In the Kitchen - My Yogurt Making Day

Everyone knows that Yogurt is healthy for you, right?  I bought some yogurt a few weeks ago and was reveling in my healthy choice when my husband asked me if I had read the ingredients.  "No", I replied with a sick sense in my stomach.  When I read the ingredients I discovered sugar, preservatives, artificial flavors, and Milk Protein Solids (that is just junk leftover from milk pasteurization and not even food)...  I didn't even want to eat it anymore.  Not to mention that it had about as many calories as my ice cream does... Are you KIDDING ME?

I did some research online and discovered that you can make yogurt and even easily make the Greek style yogurt that I love so much.. thick and creamy!  Here is how I make my own yogurt now...  I made some today and took some pictures.  The only ingredient in this are MILK and YOGURT CULTURE... REALLY!!

First of all I buy organic whole milk.  I believe in getting as close to nature as I can in my food... so I want milk with some good fat in it and nutrition.. and organic is important to me in my food when I can accomplish it.  So organic whole milk makes a good rich thick yogurt but it can be done with 2% or skim, it will just be a bit thinner end product.

This requires a double boiler but since I don't have one I have fashioned one with 2 pans.. one fits nicely inside the other.  Heat the desired amount of milk to 185 degrees in the double boiler.  Use a cheap candy thermometer ($3.99 at Fareway) to watch the temp and make sure to stir occasionally.

Once the milk is at 185 degrees, I remove it from the heat and let it cool down to 110 degrees.  I remove the inside pot and place it on the counter and stir occasionally to cool it, watching the thermometer.  When it reads about 110 degrees I add 2 or so tablespoons of plain yogurt culture to the warm milk and thoroughly stir it in.  You can use regular plain yogurt from the store OR freeze 2 tablespoons of yogurt from the last batch you made but make sure you bring it to room temp before adding it to your warm milk.

You will need 7 hours for the next step, but it can involve doing nothing to the pan so this step can occur overnight or while you get a bunch of other stuff done!!   Place the warm pan of culture and milk on top of a heating pad (I put my heating pad on a wooden cutting board).  Cover the pan with a clean dishtowel and leave it alone.  It is tempting to stir it occasionally and it still works out fine if you do.  I set the heating pad to medium or high heat to keep the milk at the right temp for the whole 7 hours.

Once the time is up, take a look under the dish towel and you will find yogurt!!  Then it is time to cool it in the refrigerator.  I find this yogurt a little thin for my taste so I strain this cooling yogurt through a cheesecloth while it is in the refrigerator.  It only takes less than an hour for the whey to drain off and leave behind a thick creamy, Greek style yogurt in the cheesecloth.

The whey that drains into the bowl is thin milky liquid but is packed with live yogurt culture and protein so I don't waste that.  I use it in baking or use it in my morning protein shake for added nutritional punch!  Just keep it in the fridge until ready to use it or you could freeze that portion.

The thick yogurt that collects in the cheesecloth (which lines a colander) can be kind of scraped off the cheesecloth into another bowl and stored in the refrigerator (just make sure you freeze your 2 tablespoons for your next batch before you eat it all or flavor it further).

You can wash out and hang your cheesecloth to air dry somewhere and re-use it over and over too... never waste when you can re-use!

Now for flavor!  Plain yogurt is not exactly a delicacy to my taste buds!  I mix in vanilla, cinnamon, fruits, nuts, etc to make it yummy.   I also use it in place of ice cream on desserts.  I have made salad dressing from plain yogurt.  In fact I will put a YUMMY low fat salad dressing recipe at the end of this blog post as a bonus!  You can also make "ice cream" by mixing your plain or vanilla flavored yogurt in the magic bullet, blender, or food processor with some frozen fruit!  Blend well and eat right away and it is delicious!  As soon as I grow some of my own peaches, I am going to freeze one and try peach "ice cream"!  MMMMM   ...   can't wait.  So have fun, get healthier, and make your own yogurt!  I make a quart at a time!

Bonus:

Cucumber Salad Dressing

• 1/2 cucumber, peeled
• 3/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 5 fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 3 ice cubes

Preparation:

Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. 

( I did not use the ice cubes and I added a little dill and a few spices for extra flavor but talk about a guilt-free topping for your greens!!)