Making Your Own Yoghurt

Make your own Yoghurt

First you will need to purchase a small container of live culture plain yoghurt from the grocery store. Plain is best as you can add your own flavouring later on.

You will also need a 2 pints of milk. 

Photo Credit Tess Watson

Place the bottle of milk in a large pan with sufficient water so that the water is at least half way up the bottle. 

Photo Credit Barb

Heat the water to boiling point and then maintain a steady simmer for 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and allow the milk cool to room temperature.

Place the cooled milk into a clean dry container with a lid and add three tablespoons of the store bought yoghurt to the milk and stir the mixture well with a clean dry spoon.

Photo Credit Larry Jacobsen

Place the lid on the container and leave it at room temperature until the yoghurt "sets".

Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this may take as long as 48 hours.  If you are doing this in the winter time you should wrap a thick towel around the container so as to keep it warm and allow the process to work. 

Photo Credit Rakka

You will know when it has finished working as it will form a semi solid mass. In other words it will have thickened to a yoghurt consistency.

The longer you leave it at room temperature, the "Tarter" the flavour will become or the more “bite” it will have.

Store your yoghurt in the refrigerator at all times once it is made.

Remember to use some of this homemade yoghurt to start off your next batch. By doing this you will never need to buy yoghurt again.

Notes:

To eat:  - Some like it plain, others like it sweetened.

We love to add stewed fruit.

Chopped fresh fruit. 

Photo Credit Shekhar Mehta

Homemade fruit puree or syrup, or freshly picked ripe berries to our yoghurt. 

Photo Credit Alex

Variations:

Sweet:

In the wintertime we add some honey, raisins or sultana's and raw quick cook oats for a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

Add some fruit puree of your choice and then freeze the Yoghurt for a wonderful and refreshing frozen dessert.

 Photo Credit Musicpb

Savoury:

You can also add some finely chopped or grated cucumber for a very quick homemade Tzatziki.

Photo Credit Occhipiuverdi

This plain yoghurt can very easily be made into Greek Yoghurt by simply placing some into a cheese cloth and sitting this on a sieve in the fridge overnight to drain out some of the excess liquid.

 Photo Credit Dawn Endico

Take the Greek yoghurt idea a little further and leave the drained yogurt for 24 to 48 hours and make your own Yoghurt Cheese.

 Photo Credit Whinger

I hope that you enjoy making your own yoghurt at home as much as we do. It is fresher and healthier for you than the commercially made yoghurt's and far cheaper than buying it from the stores.

Enjoy!

© KB Barnes

What do you like to add to your yoghurts to spruce them up? Please do share your ideas in the comments section below.