Creamy Homemade Yogurt (Printable)

Thick, tangy cultured yogurt made with just milk and a starter. Ready overnight with minimal effort.

# What You Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 4¼ cups whole milk (low-fat milk may be substituted)
02 - 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with live active cultures (starter)

# Directions:

01 - Pour the milk into a saucepan and warm gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 185°F. Do not allow the milk to boil.
02 - Remove the saucepan from heat and let the milk cool to between 110°F and 113°F.
03 - In a small bowl, combine the yogurt starter with a few tablespoons of the cooled milk, whisking until smooth and fully blended.
04 - Stir the thinned starter mixture back into the remaining cooled milk, mixing thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the cultures.
05 - Pour the inoculated milk into a clean container or divide among individual jars. Cover loosely with lids.
06 - Place the containers in a warm environment — a turned-off oven with the light on, a yogurt maker, or a similar incubation spot — and let them sit undisturbed for 8 to 12 hours, until the yogurt has set to your preferred consistency and level of tanginess.
07 - Refrigerate the yogurt for at least 2 hours before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Once you taste homemade yogurt, you will quietly phase out every store bought brand without even meaning to.
  • The process is almost entirely hands off, and you get to feel like a kitchen wizard for doing almost nothing.
02 -
  • If your milk gets too hot and a skin forms on top, simply peel it off before adding the starter because it will create an unpleasant texture in the final product.
  • The incubation temperature does not need to be precise, but if your kitchen is cold, a towel wrapped around the jars can make all the difference between set yogurt and sad milk.
03 -
  • Use a kitchen thermometer rather than guessing the temperature, because the difference between perfect yogurt and a ruined batch is often just a few degrees in either direction.
  • Whole milk and patience are the only two secrets, and anyone who tells you otherwise is overcomplicating something beautifully simple.

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