Homemade yogurt.
What can I say?
I was unimpressed.
While it was (once I worked out a few kinks in the process) surprisingly easy to make, I didn’t find the flavor of my homemade yogurt to be anything extraordinary, nor was it life changing or revelatory like some claim it to be. If anything it tasted a bit off to me compared to store-bought. Everyone seems to rave about the superior flavor of homemade yogurt, but I didn’t have that same experience.
However, I still think it’s worthwhile to try making yourself, at least once in your life, because it is pretty amazing how a bowl of lukewarm liquid milk can become a thick and creamy yogurt after only a few hours in a warm oven.
Like magic.
My first attempt (pictured above) definitely tasted like yogurt, but it had an odd ricotta-like consistency that was less than pleasing. I think this was caused by the fact that I stirred the yogurt before it was entirely done, poking and prodding it after 4 or 5 hours to see how it was coming along.
Lesson learned? Set it and let it be.
My next two batches were noticeably better once I left them alone, with little to no separation and a texture that, while definitely smoother, was not quite as luxuriously creamy that what you’re probably used to when buying yogurt at the store.
I left some of my yogurt as is, and strained the rest for about 2-3 hours for a thicker, more Greek-like consistency. The Greek version was thicker, obviously, but I also found it smoother and tangier than the unstrained one. You can sort of see the differences in texture between the unstrained (left) and the strained (right) versions above. The unstrained also has a noticeable ‘cream top’ caused by using non-homogenized milk, which I didn’t love (luckily it’s easy to scrape off).
That said, the texture of yogurt has never been something I’ve loved. Even the super smooth store-bought stuff. So the slightly grainy texture of my homemade yogurt was slightly off-putting to me, even my second and third attempts which were noticeably smoother.
Needless to say, I can’t eat yogurt without stirring in a significant amount of stuff, be it granola, fruit, honey, nuts, or all above. The crunchy has to outnumber the creamy.
Helpful tip – make an instant ice bath by placing a large 4-cup measuring cup in an 8 or 9-inch square cake pan. Fill with ice water. This will help the milk cool more quickly, in about 15-20 minutes as opposed to 40 or 50.
I used my oven as a ‘proofing’ room; with the light on, the oven held a steady 100 degrees, which is just about right for making yogurt. No fancy contraptions, coolers, or heating pads required.
I let this batch sit for about 10 hours, though I think 7 or 8 would have been plenty. It’s done when you can tip the jar and the yogurt stays put. There may be some whey on the top and that’s normal, just pour it off.
Since I used non-homogenized milk, my yogurt separated much in the way the milk itself would if let to sit. The ‘cream’ layer on top is actually kind of nice, super rich and creamy. If you use homogenized milk this separation will not occur.
You guys seemed so excited about this challenge when I announced it, but I guess I wasn’t the only one left underwhelmed, since Dana was the only one who actually submitted a final result. Was it something I said? Or (more likely) are we all just too busy dealing with taxes and spring cleaning and the like to take 30 minutes out of our day to make something from scratch?
Ah, well, maybe next time.
Let us know what you think!
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