DIY Homemade Yogurt Recipe

Instructions

Step One: Heat the milk.
You will make as much yogurt as the amount of milk you use. Since this was my first try I started with one pint.


You need to heat the milk to 185 this is the point at which the milk proteins start yogurt culture production. If you do not have a thermometer, this is also the temperature at which milk begins to froth, like in a latte. If you hold the milk at 185°F for 30 minutes, you will get a very thick consistency. I let mine simmer for 30 minutes and then turned off the heat.


Step Two: Cool Milk to Add Yogurt Starter
You need to cool the milk to 110 before adding the yogurt starter. I recommend gently pulling off the milk skin from the top with a spoon and discarding, then pouring the milk into a new container without stirring so not to disturb the crust that's been made on the bottom of the pot. Then, take a spoonful of plain yogurt or yogurt starter and mix it with a VERY small amount of the cooled milk in a small cup or large spoon. Then add this mixture to the cooled milk and stir to combine.



Step Three: Place Milk Aside
Cover the milk with towels and place on a heating pad in a safe spot in a corner. You can also leave the yogurt out overnight but I opted to do it this way. You can leave the heating pad on medium for 7 hours. After 7 hours, you can stir the yogurt and see it's curdled. Stir the curds into the yogurt to smooth it, then place the homemade yogurt in the coolest section of your fridge overnight.