Yogurt is one of the few things I can reliably make in my tiny kitchen (save Kombucha, and seriously, there's so much that can go wrong with that one that I'm not going to share the recipe, you're on your own there) and it's very simple. There's only one real trick--you must be immaculately clean. This is true of any fermented product (talk to a home-brewer some time), and yogurt's a little more tolerant, but pretend it isn't. Learn the taste and smell of properly-made yogurt before you start -- yes, I'm recommending you go sniff some yogurt).
Before you start, go to the store and get some live-culture yogurt. Traderspoint is my favorite by far, but there are many to choose from, including Dannon and Stonyfield. Pick something you like, because your yogurt will pick up some flavor from what use.
What you need:
A quart canning jar
A food thermometer--ideally one that's never been used for meat
2 tbsp live culture yogurt
Just shy of a quart of milk (you need a little space in the jar)
Heat your milk to 180 degrees, stirring to make sure you don't have hotspots. If the milk forms a skin (and it will), skim it off and discard. Set the milk aside, covered, and let it cool to 118. Add your yogurt, and stir gently with and up an down motion. Cover again, and hold at temp for 6-12 hours. Refrigerate.
A couple tips:
- Never rinse your thermometer in hot water; use cold initially. You'll get a buildup of milkstone, which in addition to being kind of nasty can affect how things set up.
- Make sure all your utensils are free of any soap residue -- it kills the yogurt.
- Experiment with the cooling temp; it depends on your culture. 118 is what I've found is ideal for Traderspoint.
- I've found the best way to keep things at temp is to just set up a pot with water at about 130 degrees and set the jar of milk in there. I have a very warm kitchen, though. You might find that it's better to use hot water in a cooler so you can seal it.
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