Simple, easy homemade yoghurt

So delicious. I have to show you how to make easy homemade yoghurt from natural ingredients. It is so satisfying to make, and to eat of course. And you don’t need any special equipment.

I first got motivated to make this after seeing plastic yoghurt containers in the rubbish bin every week. I am always trying to reduce plastic and feel like I should start with myself before I tell the family they cannot have something because it comes in plastic. And, as it turns out they have started to notice what comes in plastic and tell me not to buy it. The way I make the yoghurt does not completely eliminate plastic but one day I will get there. It is a good start.

To make easy homemade yoghurt I buy milk in a glass bottle. Over the last few years it has become easier to get milk in glass again at the supermarket. And I can just take the empty bottles back when I next visit.

You will need:

I use the following equipment:

• fresh full cream milk, great if it is in a glass bottle;
• live yoghurt;
• small glass jars;
• whisk;
• small saucepan or milk pan;
• thermomoter (optional).

How to make easy homemade yoghurt

I use this milk as I can buy it locally https://farmfreshsouth.nz . Hopefully you will be able to find something similar near where you live. I love using local products and prefer to recommend them.

Prepare the milk

First, pour the milk into the saucepan. I usually make 750ml or 1 litre depending on how much milk I have. This recipe is flexible and I mostly just go by feel and so far it has worked out well.

Heat the milk up over a medium heat. This will take about 10 minutes. If you have a thermometer then you will be heating it up to 80 C. I didn’t have a thermometer when I first tried making yoghurt. I just wanted to see if it would work at all before I went looking for more kitchen equipment. You might prefer to do things the other way around and get a thermometer first.

I went with the idea that knew the milk would need to be steaming and too hot to touch but I not boiling as this would change the flavour to scalded milk.

When turn the milk is 80 C take the saucepan off the heat. Then leave the milk to cool for for about 30 minutes. The milk needs to be 40 C.

I figured the milk will feel hot but only just hotter than body temperature. Before I had a thermometer, I just used my little finger to test the temperature of the milk. You could put a drop of milk on your wrist to test the temperature as long as the milk is not still steaming. If the milk cools too much you can just heat it up to 40 C again.

I did buy this yoghurt kit as it has a thermometer and a large jar. That being said, I prefer using the live yoghurt that I have saved or bought to the sachets in the kit but it is a good back up option. I have used the thermometer, even if just to confirm that I was pretty accurate in my temperature estimation.

https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/mad-millie-probiotic-greek-yoghurt-kit/22658581?gad_source=4&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsLSLkIH7hgMVuMAWBR31Qw2cEAQYBCABEgIi7fD_BwE

Jars for easy homemade yoghurt

I like to use small jars that I have saved from chutneys or salsa that I have bought. I wash the jars in the dishwasher and keep them in the pantry. When I need the jars I rinse them and the lids with boiling water and put them in the oven at 100 C for 20 mins to make sure they are sterilised. You can do this while the milk is warming.

Add in the live yoghurt

At this point I often use some live store bought greek yoghurt. It usually comes in plastic so this is where I have not managed to eliminate plastic.

I have tried a few different brands and varieties and found one I like the taste of best. You can save some of the yoghurt from a previous batch and use this but so far it has got weaker each time and I need to work on this. At least I know I can go back to get the store bought one and start again anytime.

Whisk one big spoonful of yoghurt into the warm milk. The whisk is good for mixing the yoghurt and milk evenly.

Pour in the easy yoghurt and milk mixture

Next, pour the yoghurt milk mixture into the jars. For me the yoghurt has set better in small jars and they are perfect for individual portions or to take as a snack when we are out. You can definitely use a large jar too but I found the yoghurt took longer and did not set as evenly.

I pour enough milk to half fill each jar and then go around again to top up each jar. Some of the yoghurt settles at the bottom of the saucepan and I want to make sure each jar gets about the same amount.

The jars need to sit in a warm place for 8 hours or overnight. I put them on top of our hot water cylinder and leave them overnight.

The next morning the yoghurt will still be soft and slightly liquid. The cream from the milk will have risen to the top.

Put the jars into the refrigerator for at least an hour and then you have easy homemade yoghurt ready to eat. I love the cream on the top and one jar makes a perfect afternoon snack. Especially with a banana sliced into it or blueberries on top. Or you can serve it with a slice of pumpkin pie https://mynaturalcottage.com/2022/11/29/best-ever-gluten-free-homemade-pumpkin-pie/ or some blondie https://mynaturalcottage.com/2022/02/07/how-to-make-simple-almond-blondie/

You can also put one small jar of set yoghurt aside for your next starter. Sometimes I do this or I just use the store bought yoghurt.

Trouble shooting for easy homemade yoghurt

I found the following tips useful:

• If the yoghurt doesn’t set properly you can still eat it or use it in cooking.
• One time I think the milk was still a bit too hot and the yoghurt had separated. I strained it through some cheesecloth in a sieve and it was delicious as a greek yoghurt. I gave the whey liquid to our chickens and they loved it.
• I used a large jar at first when making the yoghurt and left it overnight each time, it definitely need more time than the small jars.
• Sometimes I forget about the milk and it boils so I use a timer on my watch to remind me when 10 minutes is up. I still made the yoghurt with the scalded milk, I was just careful not to scrape the bottom of the saucepan with the whisk when mixing in the yoghurt and it tasted fine.
• When the weather is cold it can take longer for the yoghurt to be ready. This winter I ended up leaving the yoghurt for 24 hours. Even though it was sitting on the hot water cylinder it just needed more time.

Just give it a try and see what happens

You can try making the yoghurt a few times. I got a good enough result the first time to keep going and I have a pretty good idea of what I like now.

Let me know if this inspires you to give yoghurt making a go, I found it so easy and just took a chance with a bottle of milk to see what would happen. I would love to know how you get on with this easy homemade yoghurt and what you like to make.