Homemade yogurt is a staple in our home. Easy to prepare, inexpensive, delicious and nourishing, we manage to go through about a half-gallon of fresh, homemade yogurt each week. A probiotic food, homemade yogurt contains live beneficial bacteria that help to colonize the gut with microbiota that are essential to the proper functioning of your immune system, digestion and the ability of your body to manufacture critical nutrients.
Homemade Yogurt: Rich in Beneficial Bacteria & Nutrients
In addition to a wealth of beneficial bacteria, homemade yogurt is also rich in other nutrients. The process of lactic acid fermentation allows beneficial bacteria to metabolize lactose – a sugar naturally present in milk. The end result of this process results in a dairy product that is lower in carbohydrates and higher in b vitamins including folic acid than regular whole milk. Furthermore, many people who find they’re intolerant or sensitive to lactose find that they can eat yogurt and other cultured dairy foods without much reaction. Theories behind this phenomenon vary. Reduced lactose content coupled with the solidity of the milk product may both contribute to increased digestibility of yogurt and other cultured dairy foods.
Thermophilic Homemade Yogurt & Mesophilic Homemade Yogurt
Homemade yogurt can be either thermophilic or mesophilic. That is, homemade yogurt is cultured either in a warm, heated environment (thermophilic) or a room temperature environment (mesophilic). The yogurts you’re accustomed to eating are usually thermophilic yogurts; however, room temperature yogurt presents an easy-to-prepare alternative with many variations in texture and flavor. For instance, piimä is a homemade Scandinavian yogurt with a runny texture and almost cheesy flavor while viili, another homemade yogurt cultured at room temperature, is mildly sweet and gelatinous.
Learn More about Mesophilic & Thermophilic Yogurts
Homemade Yogurt: The Recipe
Homemade Yogurt: The Ingredients
To prepare 1 quart of homemade yogurt, you’ll need the following ingredients.
- 1 Quart Whole Milk (Raw preferred.)
- ¼ Cup Starter Culture of Your Choice (see sources.)
Homemade Yogurt: The Instructions
- If using pasteurized milk, scald milk briefly and then cool until it reaches blood temperature (about a ½ hour in the refrigerator).
- If using raw milk, bring milk to blood temperature slowly over a low flame. This step isn’t critical, mind you, but it is helpful.
- Mix in your yogurt starter with the milk. Take care to mix thoroughly, but smoothly. You want neither large glops of yogurt starter nor a fully whisked mixture as either can cause poor results in the finished version of your homemade yogurt.
- If using a mesophilic or room temperature yogurt, simply pour the mixture into a quart-sized jar, cap and leave on your counter for approximately 1 day or until the mixture cleanly breaks from the side of the jar when tilted.
- If using a thermophilic yogurt starter like a few spoonfuls of a plain, live culture yogurt purchased at the store, pour the yogurt starter – milk mixture into your yogurt maker or pre-warmed thermos and culture in this slightly heated environment for approximately 12 hours or longer for a tarter yogurt.
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I love how easy it is to make yogurt at home. And it’s much more affordable to make yogurt from organic milk than to buy organic yogurt.
Be careful to make sure the milk you buy is not ULTRA-pasteurized. Under this system, virtually everything alive in the milk is killed, and it will not work to make yogurt.
I’ve enjoyed using my crockpot for fail proof yogurt. I use pasteurized milk and a starter from quality store bought yogurt, since the yogurt adds beneficial bacteria.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html
Hi
I recently bought several cultures (Viili, Piima, Matsoni, Fil Mjolk) and am finding it tricky.
I’m trying to maintain a separate starter culture using pasteurised milk, then to use raw milk for the stuff I eat. So far I’m just making a starter but it seems to be thin as milk one minute, then curds and whey the next. Do Mesophilic yogurts thicken much in your experience? Also, do you culture with a lid on as I thought you had to have some airflow?
Thanks for the time and effort you put into your blog – I always find it entertaining and informative.
Darren.
Julie -
I’ve never tried it in the crockpot, but I’ve heard great things.
Darren -
I find that mesophilic yogurts thicken depending on the type of starter used. Piima, for instance, is usually pretty thin but viili tends to become almost ropy and matsoni is syrupy. Raw milk yogurt tends to be much thinner than yogurts made from scalded or pasteurized milks. Food enzymes naturally present in raw milk which are neutralized by heat cause this effect. I do culture with the lid on – but LOOSELY applied. Other folks have success by simply covering with a cheese or butter cloth. Good luck!
Jenny -
Thanks for replying. I’m sure practice will make perfect, but it helps to have an idea what’s normal. Once I get the hang of it I’ll try using at least a quarter cream which should make for a thicker yogurt.
Best wishes to you, Darren.
Love homemade yogurt. I have a half gallon going in the crockpot right now. Yogurt has taken the place of ice cream as our evening snack when topped with banana and pecan and then drizzled with honey. Yum!
Just an FYI..never did recieve the copy of “Killer at Large” that I won a while back. Can you let me know what happened?
Is blood temperature 98.6????
Hi:
Can yogurt be over cultured? What would happen if I used a hand mixer to mix the starter into the raw milk?
Thank You For Your Help!
Gayle
Gayle -
Yogurt can definitely be over-cultured. Indeed, if you let it culture for too long you the yogurt will become separated and unpalatably sour. Similarly, I wouldn’t use a hand mixture as it will overaerate the yogurt and mi it to quickly. All you really need is a simple sand gentle stirring to make yogurt correctly.
Take Care -
Jenny
Jenny,
What’s your preferred starter? I want to try for the first time with raw goat milk. I’m thinking of the Matsoni starter from culturesforhealth. If you go through 1/2 gallon a week, I know yours is great and want to just do the same thing
Thanks!
Emily
Hi Emily -
I LOVE matsoni; it’s definitely our primary yogurt starter. It is mild and exceptionally versatile. Plus, it makes a fantastic yogurt cheese. I also care very much for piima (which is my son’s favorite). I’d recommend anything from Cultures for Health, though. Julie is so on top of everything and she is a pleasure to work with.
- Jenny
Love this! Can’t wait to make my own yogurt!
Hi there….great website…..one question….is thereaway to make a culture at home…..denise
What can I do with the milk if my yogurt batch fails? I believe it got too hot or the starter wasn’t well mixed. While I have had many successful batches, this one didn’t make it. I hate to waste 4 cups of expensive organic milk, but it was unrefrigerated for 12+ hours. Do I have to trash it? Any advice out there?
Lori -
As long as your yogurt is not *funky* and obviously contaminated by molds or other off-putting bugs, you can use it for soaking grains or in cooking. Does it smell pleasantly sour, like yogurt should? Then it’s probably okay.
- Jenny
Excellent! Thank you. It’s not obviously nasty, so I’ll use it for something else.
A word to the wise….my crockpot was too hot to make the yogurt….
Best you could make changes to the post name Homemade Yogurt to something more better for your subject you make. I enjoyed the the writing nevertheless.
I was reading on another website that cultured buttermilk can be used as a mesophilic starter, so that’s what I’m using. I culture the buttermilk left over from making my own butter from the cream that comes straight from my herd of Jersey cows.
Thank you so much for this website and the wealth of info contained here. As an 8 year cancer survivor, I’ve adopted a more healthy way of life and of eating and your website has certainly contributed a lot.