homemade yogurt
October 8, 2020
Someone brought home Chobani Peach Greek Yogurt today (my favorite flavor!), and I jumped at the chance to make homemade yogurt. I know, I know, this probably wasn’t the best yogurt to use as a starter, but the fruit was on the bottom, the yogurt tasted plain enough, and I was kind of desperate. I just had so many plans that involved yogurt - tzatziki, pancakes, muffins, overnight oats, parfaits, marinades, and even soup - and lazy me didn’t want to go out and buy a tub. Kind of ironic, but “lazy me” usually likes to stay home and make things from scratch (emphasis on the stay home part).
I thought this would be a relatively stress-free project to undertake, at least compared to my sourdough starter, which was so finicky to get up and running. (I knew I failed the first two times when they smelled like vomit and stunk up the kitchen.) Based on what I read, I just needed to hit some specific temperatures and let the yogurt sit overnight. No day-to-day feedings, no waiting for weeks - perfect!
So, how do you actually make yogurt at home? First, you need a starter, a source of bacterial cultures - yogurt is a fermented food after all. The starter is then added to milk, inoculating it with the bacteria that turns it into yogurt. The easiest option for starter is store-bought yogurt with live active cultures, which is what I used. (Shout out to the Chobani cup for being fruit on the bottom so I could scrape off the top layer of greek yogurt - sad but true.)
After scalding my milk (to kill off existing microbes) and letting it cool, I added in my scavenged starter. Then, the pot of milk + yogurt, wrapped in a towel, went into the oven - turned off but with the light on - for overnight incubation.
The next morning, when I opened the lid to take a whiff, the yogurt smelled slightly sweet - good sign there! - and reminded me so much of 酸奶. (酸奶 is a super nostalgic Chinese drinkable yogurt that I haven’t had in years.) There was also a thin layer of clear whey on top, which, when I swirled, I could see the set yogurt pulling away from the sides of the pot. I decided to taste a spoonful before chilling it in the refrigerator (you can see the indent in the photo), and yes, success confirmed! The yogurt hit all the marks - it was beautiful, thick and tangy and silky.
I like to serve the chilled yogurt with homemade granola, fresh blueberries, and a drizzle of honey. Homemade yogurt does taste different from store-bought - I would say the tartness is much more pronounced in the homemade version - so adding some honey is great for rounding out the flavor.
homemade yogurt
Makes around 3 cups
3 cups whole milk
3 tbsp yogurt (Greek or other)
In a medium pot, heat milk over medium heat until it reaches 180°F, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from heat, and allow to cool to 115°F. Then, stir together yogurt and a couple splashes of the warm milk in a small bowl. Scrape the yogurt mixture back into the pot of remaining milk, and stir until well-incorporated.
Cover the yogurt, and let it sit undisturbed in a warm place until set - I used the oven with the light on and wrapped the pot (with lid on) in a towel. I let my yogurt sit overnight, for around 12 hours. It was pretty tangy by then, so you could probably go for a shorter incubation time if you want a milder yogurt (just make sure it’s fully set).
Refrigerate the yogurt. Enjoy with granola, fruit, and a drizzle of honey, or use in other recipes.
