If you are anything like me,
you want to know what goes into your food, and your body. And I also prefer the
freshest foods possible to eat and serve to my family at home. I also like to make things from scratch where I can, and who doesnt like to save money? Today, gentle readers, we will learn to make yogurt, and greek style yogurt and fresh cream cheese at home.
Store bought cream cheese and yogurt are very expensive, and you dont get very much product, considering the price! Commercial yogurt is also very high in sugar and preservatives.
By following a few simple steps, you too can be on your way to enjoying these things at home in a much healthier way- having control over the quantity, fat and sugar content, and having fresh dairy in your fridge every day.
A few tips will help ensure a quality final result;
1) NEVER use a wooden spoon during any time making yogurt. Use a very clean metal spoon, or non- pourus spatula. Make sure all your utensils are very very clean.
Microscopic bacteria in the wood will kill off the healthy bacteria we will need to culture the milk.
2) You get to decide how much yogurt you want to end up with. How much you want will determine how much milk you will need to start out with. Adjust your measurements according to your needs.
Tracy's Fresh Yogurt
6 cups 2% milk ( you can use 1%, skim, or whole milk, but I have found best results using 2%)
1- single serve plain yogurt withprobiotics/bacterial cultures/etc. ( check the date, make sure its not nearing the end of its shelf life or the bacteria we need will no longer be alive)
Directions:
Start by taking the single serve container out of the fridge to come to room temperature. If it is not at room temp. your yogurt will not work as the bacteria will not be activated.
Pour 6 cups 2% milk into a very clean saucepan, and heat over medium until just prior to boiling.
Stir constantly to avoid burning your milk, which will make the whole batch taste burnt. Yuk.
If it boils it will still make good yogurt, but it will boil over onto the stove, and let me tell you from experience, you only do that once!!!! ;)
As a tip, the milk will start to foam at around 165 degrees, so at that time you know you are getting close to the right temperature.
When it has reached the right temp, remove from heat and cover to allow to come to baby bottle temperature. If you dont cover it, it will cool off much more quickly, but you will get a 'skin' on the milk that you will need to remove.
When it has come to baby bottle temp, add the room temp. single serve yogurt ( as a starter- you wont need to do this again, as long as you always save about a 1/4 of a cup of every batch you make, to use as your next starter)
Stir the yogurt into the milk, cover with a lid, or saran wrap, and place in the oven with the light on overnight. (do not turn the oven on! The warmth from the light will be enough to keep it warm)
In the morning, you will have amazing yogurt. pour into containers with secure lids and refridgerate.
Amazingly easy!
Feel free to add honey or brown rice syrup, or maple syrup to sweeten, but it is best to sweeten each serving and not the whole container so you can use some for baking, or stroganoff, etc.
If you want to go further and have Greek Yogurt.....
Take a bowl, and place in it, a strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.
Pour the yogurt you just made from the above recipe, into the cheesecloth lined strainer. Lay the edges of the cheesecloth gently over the yogurt to keep it fresh and clean. Place it in the fridge for
4-8 hours or overnight, until desired firmness is attained.
Perfect for breakfast with granola and honey, Tzatziki, baking, or as a sour cream
*You will notice that after you take a serving of yogurt, the next day there will be a greenish/yellowish liquid in the container. (Do not worry- this is called 'whey' and is actually very high in protein and can be drank, or fed to pets)
Just pour the whey off if you arent inclined to use it. (Thats what I do.) It is just part of the natural seperation of the water from the cultured milk.
If you want to have Cream Cheese.....
take the bowl of yogurt in a cheesecloth lined strainer from above- and place a plate over top the yogurt. About 4 hours later, place a medium to large sized can of beans/soup/sauce on plate, in order to press out the whey to make cream cheese.
Perfect for baking, using as a cream cheese spread, dip, etc.
So- my gentle readers, there you go! Now you have no reason not to have fresh yogurt and cream cheese anytime you want it!
In future, if there is any interest, I will post on how to make sour cream, buttermilk, sweet condensed milk, and ice cream. Let me know what you'd like to see and learn about, in the comments below.
Until next time,
Namaste :)
Question for the day;
What is your favorite way to enjoy yogurt or cream cheese?
you want to know what goes into your food, and your body. And I also prefer the
freshest foods possible to eat and serve to my family at home. I also like to make things from scratch where I can, and who doesnt like to save money? Today, gentle readers, we will learn to make yogurt, and greek style yogurt and fresh cream cheese at home.
Store bought cream cheese and yogurt are very expensive, and you dont get very much product, considering the price! Commercial yogurt is also very high in sugar and preservatives.
By following a few simple steps, you too can be on your way to enjoying these things at home in a much healthier way- having control over the quantity, fat and sugar content, and having fresh dairy in your fridge every day.
A few tips will help ensure a quality final result;
1) NEVER use a wooden spoon during any time making yogurt. Use a very clean metal spoon, or non- pourus spatula. Make sure all your utensils are very very clean.
Microscopic bacteria in the wood will kill off the healthy bacteria we will need to culture the milk.
2) You get to decide how much yogurt you want to end up with. How much you want will determine how much milk you will need to start out with. Adjust your measurements according to your needs.
Tracy's Fresh Yogurt
6 cups 2% milk ( you can use 1%, skim, or whole milk, but I have found best results using 2%)
1- single serve plain yogurt withprobiotics/bacterial cultures/etc. ( check the date, make sure its not nearing the end of its shelf life or the bacteria we need will no longer be alive)
Directions:
Start by taking the single serve container out of the fridge to come to room temperature. If it is not at room temp. your yogurt will not work as the bacteria will not be activated.
Pour 6 cups 2% milk into a very clean saucepan, and heat over medium until just prior to boiling.
Stir constantly to avoid burning your milk, which will make the whole batch taste burnt. Yuk.
If it boils it will still make good yogurt, but it will boil over onto the stove, and let me tell you from experience, you only do that once!!!! ;)
As a tip, the milk will start to foam at around 165 degrees, so at that time you know you are getting close to the right temperature.
When it has reached the right temp, remove from heat and cover to allow to come to baby bottle temperature. If you dont cover it, it will cool off much more quickly, but you will get a 'skin' on the milk that you will need to remove.
When it has come to baby bottle temp, add the room temp. single serve yogurt ( as a starter- you wont need to do this again, as long as you always save about a 1/4 of a cup of every batch you make, to use as your next starter)
Stir the yogurt into the milk, cover with a lid, or saran wrap, and place in the oven with the light on overnight. (do not turn the oven on! The warmth from the light will be enough to keep it warm)
In the morning, you will have amazing yogurt. pour into containers with secure lids and refridgerate.
Amazingly easy!
Feel free to add honey or brown rice syrup, or maple syrup to sweeten, but it is best to sweeten each serving and not the whole container so you can use some for baking, or stroganoff, etc.
If you want to go further and have Greek Yogurt.....
Take a bowl, and place in it, a strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.
Pour the yogurt you just made from the above recipe, into the cheesecloth lined strainer. Lay the edges of the cheesecloth gently over the yogurt to keep it fresh and clean. Place it in the fridge for
4-8 hours or overnight, until desired firmness is attained.
Perfect for breakfast with granola and honey, Tzatziki, baking, or as a sour cream
*You will notice that after you take a serving of yogurt, the next day there will be a greenish/yellowish liquid in the container. (Do not worry- this is called 'whey' and is actually very high in protein and can be drank, or fed to pets)
Just pour the whey off if you arent inclined to use it. (Thats what I do.) It is just part of the natural seperation of the water from the cultured milk.
If you want to have Cream Cheese.....
take the bowl of yogurt in a cheesecloth lined strainer from above- and place a plate over top the yogurt. About 4 hours later, place a medium to large sized can of beans/soup/sauce on plate, in order to press out the whey to make cream cheese.
Perfect for baking, using as a cream cheese spread, dip, etc.
So- my gentle readers, there you go! Now you have no reason not to have fresh yogurt and cream cheese anytime you want it!
In future, if there is any interest, I will post on how to make sour cream, buttermilk, sweet condensed milk, and ice cream. Let me know what you'd like to see and learn about, in the comments below.
Until next time,
Namaste :)
Question for the day;
What is your favorite way to enjoy yogurt or cream cheese?
No comments:
Post a Comment