Flaherty Wines

I started making my own yoghurt a couple of months ago,. Initially I just wanted to reduce our trash—all those little plastic yoghurt containers seemed so wasteful. But making yoghurt is so easy, and the result is so yummy, that it quickly became part of my routine. I’m now making a batch about once every week or ten days.

I had to play around with the recipe a bit. All the recipes in my cookbooks call for powdered milk, so that the yoghurt is thick enough to eat with a spoon. Unfortunately, that also makes the yoghurt taste like powdered milk. I tried eliminating the powdered milk altogether, but the result was very soupy, which is fine for smoothies, but not for serving with fruit or jam. I eventually settled on a combination of boiling the milk to reduce it (thereby concentrating the proteins) and adding just enough powdered milk to help thicken the yoghurt without spoiling the flavor. Boiling the milk also serves to denature (or unwind) the proteins. My first batch came out really slimy, which happens when the milk proteins aren’t unwound. Also note that since it is the protein content, not the fat, that is important for thickening the yoghurt, you can use either low fat or whole milk. Finally, I always use store-bought yoghurt for the starter, as a homemade batch is more likely to be contaminated with unwanted bacteria.

Homemade yoghurt

2 liters (2 quarts) milk
1/3 cup nonfat powdered milk
2/3 cup (one container) yoghurt (with a live culture)

Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed pan, then continue simmering gently for 30 to 45 minutes, being careful not to scorch the milk. You can reduce the milk by as much as a quarter. Remove the milk from the heat and allow it to cool to 44 C (111 F). Blend a little of the milk with the powdered milk to make a paste, then blend in about a cup of milk. Stir in the yoghurt, then add the yoghurt mix into the rest of the milk and stir well to incorporate. Pour into clean jars, wrap the jars in a kitchen towel for insulation, and set them in a warm place to ferment, In the summer, I just set the jars in a sunny spot (safe from the cats!). On cooler days, I set them under the heat lamp on the stove. The yoghurt will set in about six hours. The longer the yoghurt ferments, the more sour it will be, so I often leave it for eight or nine hours (overnight).