Homemade Yogurt **Updated** Cheese and Buttermilk

[ozark hen]

Hi Lurky, good girl. I made my second batch after reading your post this morning. ha ha I am sure MissPrissy will tell us why the hot water bottle but I can only assume...heat/humidity? I fill my cooler with very hot water from the sink and let it set in there until I am ready to fill my jar with yogurt. Then the water I used to sterilize my jar has been kept at a slow boil so I pour it into the other jar. cap both and wrap in towels, drain cooler and place jars in the cooler. Now I added my sugar and vanilla flavoring to the yogurt when it got down to 110 degrees. I have also read that you can add instant pudding to the 110 degree mixture for your favorite flavor. once you do it Lurky, then play with it. No mistakes just "different" flavors. ha ha
Now how cool will you be when you tell everyone you make your own homemade yogurt??

I wasn't real happy with my first batch, not sweet enough, so I put more sugar in this batch. It may be too much, I will have to find the right amount that suits us. You do the same.

 

[MissPrissy]

The cultures in the yogurt have to incubate 10 -12 hours in order to grow and reproduce (the process by which milk is turned to yogurt). Your hot cooler and jar of insulated water is your incubator and heat source. After 10 hours my jar of water is still very warm.

Have fun!

 

[ozark hen]

thanks MissPrissy, any advice on sweetening? Will honey or maple syrup just make it too runny?

 

[MissPrissy]

We make it plain. I do not mess with a good thing in the process. LOL

When I serve it the girls (and I) will drizzle local honey or add preserves that we made or simply strawberries from the freezer that we had added a little sugar to. We top it with a crunchy organic granola.

My kids are always hungry soon after breakfast. Since I started making the yogurt and serving it with a dollop of fruit and a sprinkle of granola their appetites are satisfied longer now than ever before. It is really good stuff.

 

[aran]

i had a cool yoghurt maker thing in new zealand...havent seen it here..i ate TONS of it back home. The "maker" was nothing more than an insulated plastic tub that you filled with hot water. The yoghurt culture was added to milk and mixed together cold then the sealed jar ( 1 Litre) would be put inside the "maker" sitting inside the hot water for about 10-12 hours...freakin awesome! If you can get this kind of thing here let me know. There was also a company at home called Easy-yo which sold premixed packets of powder to make the yoghurt with.

 

[ozark hen]

Well, my second batch of yogurt (sweetened as to our preference|)turned out absolutely wonderful. We had company tonight and a preteen who is extemely fussy about what she eats begged her mom to start making this after a taste. Kuddos to MissPrissy!!!
It is wonderful. I personally, do not eat a lot of yogurt as I cannot stand the aftertaste but I love this! I cannot thank you enough! And making it in a cooler is the easiest way to make it!! I already had the jars and the cooler so the rest was a cinch!

 

[lurky]

So how much sugar did you use?

 

[ozark hen]

I used about one half cup, taste it as you mix the sugar and stop when you like the sweetness. I am not kidding you this stuff is fabulous!! Like I said, I am not a big fan of yogurt but love this. Now MissPrissy does not use sugar but adds other things to the finished product for sweetness so try it both ways to find your preference. Enjoy!!

 

[MissPrissy]

Ozark Hen, I am so glad you like it!

I never was much one for yogurt either until I started making it myself. Like alot of things homemade tastes better. It is usually better for you also.

I am making a batch this afternoon. The kids plow through a quart almost every day. Whatever they leave in the bottom of the jar the chickens get as a treat. My new baby silkies are just crazy over cold yogurt.

Right now I have to finish up with 11 quarts of squash, 9 quarts of beets and 2 pint of pickled peppers. My garden is producing nicely right now. We sure could use some rain.

 

[lurky]

Well......i really did it. I made it this AM and i tried it tonight. I tried it first with no sugar, but i think its like drinking black coffee. I added just a little sugar and it was WAY better. I still cannot believe i even made it. Also my DH and my mom are checkin' my forehead

What i think really got me was Ozark saying 'its like having your own eggs vs store bought. That i understand!!