Super easy homemade probiotic-rich whole milk yogurt made from only high quality whole milk and a small amount of a whole milk full-fat yogurt culture.
Delicious way to get in your daily dose of fermented food to keep your gut microbiome thriving!
Start your first batch with a high quality plain whole milk yogurt from the store and then continue making more and more using your homemade yogurt in the future.
I keep this yogurt in stock by just making sure we leave a cup of yogurt at the bottom of the jar to help inoculate the next batch!
Makes eating quality yogurt cost-effective and increases the good bacteria each time you repeat the process.
Ingredients & Equipment
Organic Whole Milk (Fresh, Not ultra-pasturized)
Organic Whole Milk Full-fat Yogurt Culture
Candy Thermometer
Stock pot with matching lid
Instructions
#1:
Pour milk into pot.
#2:
Place pot with milk on stove top with thermometer attached inside in order to determine temperature of milk. Turn on burner to medium heat.
You will need a thermometer that has a range that can read between 100 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
#3:
Allow milk to heat up to between 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit. This generally takes between 20-30 minutes depending on how much milk is in the pot and your particular burner temperature. When this temperature is reached, turn off heat and remove pot from the burner to cool.
#4:
Allow milk to come down in temperature to between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. This period can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your house. Take your yogurt culture out from the refrigerator at this time and sit it out on the counter to come up to room temperature as the milk is cooling.
#5:
When the milk is done cooling and reaches the target temperature, skim off the top layer that has formed over the top of the milk and discard in sink or trash.
#6:
Pour yogurt culture into the milk and gently stir around to incorporate.
#7:
Place tight-fitting lid on pot. Lay out a blanket or a large towel on the counter or a table and place lidded pot in the center of blanket/towel and begin pulling over sides of the blanket/towel over and around the pot so that it is completely covered and insulated all around. Leave out in room temperature environment to ferment for 10-12 hours. 11 hours seems to be a sweet period for a yogurt that has a nice tang without being too sour and over-powering.
#8:
After the 10-12 hours has passed, place the entire lidded pot into the refrigerator for a few hours.
#9:
Remove pot from refrigerator. There will be a yellow-greenish fluid on top of yogurt. This is the whey that has separated from the yogurt. This is normal and healthy bacteria. In order to have a thicker yogurt consistency, I pour out this whey into a mason jar to be used in smoothies or other goods instead. There will still be plenty of whey within the yogurt.
#10:
Use a large spoon to stir yogurt into a smooth consistency. I like this consistency but you can pour yogurt through a cheesecloth to achieve an even thicker, greek yogurt-like texture.
#11:
Transfer yogurt into glass containers and store in your refrigerator for 1-4 weeks.
Enjoy & Shalom!
Our favorite way to eat this yogurt is with my homemade granola and a drizzle of raw honey. It makes for a quick and healthy breakfast or yummy late-night dessert!
I also use this yogurt to make my perfect sourdough tortillas! It gives them the best texture and flavor.
Homemade Probiotic-rich Whole Milk Yogurt
Servings: 1 Gallon
Equipment
- Stock pot with matching lid
- Candy Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 Gallon Organic Whole Milk *Not ultra-pasturized
- 1 Cup Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt *must contain live cultures and no added ingredients or preservatives; greek or regular yogurt
Instructions
- Pour milk into pot.
- Place pot with milk on stove top with thermometer attached inside in order to determine temperature of milk. Turn on burner to medium heat.
- Allow milk to heat up to between 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit. This generally takes between 20-30 minutes depending on how much milk is in the pot and your particular burner temperature. When this temperature is reached, turn off heat and remove pot from the burner to cool.
- Allow milk to come down in temperature to between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. This period can take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your house. Take your yogurt culture out from the refrigerator at this time and sit it out on the counter to come up to room temperature as the milk is cooling.
- When the milk is done cooling and reaches the target temperature, skim off the top layer that has formed over the top of the milk and discard in sink or trash.
- Pour yogurt culture into the milk and gently stir around to incorporate.
- Place tight-fitting lid on pot. Lay out a blanket or a large towel on the counter or a table and place lidded pot in the center of blanket/towel and begin pulling over sides of the blanket/towel over and around the pot so that it is completely covered and insulated all around. Leave out in room temperature environment to ferment for 10-12 hours. 11 hours seems to be a sweet period for a yogurt that has a nice tang without being too sour and over-powering.
- After the 10-12 hours has passed, place the entire lidded pot into the refrigerator for a few hours.
- Remove pot from refrigerator. There will be a yellow-greenish fluid on top of yogurt. This is the whey that has separated from the yogurt. This is normal and healthy bacteria. In order to have a thicker yogurt consistency, I pour out this whey into a mason jar to be used in smoothies or other goods instead. There will still be plenty of whey within the yogurt.
- Use a large spoon to stir yogurt into a smooth consistency. I like this consistency but you can pour yogurt through a cheesecloth to achieve an even thicker, greek yogurt-like texture.
- Transfer yogurt into glass containers and store in your refrigerator for 1-4 weeks.