How To Make Yogurt From Milk

What to know how to make yogurt from milk? If you’ve only ever eaten “fruit-on-the-bottom” yogurt from the grocery store, then you’re in for a pleasant surprise when you make yogurt from milk. Homemade yogurt has a fresh, tangy flavor and is packed full of nutritional benefits like protein and calcium.  It’s also surprisingly easy to make. Just follow the recipe below tonight, and you can enjoy yogurt made from milk for breakfast tomorrow.

To make yogurt from milk, you’ll need:

• 1 quart milk (2% milk is recommended)
• 1/2 cup powdered milk
• 1 - 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, labeled “contains live cultures,” at room temperature
• A saucepan
• A whisk
• A cylindrical plastic container
• A small bowl
• A wine bucket
• A heating pan
• A thermometer

1. Before you make yogurt from milk, choose your milk. You can use cow’s or goat’s milk with any fat content you prefer. However, whole milk makes a loose yogurt, and skim milk yogurt is usually a little bit grainy. If you want to make yogurt from milk with balanced flavor and texture, Food Network host Alton Brown recommends using 2% milk.
2. Buy the right kind of starter. Yogurt is made with the help of live bacteria, so, like sourdough bread and vinegar, a “mother” or “starter” that contains active bacteria is needed. Plain yogurt is the most common starter, and it’s readily available at your grocery store. Just be sure the label says “contains active yogurt cultures” or “contains live cultures.” Yogurt labeled as “made with live cultures” will NOT work.
3. Once you’ve selected your ingredients to make yogurt from milk, get a small saucepan. Pour the milk into the saucepan, and stir in the powdered milk, which will help the yogurt to firm up, and then add honey. Whisk these ingredients until the liquid is smooth.
4. Put the saucepan on the stove over medium heat and bring the contents to 120ºF. When the milk is hot, reserve about a cup of it, and pour the rest into a cylindrical plastic container.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the reserved milk mixture with the plain yogurt you’re using as “starter.” Add it back to the warm milk in the plastic container.
6. Arrange a heating pad to line the inside of a narrow wine bucket, and turn it on to medium heat. Place the plastic container of yogurt made from milk into the bucket, nestling the heating pad around it. You’re aiming for a temperature as close to 115ºF as possible, so check it periodically and adjust the heating pad if necessary.
7. Let your yogurt ferment for 3 - 9 hours. After 3 hours, the consistency will be similar to thick cream, and after nine hours, it will be almost solid. Check it every three hours or so, until it’s reached the consistency you prefer.
8. When your yogurt made from milk has reached the desired consistency, put it into the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, drain or blot away any whey that has pooled on the surface. You can eat your yogurt plain, or you can add in granola or fruit. You can also freeze it for a delicious treat.