Homemade Yogurt

"I've had this recipe for about 30 years and I really can't remember where I got it from. Since I never owned a "yogurt maker", I always used this method. The recipe makes a surprisingly good "plain" yogurt. Cook/prep times do not include the 4 hour setting time or the 8 hour chilling time. **Note: After you make your first batch of homemade yogurt, you can use your homemade plain yogurt as the starter for future batches."
 
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photo by DeliciousAsItLooks photo by DeliciousAsItLooks
photo by DeliciousAsItLooks
photo by DeliciousAsItLooks photo by DeliciousAsItLooks
photo by DeliciousAsItLooks photo by DeliciousAsItLooks
photo by DeliciousAsItLooks photo by DeliciousAsItLooks
photo by Coleroo photo by Coleroo
Ready In:
15mins
Ingredients:
2
Yields:
8 cups
Serves:
8
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ingredients

  • 12 gallon whole milk (can use lowfat or skim milk)
  • 12 cup mahdzoon or 1/2 cup yogurt starter (off the shelf of the supermarket plain yogurt will do as long as it contains "live cultures")
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directions

  • Bring milk to just a boil and then set aside to cool.
  • Cool just enough not to bite the finger to touch, (about 120°F).
  • Pour warm milk in a glass or pyrex bowl and add the Mahdzoon starter (or store bought"live culture" plain yogurt).
  • Mix well by stirring the starter in, and cover.
  • Completely cover the bowl with towels top and bottom to maintain an even temperature.
  • Keep covered at room temperature until mahdzoon has set, about 3-4 hours.
  • Refrigerate for 8 hours before serving.
  • To store, keep in refrigerator.
  • If you like, you can add a spoonful or two of fruit preserves/jam and a bit of vanilla before serving.

Questions & Replies

  1. Can you make yogurt using Almond Milk + yogurt starter?
     
  2. can I make the yogurt without the Mahdzoon starter??
     
  3. When the recipe calls for keeping the yogurt at room temperature, is it necessary to put into the oven and have the oven "on". I am a bit mixed up on this. Please clarify. Thank you.
     
  4. How do you make Greek yogurt?
     
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Reviews

  1. Thank you Dee514. I use to make this recipe myself when money was tight and the kiddies had hollow legs, but got out of the way of making it. Then when I went back to making yoghurt again, I could not for the life of my remember the quantities of milk to yoghurt. So you can imagine how excited I was when I came across your recipe while "browsing around Zaar". As we say here in Australia, "You lil ripper Dee." I made this early this morning on low fat milk. Then with MY home made yoghurt, I made 2 yoghurt cakes, 2 potato bakes using yoghurt instead of cream, yoghurt and chives cheese and we had fruit and yoghurt for lunch. We will be eating the last of the yoghurt for dinner as a dessert and in cucumber sambol. Folks, why on earth buy yoghurt when you can make your own. It is so easy, so simple. This recipe looks after itself once you have added the yoghurt starter. I used a thermometer to get the exact temperature but this is almost fail proof. Please try it. You will have fun using your home made plain yoghurt in your recipes.
     
  2. This is pretty much how my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother made yogurt before it was a 'health food'. I was taught to just warm the whole milk until a skin forms on the top and keep it at that temp for 5-10 minutes. Pull out your starter to get it closer to room temp. Let the milk cool until you can keep your finger in it to the count of ten. Pour the scalded milk and the starter into a non-metal bowl, cover with a towel and place in the oven overnight. If you get too much liquid for your liking, you can add milk powder to the milk prior to scalding. NOTE: For a great spread, line a strainer with a single thickness of paper towel, put over a bowl and pour in the yogurt. Refrigerate for a day or two--the longer you strain it the more solid that it becomes. Mix with chives, salt and pepper for a wonderful, yet healthy spread.
     
  3. I have made this twice now with raw milk. The first batch was a bit on the runny side, so I did a little research. I found a suggestion to decrease (yes, decrease) the amount of starter/yogurt to get a thicker consistency. The second batch came out perfectly thick with just a couple tablespoons of yogurt from the first batch. BEAUTIFUL!! Thanks.
     
  4. I have tried 4 other recipes. THIS ONE IS THE BEST!!! Hands down. I don't like runny yogurt so I added 2T of powdered milk when I added the yogurt. I did 4Cups of milk and put it in a mason jar. Then put a oven mitt glove over it to keep warm. I waited 6 hours cause I got busy in the garden, when I removed the glove, it was set PERFECT. Not runny,at all
     
  5. Until I looked on Recipezaar, I didn't know you could make yogurt at home without special equipment. Thanks so much for the recipe. I made this the first few times following the recipe. Although the taste was wonderful, it only made 3 1/2 cups of yogurt, about the consistancy of store bought. Since I am trying to save money, I was a little disappointed. I looked at other recipes on this site & reading the reviews, I decided to add 1 cup of powdered milk (1 pouch). I've made it several times & I always end up w/at least 7 1/2 cups of yogurt w/very little whey to pour off. I followed the suggestions of other reviewers & heated a towel in the microwave, put it & the plastic container in a soft-sided ice chest for approx 6 hours & in the fridge for at least 8 hours. The taste is a little sweeter than without the powdered milk. I've found that using the bottom of a pressure cooker works best for me due to the thick bottom. I heat the milk to 200 deg, just to when the bubbles are barely moving around, let cool to 118 deg, removing the skin a few times, & mix a little of the milk into store brand, plain yogurt left at room tempature & then mix into the rest of the milk. Once all I had on hand was low-fat vanilla yogurt & it set up perfectly. Almost forgot to add, the first day the yogurt has very small curd but after stirring several times during the day, it smoothes out & becomes creamy.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Thank you Dee514. I use to make this recipe myself when money was tight and the kiddies had hollow legs, but got out of the way of making it. Then when I went back to making yoghurt again, I could not for the life of my remember the quantities of milk to yoghurt. So you can imagine how excited I was when I came across your recipe while "browsing around Zaar". As we say here in Australia, "You lil ripper Dee." I made this early this morning on low fat milk. Then with MY home made yoghurt, I made 2 yoghurt cakes, 2 potato bakes using yoghurt instead of cream, yoghurt and chives cheese and we had fruit and yoghurt for lunch. We will be eating the last of the yoghurt for dinner as a dessert and in cucumber sambol. Folks, why on earth buy yoghurt when you can make your own. It is so easy, so simple. This recipe looks after itself once you have added the yoghurt starter. I used a thermometer to get the exact temperature but this is almost fail proof. Please try it. You will have fun using your home made plain yoghurt in your recipes.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I'm married (46 years to the same lucky guy) and have 2 kids, a daughter 41, a son 36, and 2 beautiful grand daughters (8 yrs and 6 yrs). I have always enjoyed cooking and baking, especially breads :) One of my favorite quotes:?? Computers are like air conditioners; they stop working when you open Windows.
 
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