There is definitely something very special about making your own thick yoghurt using just milk and yoghurt to do the job.

I have been making my own yoghurt for a few years now and like to make two litres at a time as we go through a lot (it is used in sauces, marinades, dips, baking, brekkie … the list goes on!).  It keeps well in the fridge for at least 10 days and is usually used up well within that time.

You can definitely add flavours to your yoghurt once it is made, but I don’t do that as it limits how I can use it so I add fruits, vanilla, or spicy flavours as and when I need them.

If you find you are making two litres regularly then I would definitely recommend you invest in a yoghurt maker … this is the one I use from Green Living Australia as it holds 2 litres of yoghurt at a time, and as yet I haven’t seen any others that do that.

I have given you the process I follow to make yoghurt using a 2 litre Thermoserver as well as using the yoghurt maker.  The advantage with the yoghurt maker is that is takes less time (12 to 15 hours depending on how tart you like it) as it keeps the yoghurt at a consistent temperature of 37 degrees, as opposed to the Thermoserver which takes more time (24 hours) as the heat slowly diminishes to room temperature and you need this full time to ensure a nice thick consistency and delicious flavour.

Once the yoghurt is made I always drain it for 30 minutes or so … this ensures I get a slightly thicker yoghurt which I love, and it also gives me some whey which I keep to add to breads (in place of water) that I always make over the next week or so.  Whey will in fact keep in the fridge for much longer (I have been told 6+ weeks), but as I am always making bread I use it up fairly quickly.  NB:  When storing whey it is important you don’t continually add bits of whey to it, but as I use all of mine up fairly quickly there is no issue of me losing track of the age of my whey.

You can drain the yoghurt much longer than the recommended 30 minutes if you like to get “Greek” yoghurt which is basically a thicker version of plain yoghurt, and if you want to drain it for 24+ hours you will end up with labne which is also known as “yoghurt cheese”.

When adding yoghurt to your milk I do not use the yoghurt I have already made … it is just too yummy and I prefer to eat it!  So I buy a 1 litre container of plain pot set premium yoghurt (this is what I use) which gives me 200g for making my yoghurt, and 750g to make my labne (see here) with a touch left over which is perfect.  I am well aware that I add more yoghurt than necessary to culture my milk but it makes it easy for me to remember at the shops what I need (for every 1 litre of yoghurt you need 100g yoghurt starter, so for 2 litres you need 200g yoghurt starter).  When buying yoghurt do not use anything that has gums, and if at all possible no milk solids either … the brand I use does have milk solids, but on the plus side it is local, has no gums, is pot set, and uses full cream milk … all of which are important to me.  So go with what you prefer, but I would highly recommend using full fat milk and full fat yoghurt … it will not only give you a lovely result, but your body will thank you for it too.

I have tried to be quite specific in the instructions as I know that if you follow them you will end up with “thick and creamy yoghurt” which is what I truly wish for you to achieve …

YOGHURT ... THICK AND NATURAL

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

The resulting thick and creamy yoghurt ... delicious!

Please refer to main post for full details of process

Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Serves: 2 litres

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
  
  
• 2 litres full fat milk
• 200g full fat yoghurt

Instructions

METHOD – IF USING A THERMOSERVER (CULTURE FOR 24 HOURS)

1. Place milk into TM bowl and heat 25 minutes / 90 / speed 2
2. While the milk is heating place a thick towel (I use a beach towel) on your bench and put your 2 litre Thermoserver in the middle
3. Remove bowl from carousel and put aside … take the lid off to allow heat to escape so that the milk cools quicker
4. Allow milk to cool enough so that when you put the TM bowl back into the carousel there is no light showing, i.e. you do not want to see the 37 degree light come on (this can take 2-1/4 hours so put a little sticky note beside your machine to keep track)
5. Add 200g yoghurt and mix 10 seconds / speed 3
6. Heat for 10 minutes / 37 / speed 3
7. Whilst milk is reheating boil your kettle, then pour boiled water into the Thermoserver and put lid on
8. When the milk is ready, remove water from the Thermoserver and pour in milk (be careful as the Thermoserver is hot ... I always use rubber gloves when doing this)
9. Put lid on and wrap the Thermoserver in the beach towel and place in a warm spot where it won’t be disturbed (every time you move the Thermoserver you are disturbing the developing cultures so put it where you won't need to touch it ... I use a sideboard that no-one goes to)
10. After 24 hours unwrap the Thermoserver, put it into the fridge and allow yoghurt to cool completely (do not be tempted to stir the yoghurt yet … allow it to get cold first for a couple of hours ... or if it suits your timing leave it overnight)
11. Once cold, stir the yoghurt around and you will find it will loosen up quite a bit ... if a thicker yoghurt is desired drain yoghurt for 30 minutes ... it will continue to thicken further in the fridge as it sits but do 30 minutes the first time, and if a thicker result is wanted next time do 45 minutes or a touch more (if you have taken it too far you can add some whey back into the yoghurt in the next step to loosen it up a bit)
12. To drain the yoghurt I use the Veroma which I sit over a Tupperware mixing bowl (it fits perfectly) ... I line the Veroma with a butter cloth (also known as a cheese cloth) which is folded in a few layers
13. Carefully pour the yoghurt into the lined Veroma, cover with the Veroma top and place into the fridge for 30 minutes (put on a timer)
14. Remove Veroma, have a bowl ready to put the yoghurt into, lift the cheesecloth by the edges and carefully unfold the yoghurt into the bowl (it should slip off the cloth fairly easily ... use a large spoon to help scrape it off if necessary ... it may look a little lumpy)
15. Use a whisk to stir the yoghurt to remove all the lumps and to check the consistency ... if you want to loosen the yoghurt up a little you can add some whey back in
16. Once you are happy with the thickness decant the yoghurt into glass jars and store in the fridge
17. Place the whey into a container and also store in the fridge to use some time over the next six weeks
    
    

METHOD – IF USING A YOGHURT MAKER (CULTURE FOR 12 TO 15 HOURS)

1. Place milk into TM bowl and heat 25 minutes / 90 / speed 2
2. Remove bowl from carousel and put aside … take the lid off to allow heat to escape so that the milk cools quicker
3. Allow milk to cool enough so that when you put the TM bowl back into the carousel there is no light showing, i.e. you do not want to see the 37 degree light come on (this can take 2-1/4 hours so put a little sticky note beside your machine to keep track)
4. Add 200g yoghurt and mix 10 seconds / speed 3
5. Pour milk into the yoghurt maker and leave for 12 to 15 hours depending on how tart you like it (the yoghurt maker will culture quicker due to the application of consistent heat, so you can culture for up to 24 hours if you wish but it will be quite tart ... I always do it for 14 hours which is perfect for me, my dear brother Mario does it 12 hours which is perfect for him ... it comes down to the taste you like)
6. At the end of the culturing time put the 2 litre yoghurt insert into the fridge and allow yoghurt to cool completely (do not be tempted to stir the yoghurt yet … allow it to get cold first for a couple of hours)
7. Stir the yoghurt around and you will find it will loosen up quite a bit ... if a thicker yoghurt is desired drain yoghurt using the process described previously
8. Remove Veroma, have a bowl ready to put the yoghurt into, lift the cheesecloth by the edges and carefully unfold the yoghurt into the bowl (it may look a little lumpy ... see NB in following step)
9. Use a whisk to stir the yoghurt to remove all the lumps and to check the consistency ... if you want to loosen the yoghurt up a little you can add some whey back in (NB: when using the yoghurt maker you will find that your yoghurt will be a little more lumpy than usual, because of this my brother prefers to put the yoghurt back into the ™ bowl and[b] blends it for 10 seconds / speed 4 which I have found to be perfect for incredibly smooth and thick yoghurt)[/b]
10. Once you are happy with the thickness decant the yoghurt into glass jars and store in the fridge
11. Place the whey into a container and also store in the fridge to use some time over the next six weeks
    
    

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