After making many gallons of yogurt, I think I’ve figured out the easiest, most fail-safe method. To summarize: 1) Use Yogourmet starter for consistency, 2) use ultrapasteurized milk to avoid the tedious heating-cooling step, and 3) use a yogurt maker to avoid the complicated low-tech yogurt-making methods.
Ingredients:
Yogourmet starter/culture. Using a little plain commercial yogurt does work and is less expensive, but Yogourmet produces consistent results. It’s available at Whole Foods, local health food shops, or online.
Ultrapasteurized organic milk. Organic milk tastes better, and might be healthier. More importantly, ultrapasteurized milk does not need to be heated first to produce good yogurt. Yogurt-making instructions usually say to heat the milk to kill bacteria, but I think heating it has more to do with changing the milk somehow so the yogurt will set better. Milk that’s ultrapasteurized sets well without the pre-heating step, so you can skip the most tedious step of the yogurt-making process. It doesn’t seem to matter that the milk starts out at refrigerator temperature instead of 100 F or so as is usually recommended. I use whole milk or half-and-half but I assume that skim or 2% would work fine too.
A Salton 1 quart yogurt maker. Yeah, it’s another electrical appliance in your cupboard, but if you make yogurt frequently you’ll appreciate it a lot. I prefer the Salton yogurt maker because 1) it’s very inexpensive (under $20 right now) and 2) 1 quart Ziploc twist-lock tubs (or even 1 quart glass jars) can be used instead of the included badly-designed tub. Using a tub with a secure lid makes mixing the milk and starter much easier.
Process:
Add about a cup of ultrapasteurized milk and the starter to the tub, secure the lid, and swirl till it’s mixed in completely. Add milk to the top, avoiding over-filling, and secure the lid. Put the tub in the yogurt maker, add water to reach near the top, and plug in the yogurt maker. I let it work for at least 24 hours so the bacteria eat as much of the lactose as possible, but if you’re not concerned about that it might be ready after 10 or so hours. Chill the tub of yogurt completely, without disturbing it, for the best texture.
