Home Made Yogurt

^{All the basic elements of making yogurt: milk, sweetener, vanilla,
and a starter mix.}

For about a month a few years ago I was obsessed with making all things sour and creamy. I experimented with ways to make sour cream, buttermilk, creme fraiche, kefir, farmer's cheese, and the queen of cultured milks: yogurt. The idea of consuming a container of dairy made sour by billions of creepy-crawlies, and of that being good for you, facinated me endlessly. When I learned that yogurt could be made with the simplist of ingredients I set out to make it as simply as I could. I cultured my yogurts in clay jars in dark, warm corners, in glass jars set in pans of warm water, and in primitive yogurt makers constructed of plastic quart containers and a heating pad.

I have made yogurt regularly for years, and only rarely buy a plain yogurt when I need a new starter strain. I’ve eaten commercial yogurt a couple of times, and it was absolutely horrible. Except for a greek-style yogurt called Cultural Revolution which is OMG delicious! In my yogurt I control the thickness, the sweetness, the basic flavors. I mostly do vanilla yogurt which helps me work through my supply of vanilla beans my friend Mark keeps foisting on me. This summer I have made blueberry, peach, strawberry and lemon-zest yogurts, and used them for salad dressings, frogurt, fruit topping, and yogurt cheese. Tonight I made a simple vanilla yogurt to combine with my fruit and green smoothies.

I always start with whole organic milk. One day I am going to start with raw milk to gauge the difference, but I use whole milk vs skim or 2% because I like the creaminess the extra milk fat provides. I heat the milk on the stove to 175 degrees as a safety precaution (although I am not sure with pasturized milk it is necessary). This kills any bacteria swimming around that would compete with my yogurt germs and turn my tart curdles into rancid goop. I toss in the sliced vanilla bean and let the mixture cool to 112 or 108 degrees. This is the perfect temp for my next two ingredients; yogurt starter and honey. I only sweeten my yogurt with raw honey which is loaded with phytonutrients that high heat will destroy. The honey will melt into the milk at 108 degrees, unlike sugar, which needs a higher heat to melt from it’s crystal form. And the live lacto-eating organism in yogurt thrive in the steamy bath between 112 and 108.

I wisk in the honey and yogurt starter (usually just a spoonful of store-bought organic yogurt will suffice) and strain out the vanilla pods. Then I pour the mix into my chosen yogurt brewing container. Tonight I decided to use the electric yogurt-maker S. bought for me last year. It’s not as rustic but it produces consistant results. In about 6 hours I will have eight little containers of thickened milk which I will move into the fridge for another 24 hours. The cold will put the yogurt bacteria to sleep, and the yogurts will be good for about two weeks, although I never have any last that long. About 10 minutes of work and lots of unsupervised waiting. Perfect.

Yogurt has lots of health benefits. It is easier for lactose intolerant people to consume, aids in digestion, promotes good gut cultures, provided calcium, potassium, and B12, and is cooling and refreshing on things like cold blanched carrots, cucumbers, fish, and fresh berries.