 Homemade Greek Yogurt (Full Fat Version) - Eating yogurt is very good for you. It’s a Super Food, so we all should be eating a lot of it. Making your own allows you to enjoy it without spending very much money and you also won’t be eating the preservatives and chemicals that most yogurts from the grocery have in them (be careful, because natural doesn’t always mean natural).
Ingredients:
1 half gallon of milk
1 pint of half and half
3 tbs of yogurt (live cultures)
(you can use skim milk and no half and half if you prefer it’s just not as healthy)
Very Easy Directions:
Pour 1 half gallon of milk (I use organic) & 1 pint of half-and-half into a pot.
Slowly bring the milk up to 180 degrees over medium heat (I use a small / cheap cooking thermometer I bought at the grocery store). Stir every few minutes so a skin doesn’t develop on top of the milk.
Once you reach 180 degrees, remove from heat and let the milk begin to cool down.
When the milk’s temperature reaches between 115 and 110 degrees stir in 3 rounded tablespoons of yogurt. (IMPORTANT: the yogurt must be a plain yogurt with milk and live cultures as the only ingredients – I use Dannon Plain Yogurt when I’ve eaten all my homemade yogurt). Also, before you stir in the yogurt make sure you remove any skin that has formed on the milk because it will make your yogurt grainy later.
After stirring in the yogurt put the lid on the pot and wrap the pot in a warm blanket and let is sit for 12 hours. I always make sure I reach this stage before I go to bed or early in the morning.
After the 12 hours you will have a half gallon of regular plain yogurt and can enjoy it as is if you prefer that style. I love Greek-style yogurt because it’s so thick and creamy, so I add one more step to the process.
Take out a regular colander and line it with either cheese cloth or coffee filters. Then pour the yogurt into the colander. Quickly place the colander on top of the pot you’ve been using.
What you are doing here is draining the whey (liquid) from the yogurt in order to create a much thicker consistency.
Set the pot in the fridge and let it drain for another 5-12 hours. I prefer longer because I like my yogurt to have a more crème brulee texture.
Flavoring: I love to drizzle honey on the top or mix a spoon of natural spreadable fruit or jam. I make my own granola too, so it’s another perfect topping.
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