idea you could do it like this. I love how you always try to make as much of your own food as you can. It definitely inspires me :)

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    1. Thanks, Tammi. This method is even easier than the crockpot method and the yogurt turns out so much better! We aim to eat as well as possible, and that means controlling what's in our food! Cheers!

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  3. This looks so much easier than using a yogurt maker. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Simple Lives Thursday; hope to see you again this week.

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    1. I don't know if it's easier, but I refuse to buy anything that only performs one function! I hope you'll try it!

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  4. My Indian friend did this except she left it in the oven overnight. Even easier. I did it several times but felt it was runnier than I preferred then just got out of the habit. Will have to try this method. Is it bitter at all? I felt it was bitter when I made it the way I just told you about. Thanks!!

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    1. It's the best tasting yogurt I've eaten. No bitterness at all, but yogurt should be slightly tart, if that's what you mean. Give it a go, it's worth the effort!

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  5. Thanks! I tried making yogurt the other day, and wound up with curdled milk! Not a nice surprise. But I will gather my spirits and try again!

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    1. This couldn't be easier! I hope you'll let me know how it goes.

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  6. I didn't like mine the first time I made it either. But I made sure to use whole mike the 2nd time and left the jars wrapped in a towel inside a warm crockpot. After draining good and refrigerating it was thick and creamy.

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    1. I didn't drain or strain mine when I made it that way. With the cooler method, it turns out thick and creamy right from the start. It's a keeper! ;0)

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  7. Wow, it never occurred to me to make my own yogurt. Thanks or the directions and I'll definitely give this a try as I use a lot of yogurt in my home. Visiting from Marla's link party and so glad to find your beautiful, healthy blog, Daisy. Have a great weekend :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind words! It it so worth the little effort it takes to make it. Clean eating!

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  8. We make our own yogurt too, but do it a little differently. I use raw milk and so I can make raw yogurt to get as many probiotics as I can from it. We did try using the cooler method as you did but I was making it the crockpot and it wouldn't fit into the cooler. So I now use the oven by preheating it to 170 degrees and then turning it off letting the yogurt ferment for about 8 hours. Its great to make your own food that you know it not filled with chemicals. Thanks so much for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & twitted.

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    1. We are proponents of clean eating here too. Glad you found a method that works for you.

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