Make Yogurt At Home ~ Quarantine lessons in self sufficiency

Homemade yogurt is very simple to make. It just requires a few steps.

I bought a three-quart Instant Pot specifically to make yogurt a few years ago and discovered that the process was pretty much the same as I had been doing in the past except you use the one pot to boil, cool, and ferment the milk. I made it in the Instant Pot for about a year or more and finally got tired of having to time the process so that I was awake as the ferment took place (11 hours). I do not leave electric devices on in the house at night. 

I have since changed back to the old way where I can leave the yogurt in the oven with the light on all night and by morning, it is finished. Then I let the jars cool and place them in the fridge. 

I boil the milk in the Instant Pot because it is easy and I don't have to watch a pot on the stove. It comes to temperature slowly and the alarm beeps when it is done. I start this process in the evening, rather than needing to have the Instant Pot on my counter for 11 hours during the day. 

This step can be done on your stove in a non-reactive pot using a thermometer to let you know it's the right temperature. Or, if you do not have a thermometer, until little bubbles show in the milk at the edge. The milk needs to reach 185* and then be cooled to 110*.

I remove the insert from the Instant Pot and place it in a container in the sink that holds cool water. 

When it reaches 110* you add one tablespoon vanilla extract, a small can of condensed milk, and four tablespoons of your previously made yogurt or a store-bought plain yogurt that must be fresh and contain live culture. It will say on the label. You can leave the condensed milk and vanilla off the recipe and make the yogurt plain. I like it sweet with a hint of vanilla. 

Mix together and pour into mason jars of choice. Put on lids loosely and place in a warm oven overnight covered in a towel. In the picture above, I just took the jars out of the oven to cool. 

After cooling, place the jars in the refrigerator. I always label the jar with the date I placed it in the fridge. The yogurt is good for two weeks minimum, I have mine in there for three to four weeks (I believe fermented products are safe for a long time). 

This is a jar I sent to my mother-in-law when the store no longer had her favorite fruit cup yogurts. I gave her some summer strawberry freezer jam and a pint of my yogurt. When the times require it, we adapt. Now let us hope the farmers can keep the milk coming. 

~ Cookin Mum