If you're looking for more ways to save money and eat healthier, how about making your own yogurt? Not only does fresh, home-made yogurt offer much more nutritional and probiotic power than store-bought yogurt ~ you can also save hundreds of dollars yearly by simply making your own organic yogurt at home. For all who want to enjoy this valuable, nutritious and delicious food in the cheapest and healthiest way possible, here is my easy, do-it-yourself yogurt recipe.
PREP
Start with the best possible milk you can buy. If you can get raw or unpasteurized milk, that would be all the more optimal. But for most of us, store-bought organic milk will do. I use Low-fat (2%) organic cow's milk, but you can use any type of organic milk you can find.
Buy a good organic brand of plain yogurt that has the approximate flavor and consistency of the yogurt you would like to make. This will be your Mother Culture. My favorite is the Greek-style yogurt culture that is only slightly tart and contains lots of acidophilus and other beneficial probiotics. Make sure that the only ingredients in this Mother Culture are milk and active cultures.
Measure out the milk into the containers that you will be using, preferably glass jars with plastic lids. Leave room in each of the jars for the Mother Culture, which should cover the bottom of each jar to a depth of at least 1/2 to one inch, depending the desired thickness of your yogurt.
STEPS
1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a boiling point. You will see the surface of the milk bubbling and a cream-colored skin forming on the top.
2. Pour the desired amount of Mother Culture into the bottom of the glass jars.
3. Let the milk cool down to 110℉/43℃ while the Mother Culture warms up to room temperature. If you are a seasoned cook, you can guesstimate this temperature in the milk by dipping your fingertip in it - it should feel like bathwater for a baby. If you are less sure of yourself, use a cooking thermometer until you can guesstimate with ease.
4. Strain and pour the milk into the jars with the Mother Culture, seal the jars and shake vigorously, then more vigorously. The better you shake it up, the smoother and silkier the consistency of your yogurt will be.
5. Insert the jars into the incubator environment.
NOTE: I incubate my yogurt in a padded, insulated lunch-box that will easily retain the desired incubation temperature. My grandmother would wrap the jars in damp warm towels and insert them into a cabinet, providing the perfect temperature. I've heard of others incubating in sealed coolers lined with warm, damp towels. The goal is to create a dark, enclosed environment in which the little probiotics can procreate and multiply - about 110℉/43℃, the ideal temperature at which acidophilus multiplies. Some convection ovens have a "defrost" or similar setting that will maintain the desired temperature. In some gas ovens, the small pilot flame inside the oven maintains the ideal temperature. Whatever you do, DO NOT use a mircowave oven for this purpose.
6. Leave the jars in the incubator for at least six to eight hours, longer for thicker yogurt. I sometimes forget they are in there, and leave them as long as 12 hours. In general, the longer you incubate the yogurt, the more acidic the flavor, and the thicker the consistency. After about 12 hours, the yogurt becomes a bit grainy and, for some, a bit too sour.
TIPS
Eat a serving of your yogurt immediately after removing from the incubator. It will still be at the proper temperature for reproduction of the friendly probiotics. Because the inside of our bodies is close to this ideal temperature, the probiotics have a chance to rapidly multiply in your gut as they are still in this active reproductive state. This is by far the healthiest yogurt that you can eat, containing the highest number of probiotics.
Remember that sugar and other sweeteners will kill off the acidophilus and beneficial bacteria rather quickly, so use them sparingly. It's best to eat the yogurt plain or with fresh fruit.
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