Craft gutfriendly yogurt at home This homemade yogurt recipe boosts digestion enhances gut health Simple technique delicious results
Total Time:10 hours 34 minutes
Yield:Approximately 1 gallon1x
Ingredients
Scale
1 gallon of whole milk (pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized or UHT)
2 tablespoons of plain, live-culture yogurt (store-bought or from a previous batch)
Instructions
Heat the Milk: Pour the milk into a large pot and heat it over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Use your candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. You want to reach 180°F (82°C). This heating process denatures the milk proteins, resulting in a thicker, creamier yogurt. Imagine the milk proteins as tiny tangled balls that, when heated, unravel and create a network that traps water, giving the yogurt its characteristic texture.
Cool the Milk: Remove the pot from the heat and let the milk cool to 110°F (43°C). This is crucial because too much heat will kill the active cultures in your starter. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the pot in an ice bath, stirring frequently. Think of it like giving your cultures a gentle, warm bath instead of a scorching sauna.
Add the Yogurt Starter: Once the milk has cooled, gently whisk in the yogurt starter. Make sure the starter is evenly distributed. This is where the magic happens! The active cultures in the starter will feed on the lactose in the milk, converting it into lactic acid, which gives yogurt its tangy flavor and thick texture.
Incubate the Yogurt: Pour the inoculated milk into your glass jars or containers. Place the jars in an insulated cooler or an oven (turned off). If using a cooler, fill it with warm water (around 100-110°F) to maintain a consistent temperature. If using an oven, simply turn on the oven light. The goal is to keep the yogurt at a stable, warm temperature for 6-12 hours. The longer it incubates, the tangier it will become. This is where patience comes in handy!
Chill the Yogurt: After incubation, transfer the jars to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours. This will stop the fermentation process and further thicken the yogurt. Chilling also enhances the flavor, giving it a refreshing tang.
