If you like Yogurt (and) Greek yogurt , but hate paying high prices for it like I do - then I hope you give yogurt-making a try! Its super EASY and only two ingredients. A little time( and most is down time). And only (2) Ingredients needed!
Let me show you how easy this is , and you will love it. You can make it Organic also by using organic products- your choice
Ingredients
1/2 Gallon of Whole Milk
1 Cup of Yogurt (whole milk)
Important - Use only whole milk, not skim, low-fat or 2% - Must use WHOLE Milk - you can also use organic product as well - but just remember WHOLE Milk ! You will also need 1 C. Yogurt to start , One of the single size yogurt cups works great- again make sure it's whole yogurt as well - not low fat.
You can also easily double this recipe as well.
Directions
Step #1
Pour milk in a pot and turn stove on medium and bring your milk slowly to a boil. Stir during this time , you don't want to use high heat. Once the milk starts to lightly boil remove from heat. Easy Right !! I don't use a themomether, bit if you wish - bring milk to 180 degrees . I just wait for it to come to a very light boil and remove.
Step #2 - Cool your milk down to about 110 degrees or temp of what you would give a baby . I don't use a thermometer, but you can. As you can see from photo below to speed up the process I used a cold water bath to cool it down - don't skip the step ! If it cools too much, simple warm it back to the 110 temp and continue.
Step #3 - Put your one cup of yogurt in a bowl and ad in 3-4 spoonfuls of your prepared milk and stir till smooth to thin it a little. Then ad to your milk and gently stir - don't over do it. Just gently stir it in and stop!
Step #4 - transfer your yogurt to a clean bowl and lightly cover with plastic wrap and wrap in a big towel.
Step #5 - place this in your oven with ONLY the oven light on. Do Not turn the oven on!! Close and leave for about 4 hours. If you don't have an oven light, just use an extra towel over your bowl .
Step #6 - remove and you have yogurt - you can stop right here for regular yogurt ( about 8 Cups) ....BUT we're gonna do one more step to remove the whey a bit more and create a thick creamy Greek yogurt- my favorite!! Super easy and a little time and patience is all you need ..keep reading !!
Step #7 - Grab a colander big enough to hold your yogurt and line it with either coffee filters ( I do - 2 layers to cover bottom, and all sides) and slit a few to fit better or use a cheese cloth, doubled .** If you doubled your recipe - you will need (2) Colanders
Step #8 - Place you colander in a bowl, and put your yogurt in the colander and line a few more coffee filters on the top , or if using cheese cloth wrap over. Place a heavy plate on top for weight and place in fridge for 4-6 hours ( the longer you leave the thicker it gets ! * I also placed another bowl on top of the plate for extra weight.
After 6 -8 hours you will see the liquid (whey) in bottom of bowl under the colander. You now have thick creamy Greek yogurt . You can leave over night in fridge to remove as much whey liquid. The longer, the thicker your Greek yogurt will be.
At this point transfer your yogurt to a bowl , you can see how much thicker it is by draining the whey - the coffee filters and enjoy your homemade good for you Thick Greek yogurt. As you can see from Photo above , how thick and creamy it is. This recipe gave me (5) Cups of Greek Style Yogurt + 3 Cups of Whey.
Tip - reserve a cup for your next batch !!
Tips For Using The Whey ( liquid strained off ..
About Whey - This whey strained from the yogurt is loaded with protein, probiotics and calcium!
* The drained liquid whey - it's very healthy and pets love it and great for them. You can also ad to your smoothies, use in sour dough and rolls breaded baking to replace some of the liquid.
*Try adding it to your morning smoothie or juice for extra Protien and probiotics.
* Brine for meats as a tenderizer , also brine poultry to tenderize and plump before cooking.
* Tomatoe Plants - love and thrive for larger jucier tomatoes, they love the calcium- so you can water your plants with it.
