How to make Yoghurt; plus whey and cream cheese

I have discovered the absolute joy of making my own yogurt. It is so easy and cheap to make, and all you need are some basic tools!

Mini analysis (for frugal people like myself):

-Cost of 1 quart good-quality store-bought yogurt: About $5.00

-Cost of 1 quart good-quality homemade yogurt: About $1.50 or so, depending on price of 1 quart of milk

PLUS, if you make a double batch of yoghurt, and turn the 2^nd batch into whey and cream cheese, then the savings are as follows:

-Cost of 1 quart good-quality homemade yogurt, and whey and a lot of cream cheese: Only $2.50- 3!!, depending on price of 1/2 gallon of milk

 

Here’s how you make yoghurt (full of beneficial bacteria and lactic acid, which does wonders for digestion)! Remember: The more you make it, the easier it becomes!

 

What you need:

-1/4 cup good quality plain yoghurt (store-bought or from previous batch)

-1 quart pasteurized whole milk

-a candy thermometer (you can buy these at Safeway; they’re like $4). 

-a pot and glass/enamel baking dish, or 1 quart-size mason jar, or 2 pint-size mason jars

 

How to make it: 

-Gently heat milk to 180 degrees, then let it cool to about 110 degrees. -Stir in yogurt and put it in a glass or enamel container. I have found that mason jars or a baking dish work. -Cover and place in a warm oven (a gas oven with a pilot light or electric oven pre-heated to warm and then turned off) overnight. -In the morning the yoghurt is done! It may be slightly thinner in consistency than you are used to, but it is so good tasting! And it is so cheap and easy to make!

 

To make the whole process even more amazing, you can make a double batch of yoghurt (using a 1/2 gallon of milk), and turn 1/2 of it into whey and cream cheese!! The cream cheese is so good; I like putting it on toast with jam, or using it is place of crème fraiche/ sour cream in tacos or soups. I use the whey to make lacto-fermented vegi’s (like kimchi or pickles.

 

This is how you make whey and cream cheese (or crème fraiche or whatever you want to consider it): 

 

What you need:

-Any amount of yogurt

-A strainer

-A bowl, a long spoon or stick

-A piece of string/ ribbon 

-2 dish towels

 

How to make it:

-Place the 1st dish towel over the strainer, then place it on the bowl. –Pour the yogurt in, and place the 2^nd dish towel over it. Leave that for a few hours on a countertop. –The whey will drip into the bowl, and the milk solids will stay in the towel. Tie up the towel with the milk solids inside and attach the sack to the long spoon/ stick. It is ready when the whey stops dripping. Store in the refrigerator in covered jars. Enjoy!!!