I told you last week about the Cultures for Health room temperature incubating yogurts and how easy they are to make. This week I’ll show you the process, just in case you didn’t believe me.
Here are my supplies to rehydrate the starter and culture a half cup of yogurt, which can then be used to make the next batch.
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- starter packet (you use 1/2 tsp and reserve the other 1/2 tsp in case you kill your yogurt at some point)
- jelly jar
- coffee filter
- jar ring lid
Put 1/2 tsp yogurt starter in the jar.
- Pour 1/2 cup milk in.
- Stir.
- Put coffee filter on top (so the cultures can breathe) and secure with the ring lid (or a rubber band).
- Set in a warm place (70-77 degrees) for 24-48 hours. Test it to see when it doesn’t run up the side of the jar anymore.
- Ta da! Yogurt.
- Use the yogurt to make more at a ratio of 1 Tbs per cup of milk. You can incubate on top of your refrigerator:
Or in the cupboard over your stove:
You just want to make sure the temp doesn’t drop below 70 degrees, which happens in our house, even in September. - One precaution I took was to freeze 1/4 cup of yogurt from that very first starter batch. Now I have a second back-up if when I kill my starter, or choose to let it go because we went camping. When I’m ready to make more yogurt, I’ll just thaw it on the counter and mix into a quart of milk, then save another baby food jar’s worth of yogurt insurance from that batch in the freezer.
These cultures work well with raw milk, but you do need to read the directions about making a pasteurized “seed” for your starter.
The only catch to this method of making yogurt is that you should make a new batch once a week. If you make a quart at a time, that shouldn’t be a problem! Just don’t forget to pull out your starter for the next batch right away. I like to set it aside in a baby food jar immediately so I don’t forget and eat up the whole quart of yogurt.
Ready to try homemade yogurt? There’s almost no excuse with this method! Easier than a PB and J sandwich, for real.
Click here to try your hand at winning a starter, or just make an order from Cultures for Health and get excited when the mail comes!
Wondering about kefir? Wonder no longer: Is Water Kefir as good as Soda Pop?
I can’t believe this doesn’t have any comments yet. I’ve read it in my reader, and re-read it, and opened it into a new window to read it. Now I am going to go make a phone call to see if I can find us some raw milk around here. Good grief, cows outnumber people in Nebraska something like 4 to 1, *somebody* has to be milking them!
.-= Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Weekly Link Roundup, Ouch Edition =-.
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so which counter top culture do you have? I’m not sure what I have anymore since all my stuff crosssed. It might be pima or fil milk or buttermilk. It’s all good.
.-= Sustainable Eats´s last blog ..Do it Yourself Cleaners – for the house and for you =-.
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Katie Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Annette,
Katie
I have Viili, but it’s too tangy for us!
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So have you tried the raw milk version? I bought some of the counter-top starter and have been procrastinating making it because I wasn’t too keen on “pasteurizing” my precious raw goat’s milk (I can’t have cow’s milk) to make it. But I guess judging from your other posts you would recommend the pasteurizing step?
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Katie Reply:
November 26th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Kelsey,
Katie
The raw milk version works fine, just a little runny. Much less “cottage cheesy” texture with the countertop culture than with a Dannon starter, for example. We just thought the taste was a bit tangy for eating.
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I wish I was brave enough to give this a try. Leaving milk out on the counter for 48 hours and then eating it, scares the heck out of me.
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CW Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Don’t be afraid! If you are introducing only the culture bacteria and use clean kitchen practices it will be fine.
The culture bacteria is Lactobacillus. It is a bacteria that makes acid out of the lactose in the milk. The acid is what makes yogurt tart. It also protects the yogurt from other bacteria and molds. The acid makes it hard for anything else to grow!
So, just use clean tools, wash your hands, and refrigerate after “incubating”.
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