A couple weeks back, I got a skookum Cuisinart Yogurt Maker from the nice people at London Drugs. I’ve been having tons of fun making yogurt over the last couple of weeks, and I think I finally have my yogurt exactly how I want it.
Even better, I have the boy on board! Every morning when he gets up, now, he asks for yogurt with fruit and honey. Win!!
I doubt I’ll ever need to buy yogurt again. It’s really convenient to throw a batch in the yogurt maker, and have it ready for the next day. I’ve been having lots of fun experimenting with different recipes as well–tzatziki, raita, and flavours. I’ll no doubt attempt frozen yogurt in the summer, and who knows what else?
But in the mean time, here’s the basic recipe. It requires two things: milk and culture.
There are two tips I’ve discovered, to getting the yogurt to the consistency (thicker) that I want. First, you need to use whole milk. When you start to use lower-fat milks, you will probably have to use some kind of thickener, like agar-agar. Second, cooking the milk before you put it into the yogurt maker creates a much thicker, creamier result.
If you want a true, thick, greek-style yogurt, you’ll need to put it in a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a bowl, and allow it to drain for a few hours. This works beautifully, and creates a thick, almost whipped-cream like texture.
Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 litre whole milk
- 1 package yogurt culture
Method
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk up to 160-180 degrees fahrenheit. I use my candy thermometer for this.
- Remove from the heat, and pour into a large bowl. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes, until the temperature reads 110 degrees fahrenheit. Add in the culture and stir well, to make sure it is all incorporated.
- Pour the warm milk into the bowl of the yogurt maker, place the top on, and put it inside the maker. Put the top on. Set the timer for 7 hours.
- After the yogurt is done, place in the fridge. It will thicken more as it cools. If you want it really thick, line a sieve with two layers of cheesecloth. Place it over a bowl, and put the yogurt inside the sieve. Return it to the fridge for 4-6 hrs, or until it’s your desired thickness. The water will drip out of the yogurt into the bowl, leaving the lovely thick yogurt in the sieve.