Here where I live, you can't buy unsweetened yogurt in the grocery store. Nor can you buy very many that are a thick consistency like we'd eat in the US. Most are flavored and like a thick drink rather than something you use a spoon for. All of this is fine until you need plain yogurt in a recipe. So...how to make your own....
Making your own yogurt is super simple. The only trick is getting a starter. That's right. You have to use yogurt to make yogurt. It also needs to be thicker and not drink-like in order to get a thick yogurt yourself. Best case scenario--you have a friend who is already making their own yogurt and can give you some starter. Plan B would be that you find the thickest, sweet yogurt you can to buy and use that as your starter. If all you can find is something like a thick drink then you might want to strain itto get it thick before using it (see my post on Ricotta cheese and follow the same method seen there for using a cheesecloth to strain). This is what I did most recently and it worked.
Yogurt
2 cups water
2 cups milk powder (I use Nestle Full Cream Milk Powder here)
2 Tbs yogurt starter
2 cups hot boiled water
Whisk together 2 cups room temperature water, milk powder, and starter. Add 2 cups hot water and whisk just a bit. Pour liquid into clean jars. Let set for 4-6 hours (I often just leave it overnight).
*Note: When letting the yogurt set, it needs to be in a warm place. My mom had a gas oven and she used to set hers in the oven--just the temperature it was with the pilot light on made a good place for it to sit--she was also notorious for forgetting there was yogurt in there and turning the oven on to preheat for something else!! I personally like to wrap mine in a towel inside the microwave--this keeps the temperature fairly controlled. I also usually just leave it in overnight since there is rarely a time I know I can go 6 hours without needing to use the microwave for something!
Making your own yogurt is super simple. The only trick is getting a starter. That's right. You have to use yogurt to make yogurt. It also needs to be thicker and not drink-like in order to get a thick yogurt yourself. Best case scenario--you have a friend who is already making their own yogurt and can give you some starter. Plan B would be that you find the thickest, sweet yogurt you can to buy and use that as your starter. If all you can find is something like a thick drink then you might want to strain itto get it thick before using it (see my post on Ricotta cheese and follow the same method seen there for using a cheesecloth to strain). This is what I did most recently and it worked.
Yogurt
2 cups water
2 cups milk powder (I use Nestle Full Cream Milk Powder here)
2 Tbs yogurt starter
2 cups hot boiled water
Whisk together 2 cups room temperature water, milk powder, and starter. Add 2 cups hot water and whisk just a bit. Pour liquid into clean jars. Let set for 4-6 hours (I often just leave it overnight).
Edited 6/16/2013: Here is another recipe for yogurt using milk rather than milk powder. And a method for allowing it to culture in a thermos for more controlled temperature!
You are awesome ... yogurt is on my to-do list of things to make for myself. I'm going to try it this weekend!
ReplyDeleteAfter a few failed attempts at yogurt (temp issues in cold weather without heat), I finally got it to work. It came out much closer in taste and texture to American yogurt. Does it get more firm the longer you let it sit or just more sour? I was thinking mine could be slightly thicker, but I just wondered if it would be. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, one thing you can try for temp issues is to preheat your jars by putting them in hot water, then you have to dry them. My yogurt is never the same consistency! Sometimes, I feel like it has to do with what starter I use. The past two I've made have been pretty good and I've only let them sit for 3-4 hours--and its been colder weather! Go figure. In colder climates, I used to let it sit overnight because I thought that helped. I'm not sure where the trick is exactly...You could always strain it if its not as thick as you want but the flavor is okay. Just extra work!
ReplyDeleteI started making my own yogurt in the states before we moved back over here, and then when we got here, I found a yogurt maker at a local store. It was around 200 RMB, Chinese brand, and it has been worth the money for sure! I brought my own yogurt starter, but it's gone. There's a baking store in Beijing that has a Taobao shop, and I bought some yogurt starter from there. I added it to a 1L box of shelf milk, which you don't have to pretreat in any way. 10-12 hours in my yogurt maker and then a few days in the fridge, and it's almost as thick as Greek Yogurt right off the bat!
ReplyDeleteI found it at this Taobao shop, and I bought the blue yogurt starter: http://shop34228077.taobao.com/
I'll definitely buy it again, but it'll be a while, because it has 10 packets in it, and then you can use yogurt as a starter, too, for a few generations.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this! Quick question for you: can I use 2 cups of milk instead of water + the milk powder? I'm curious as to the reason there is milk powder in it. Thanks!
Most recipes that use just milk you have to be a lot more particular about the temperature. And I've just found this method works better for me. But yes, you can use just milk. YOu may just want to look up a recipe to make sure you're doing it "right". Also if you use milk, a lot of people say to still add milk powder and it makes it a lot thicker (like Greek yogurt) without the straining. Its on my list to try.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried the slow cooker method of yogurt making? I'm in China as well, and that's been my go-to method so far. I'm wondering how that would work with this milk powder method (so far, I've been using UHT milk, but I'm guessing that the milk powder method would be less expensive, and possibly thicker).
ReplyDeleteThank you soooooooo much for this recipe, I'm living in the Hunan province right now and all we have is the thin sweet yogurt or the set yogurt. I'm making mine right now!
ReplyDelete