How to Make Yogurt at Home?

Making yogurt at home is a simple process that involves culturing milk with live bacteria. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Choose Your Milk

The type of milk significantly affects the taste and texture of your yogurt. Options include:

• Whole milk: Produces a richer, creamier yogurt.
• Low-fat or skim milk: Results in a thinner yogurt.
• Ultra-pasteurized milk: Can sometimes be difficult to culture, requiring added thickeners.
• Raw milk: Can be used but requires extra caution regarding sanitation and heating. Ensure you are comfortable with the risks involved with raw milk.
• Non-dairy milk (e.g., soy, almond, coconut): Requires stabilizers and often a higher starter culture ratio, and may not achieve the same texture as dairy-based yogurt.

2. Choose Your Starter

Yogurt starter contains the live bacteria cultures necessary for fermentation.

• Store-bought yogurt: Use plain, unflavored yogurt with live and active cultures. Check the label to confirm.
• Yogurt starter cultures: Available online or in specialty stores. These are typically freeze-dried and may offer specific strains of bacteria for different flavor profiles.

3. Scald the Milk

Scalding the milk denatures the whey proteins, leading to a thicker, creamier yogurt.

1. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
3. Heat to 180-185°F (82-85°C). Use a thermometer to ensure accurate temperature.
4. Hold at this temperature for a few minutes.

4. Cool the Milk

Cooling the milk to the optimal temperature for the starter culture is crucial.

1. Remove the pan from the heat and let the milk cool to 105-115°F (40-46°C). Again, use a thermometer.
2. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the saucepan in an ice bath.

5. Add the Starter

Inoculate the cooled milk with the starter culture.

1. In a small bowl, mix 2-3 tablespoons of the cooled milk with 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt starter (or follow the instructions on your starter culture package).
2. Gently stir the mixture into the rest of the cooled milk until well combined.

6. Incubate

Incubation provides the warm, stable environment needed for the bacteria to ferment the milk.

1. Pour the inoculated milk into a clean container (glass jars or a yogurt maker container work well).
2. Incubate at 105-115°F (40-46°C) for 6-12 hours. The longer the incubation, the tangier the yogurt.

You can incubate using several methods:

• Yogurt maker: Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
• Oven: Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C), then turn it off. Place the yogurt in the oven with the door closed. You may need to turn the oven on briefly every few hours to maintain the temperature.
• Instant Pot: Use the yogurt setting, if available. Otherwise, follow instructions for using the Instant Pot as a yogurt maker (usually involving a "boil" step and then incubation).
• Cooler: Place the yogurt container in a cooler filled with warm water (maintaining the target temperature).
• Heating pad: Place the yogurt container on a heating pad set to low.

7. Strain (Optional)

Straining removes whey, resulting in thicker yogurt (Greek-style yogurt).

1. Line a colander with cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve.
2. Place the colander over a bowl.
3. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth.
4. Refrigerate for several hours, or until the desired consistency is reached. The longer it strains, the thicker it becomes.

8. Refrigerate

Refrigerate the yogurt to stop the fermentation process and thicken it further.

1. Transfer the yogurt to an airtight container.
2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
3. Homemade yogurt can last up to 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.