If my challenge this past winter has been cornbread (I've finally succeeded); my challenge last winter was yogurt. I wanted to make my own homemade, but it had to meet certain specifications. It had to be good! It had to be thick enough. It had to not require me to buy any more kitchen gadgets that I don't have room for.
Well, as you can see, the last one didn't hold true. I tried many methods of getting it to stay warm enough, without being too warm, and finally my mother-in-law and aunt took pity on me and gave me their old yogurt makers (from the 70's perhaps?). I can finally make yummy yogurt. (thank you S and Aunt B)
So, if you want to try your own, here's the successful version: (for these 2 makers)
Homemade Yogurt
-2 quarts of milk (we use whole or 2% usually)
-1/2 c. dry milk powder (I tried many variations without, and it was always too runny, so just use it!)
-1/2 c. plain yogurt for a start or Yogourmet start (can buy at health store usually)
Heat the milk in a pan and bring to scalding (about 180*F with candy thermometer or until it gets a skin on it, or until it starts foaming. Watch it, because when it foams, it foams!). Cool to 112-115*F (or lukewarm and you can hold your finger in it). To cool it quickly, put cold water in your sink or a shallow pan, and put the kettle in it. When cool, mix about 1/2 c. milk into the start and then pour the mixture back into the warm milk. Mix thoroughly but gently and pour into makers. Leave overnight or 6-8 hours, depending on how thick you want it.
I've been flavoring mine vanilla, so make a syrup with:
1/4 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, add vanilla. Add to warm milk right before putting in the yogurt maker. You may want to leave one plain cup to use for the start next time, but I usually forget, so it all gets vanilla flavor. (adjust vanilla and sugar to your taste, 1/2 c. sugar in 1/2 c. water works fine too)
Other methods you can try to incubate (which I wasn't very successful at, but you may be)
-Heating pad on low with a towel to cover. Put yogurt in a mason jar, set onto towel, and put a big kettle upside down over top to hold in the heat. The new heating pads shut off after 2-4 hours, so you may have to check to make sure the heat stays on (this does work, and was my most successful non-yogurt-maker method)
-Turn a slow cooker on warm with warm water in the bottom. When it's warm, turn off and just turn back on for 15 min every so often to maintain temp. (I found it too hard to be consistent turning the heat on and off. Even on warm, the milk will curdle if it gets too hot)
-In the oven next to the oven light (turned on of course) or pilot light
-In a cooler wrapped in a towel and other jars of hot water around it to keep the heat in for extended time
-In a warm windowsill. You want the temperature about 70-80*F
-Over the register on a cold night (this works well if your furnace kicks in alot, but on warmer nights, not so well)
-By the wood stove where it will stay toasty (but our fire goes out in the night, so it hasn't been successful either)
-Find a yogurt maker...that makes it much more foolproof.
That first winter I was experimenting, I made a lot of watery yogurt. Greg would take it to work to eat (or more often, drink) anyways, and told the guys there that his wife was "culturally challenged". Thankfully I've been able to finally make some good stuff. If you do make a flop, it's great to use instead of milk in pancakes or baking (like buttermilk). Don't throw it out!
