Homemade organic Greek yogurt with Colorado honey and granola
I first had Greek yogurt when we visited Aunt Sara and Uncle Myron at their beautiful home on the Chesapeake Bay last summer. Each morning Aunt Sara would lay out a big breakfast buffet with fresh melons, cereals, crispy bacon, eggs, juices, pastries, breads, jams….well, you get the idea. One morning I got into the FAGE Greek Yogurt — and I was completely hooked. Greek yogurt compares to regular yogurt like home-grown tomatoes compare to February tomatoes in the grocery store – about a kazillion times better. Greek yogurt – even the nonfat version – is thick and creamy.
However, it also costs substantially more than regular yogurt — a 32 ounce container of FAGE is $7.49 at my grocery store, and it’s not organic — which is why I decided to try and make some myself here at the urban homestead. I spent $2.69 for organic milk and 99 cents for a container of plain organic yogurt to use as starter (I already had cheesecloth) so I saved over 50% — and produced an organic product, to boot. When I make the next batch, I’ll use 2 tablespoons of the yogurt from this batch for the starter so the cost will be even less. This project was one of my most successful culinary experiments, and if you’re a fan of Greek yogurt you’re going to love making your own.
After some online research, I mostly followed the basic yogurt recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. I started a batch before we went to bed last night, and awoke to fresh yogurt; it was almost as exciting as Christmas morning! Here’s what you need to make 32 ounces (2 pounds) of fantastic, creamy, homemade Greek yogurt:
- 1/2 gallon milk* – fat content of your choice (I used organic 1% milk)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons plain prepared yogurt (make sure it contains live, active cultures)
- cooking thermometer
- cheesecloth to fit 4 layers in a large strainer
*I prefer to prepare this recipe with organic milk, which is produced without any synthetic chemicals, hormones or antibiotics. (Antibiotics can interfere with the yogurt-making process.) If your grocery story has a bargain section in the dairy case, check for organic milk. It’s often on sale there at my store, so the cost savings is even greater. If you’re using non-organic milk, for best results try to use regular pasteurized milk rather than ultra-pasteurized.
To begin, pour all but 2 tablespoons milk into a double boiler or heavy-bottomed pan and turn the heat to medium. If using a double boiler, cover the milk. If the pot is directly on the burner, stir it and watch it very, very carefully so you don’t burn the bottom.
Heat the milk to 180 degrees F. It helps to have a candy thermometer so you can carefully watch the temperature, but when I went to fetch mine I remembered that the kids broke it the last time they made frosting so I used an instant-read thermometer instead.
Heat the milk to just 180 degrees F.
Immediately remove the pot from the stove and carefully pour the hot milk into a glass or ceramic bowl or casserole dish. Put the dish on a cooling rack uncovered, and let the milk cool to between 105 and 110 degrees F. In our kitchen, this took about 50 minutes. (Note: remember to leave the dish completely uncovered at this stage, so the good bacteria from the air can start working their magic!)
Meanwhile, turn on your oven light. Just the warmth from the oven lightbulb will provide the perfect temperature for the organisms to make yogurt. Now, combine the 2 tablespoons of milk you saved with the prepared yogurt in a small bowl and reserve. Resist the temptation to add more than 3 tablespoons yogurt. According to the Joy of Cooking, “you may wonder why so little starter is used and think that a little more will give a better result. It won’t. The bacillus, if crowded, gives a sour, watery product.” I used 2 1/2 level tablespoons of prepared yogurt and the resulting yogurt was thick, mild and creamy.
Combine the yogurt starter with 2 tablespoons milk
Once the milk has cooled to between 105 and 110 degrees, add in the yogurt-milk mixture and stir well to combine. (Don’t forget this important step.) Put the lid on the casserole and cover it with a dishtowel. Put it in the oven, making sure that the towel isn’t near the oven lightbulb, and leave the oven light on. Leave the yogurt for 7 or 8 hours, or overnight.
Wrap the casserole dish with a towel to insulate it
In the morning, carefully take the dish out, unwrap it and remove the lid, and check to see whether the milk has turned to yogurt. I could hardly believe my eyes when I put a spoon into the mixture:
The milk miraculously turned to yogurt overnight!
If your batch isn’t quite thickened, return it to the oven and check on it again in an hour. Once the yogurt is sufficiently thickened, you can stop at this stage if you want regular yogurt. Just stir the mixture and refrigerate it; you may need to pour off a little of the watery liquid. Don’t forget to turn off the light in your oven!
For creamy Greek yogurt, refrigerate the yogurt for at least two hours to allow it to completely cool and thicken. Line a large strainer with four layers of damp cheesecloth and find a bowl that the strainer will fit inside:
Put the strainer inside the bowl and pour the yogurt in; refrigerate for one hour. Pour out the liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl; this is the whey – that’s right, the very same delicacy Little Miss Muffet ate while she was sitting on her tuffet. You can save the whey and use it for cooking (a common use is as a liquid in homemade bread recipes) or discard it. Return the bowl to the refrigerator for one more hour, strain the liquid again and the yogurt should now look thick and creamy – like this:
Fresh Greek yogurt
Spoon it into a container and refrigerate for up to six days.
I find most store-bought plain yogurt is too tart for my liking so I usually buy vanilla-flavored, but you’ll find this homemade yogurt has a very mild flavor. You can enjoy it as is, add some fresh fruit or jam, or do what we did and serve it with raw wildflower honey (we love Colorado-based Madhava Honey) and homemade granola.
Remember to save a couple of tablespoons of your homemade yogurt so you can use it as starter for the next batch!
Hugs,
P.S. Check this out! Our friends at Smoothie Handbook posted some delicious smoothie recipes featuring Greek yogurt.
P.P.S. This post was featured on the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways round-up sponsored by one of our favorite blogs, Frugally Sustainable.
Thanks so much for this! I have made homemade yogurt before, but this method looks SO simple. I’m going to try it very soon!
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Thanks, Annie – I was really surprised at how easy the whole process was. Plus – it was kind of fun, like a science experiment!
Eliza,
I was online this morning researching how to make my own Greek Yogurt and saw your posts. Looks great.
I too love Fage Greek Yogurt. Is what you make similar in taste, to that? I ask because I’ve had homemade yogurt but most of it is pretty tangy. The Fage does not have a tang and I prefer it without.
-Lisa
Mrs. SPF is going to be SO happy about this article! Thank you so much.
We get LOCAL milk from Kawartha Dairy and it seems we can make this as a totally local mixture. Yum!
Sustainable PF recently posted..Sustainability Tip 65- Quit Smoking Now
Using local milk is so great – can’t wait to hear about your own experiences in yogurt making.
I just made the switch to Stonyfield Greek Yogurt. It’s delicious, but not easy on the pocketbook. I’m going to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
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My store doesn’t carry Stonyfield Greek yogurt, only the regular kind, but I’d like to try it (for research purposes, of course!) I also want to try the recipe you just posted, with the peanut butter patties Girl Scout cookies and Oreo cookie crust. YUM!
I love homemade yogurt! I use a thermos for a incubation stage, though I’ve heard of people using a slow cooker or even their car on a sunny day. I like your technique as well.
Kristina,
I love the thermos idea because it doesn’t use any electricity. A car on a sunny day? How funny. You could call it Passive Solar Organic Yogurt — doesn’t get much greener than that!
I love making yogurt. I bought a very cheap yogurt maker, which does use some electricity but probably about the same or less as an oven light.
By the way, last week I made Indian paneer cheese from a quart of milk and lots of whey leftover so went online for ideas. One was to feed it the dogs. Mine loved it!
Our dog Maddie asked me to thank you very, very much for the suggestion about what to do with leftover whey!
Eliza, this stuff looks great. I was planning to do a post when I had some time to whip up my first batch of greek yogurt as well, although I havent gotten around to it yet. I may just give your recipe a try here in the coming weeks.
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It’s so easy, you should definitely try a batch and then let us all know how it turns out!
Looks delicious! I like to make homemade yogurt, but now that two of us can’t eat dairy, I don’t make it. . .
You might not be able to enjoy homemade yogurt, but you make up for it with Snickeroos!
I have never tried Greek yogurt, but I do want to and your article has given me the motivation to do so. Not sure if I’m ready to make my own though…
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Amanda, making yogurt is waaayyyy easier than making Tiramisu Cookies!
I just want to point out (because I’m one of those pedantic foodies) that you’re not making Greek yogurt. You’re making Greek-STYLE yogurt. Just thickening regular yogurt doesn’t make it Greek yogurt.
IN order for it to be authentic Greek yogurt, it would need to be made from sheep’s milk or the higher fat cow’s milk that is available in Greece and other Mediterranean areas.
Greek yogurt seems to have become a fad/buzzword lately and all kinds of people are claiming to make/eat Greek yogurt … and they’re just not!
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Thanks for pointing that out – I bet yogurt from sheep’s milk is soooo good! It totally makes sense that real Greek yogurt would naturally come from Greek cows or sheep.
According to Wikipedia, “Greek yogurt is yogurt which has been strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yogurt and cheese, while preserving yogurt’s distinctive sour taste” while Greek-style yogurt “may be thickened with thickening agents.” I had some store-bought ‘Greek-style’ yogurt a couple of weeks ago and it was disgusting – I later discovered it had gelatin added as a thickener.
Thanks for your comments, and readers, you will love Kara’s recipes and photos on her beautiful blog http://karacooks.com .
Wow, thanks for sharing that recipe! It doesn’t look that difficult and it looks really delicious.
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You are going to love this recipe – the yogurt is just amazing. I liked your recent article about sharing with neighbors, too.
[...] things we can make yourself instead of purchasing. Happy Simple Living detailed, in depth, how to make your possess homemade greek yogurt. Cool! This post goes over a elementary list of mixture and a brief how-to, we get cinema and [...]
[...] from Happy Simple Living presents Make Your Own Homemade Greek Yogurt posted during Happy Simple Living, saying, “You can save over 50% off a cost of yogurt by [...]
You know that Organic yogurts in the United States are usually shipped as powder from New Zealand, hence all the down under connotations in yogurt marketing.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_42/b4005001.htm
Thanks for providing the link to that article, which I hadn’t seen. We clearly need more organic growers and producers here in the U.S. to meet the increased demand for good, clean food.
I used your recipe and it was really helpful, but you mentioned heating the milk to 180F. That step is unnecessary because it is pasteurization which is meant for raw milk.
You just need to warm milk to a temperature 115F – what I call jacuzzi temperature – where your bacteria will grow. Hope this helps
cheers
Thanks for sharing your comment. I’ve read various recipes and methods, but I can’t personally vouch for them. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, heating the milk to 180 degrees F is necessary for creating a safe product.
The usual reason for heating milk to 185 is not for *safety* (since most milk in the U.S. has already been pasteurized).
What it does is to denature the proteins or something like that which makes the resulting yogurt thicker than it would have been without the higher heat (and holding it for awhile at 185 or so makes that effect even stronger–I just leave mine in the microwave awhile after heating it before removing to cool back to 115).
Thanks for this info. I make lots of fresh cheese products and always wondered why most yoghurt recipes call for a high temperature step. I prefer to use fresh raw milk that I rarely pasteurize as my provider does a PCR test and I use it within 24 hrs of collection.
It works well for fresh cheese but I’m guessing the yoghurt wouldn’t set up correctly. Thanks for saving me a ruined batch!
Shannon
p.s. Someone earlier mentioned the New Zealand yoghurt. I got hooked on it when I visited once and still order yoghurt sachets from there from time to time. It’s *so* tasty!
So… what if you are using Raw milk? There is a reason I buy raw… I don’t want to kill everything in it. Can I use the lower temp?
I grew up in India with my mom getting fresh milk and pasteurizing it at home by boiling. For making yoghurt she would just reheat the refrigerated milk slightly and add starter. I tried this number of times here in US when I was new at cooking, never worked. Then someone suggested boiling it again and then cooling down before adding starter and success! I don’t know why this is so since the milk here in US is already pasteurized. So my method is pretty simple. Every day I put milk in a pyrex container in the microwave. Turn it off just when it starts to boil, leave in it for 2 minutes so it doesn’t boil over me, then take it out and leave it on the counter to cool. Then I keep poking my finger in to see if i can bear the heat for 2 seconds. If I can, then it’s time to add starter, mix and set in in a corner for 3 hours, well wrapped in a towel. Refrigerating it just when it is “almost” but not completely settled will give a more thicker yoghurt without any whey on top, very important if you’re using lowfat milk like me.
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This is an awesome article. I’m gonna show this to my wife and give it a shot!
Thanks, Jonathan – let us know how it turns out! It’s so easy, I’ve stopped buying yogurt and just make it here now. Plus, I’ve discovered that organic milk that’s nearing its expiration date (perfect for yogurt making) is often on sale at our store.
[...] from Happy Simple Living presents Make Your Own Homemade Greek Yogurt posted during Happy Simple Living, saying, “You can save over 50% off a cost of yogurt by [...]
Thanks for posting this. We’ve been making homemade yogurt for a year or two but now I want to try making Greek yogurt.
This may be a silly question but do you throw out the cheesecloth after using it? I’m not picturing how one would clean it for future use. Thanks!
Great question! I actually tried to rinse out the cheesecloth after using it, but it was kind of a falling-apart mess. I think someone with more patience could possibly submerge the cheesecloth in a big bowl of water, gently rinse it, maybe repeat a time or two, squeeze it out and hang it to dry.
Try butter muslin if you can find it. I order it online from a cheesemaking place in New England (I think the website is just cheesemaking.com or something simple like that).
It can be used multiple times and is very strong. To clean, I rinse it right after using and then boil in water with baking soda. I would never use soap but that seems to work well for me.
Hope that helps!
Shannon
My understanding is that you can wash and reuse *real* cheese cloth. It all depends on what you have. “Cheese cloth” that you buy at most stores isn’t the real thing. It works great for certain uses, buy you’d never use it to make cheese, etc. The holes are bigger, the weave looser. This stuff seems to fall apart.
You can find real cheese cloth online. We get ours at an Amish store in Lancaster, PA. I haven’t tried it myself yet (though I may do it today) but once I’ve hemmed in the edges, it should work nicely and be wash and reusable (an Amish woman I talked with told me she does this.)
Hope this helps!
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Great tip, Babychaser! An Amish store seems like the perfect place to buy real cheesecloth, and I’ve been trying to find a source because the grocery store variety is also very expensive for what you get. As far as how long it keeps, I’ve read varying recommendations from 5 to 10 days. Some sources say if you keep it longer, less of the “good” bacteria remains.
I use an old tee shirt. I don’t cut it or anything, I just set it into the strainer so that it is two thicknesses, and pour in the yogurt. It will sort of peel off the next day, and I just put it in with the rest of the wash. It works perfectly.
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I just made my first batch of yogurt today. For the incubation stage: the recipe I followed had you pour it into glass jars and then put the jars in a cooler with hot tap water up to the yogurt level. Way easy.
That does sound easy, and I like the fact that it doesn’t use any energy. Thanks for sharing this tip, Gaylynn.
I’m curious…What makes you say it will last 6 days??? Is it because you’ve stripped the whey? I usually keep my “regular” homemade yogurt 10ish days, which is nice because we can only get our raw milk on Mondays… so I need my starter to last at least that long.
Any input would be welcome.
I researched the recommended time to keep homemade yogurt online, but I’m not surprised that your experience proves otherwise. We’ve kept ours longer, too, with no ill effects.
Thanks so much for the yogurt recipe – this is our first year with icelandic sheep and goats, so we are experimenting with the milk – can’t wait to try it. I’ve made Feta cheese with the goat’s milk – yummy – basil and garlic added too
Wow, Linda, that feta cheese sounds so good!
did you know… that yogurt incubation can be achieved by placing prepared yogurt mixture in a sealed container(i.e. a 32-oz. old yogurt carton), and putting container in a cooler. add enough HOT tap water to cooler to fill it about half-way up the side of the container. close lid of cooler…. don’t peak!… and check in about 4 hours… ta-da!!! totally energy-free incubated yogurt. secondly, instead of cheese cloth, how about recycled sheer curtains cut into appropriate sizes and placed over colander… pour yogurt into curtain/colander and strain.
Thanks for these tips, Tina. I’ve also heard that a heating pad on low can incubate yogurt.
Hi Eliza!
This is a great recipe and such a clear, thorough tutorial. We decided to share it with our readers on DietsInReview.com.
You can see the link back to this post here in our Q&A section: Which Yogurt to Use on the 17 Day Diet.
Thanks for your post!
Thank you, Brandi! How nice of you to send your readers our way. I enjoyed reviewing your site, too.
Can I try this with a smaller amount of milk to start? I’ve never tried it before and just want to try it with a smaller batch. How would I adjust the measurements?
Yes, you can make this recipe with a quart of milk. You’ll need 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of plain yogurt with active cultures to add to the mix. All the other directions will remain the same, and you should end up with about 2 cups of Greek yogurt when you’re through. Good luck!
While out grocery shopping I spotted half-gallons of organic milk and remembered this recipe. Since I love Greek yogurt, I decided to give it a try last night.
I had just put the starter/milk mix into the oven when I looked again at the milk carton. Then I saw the words of doom waaaay down at the bottom and in small print: ultra-pasteurized.
I know ultra-pasteurized is a no-no for cheesemaking since the process messes up the milk proteins, but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
It’s yogurt–sort of. Quite mild and tasty, but way too thin. When I tried to strain it, the whole thing oozed through. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that it’s the perfect consistency for making lassi! (Indian yogurt drink) I don’t need the blender anymore to get a smooth drink. Hurray! One less thing to wash.
Must try again with proper milk, though.
Thanks! Just noticed the same issue with the milk I’m using right now to make yogurt! Ugh!
Kirsten, how did your yogurt turn out? It seems like much of the organic milk in stores is ultra-pasteurized. (A long expiration date is a big tip-off!) However, I’ve made several batches of thick, creamy yogurt with ultra-pasteurized milk and it didn’t seem to affect the recipe above. You might enjoy this thread on Chowhound which has more information about why yogurt can sometimes have a thin consistency and tips for success. I added a note about this in the recipe and appreciate your comments. Joanne, I love your idea to use thin yogurt in lassi!
My husband has been very into making yogurt lately, but it’s too thin for my taste, and I so love Fage Greek yogurt — so I’m very excited about this! If one extra step can give me that consistency, I’m all for it. Reading through the comments, I’m now wondering: if “ultra-pasteurized” is what I DON’T want to see on the carton, what is it that I DO want to see?
Also — I know that Greek yogurt is known for being very high in protein… does this recipe fit that bill as well?
Eliza, it was use the stuff in lassi or cry.
I tried again, this time with regular milk. But the only non-fruited, active culture yogurt I could find in that store was a Stonyfield Greek with honey on the bottom. Unfortunately it also had carob bean gum and pectin added to it.
Same result: too-thin yogurt. This batch I heated to almost boiling, added 4 T. of lemon juice to it, and left it for a while. When the whey had separated enough, I drained and pressed it in its cloth. I added a bit of kosher salt before I stuck it in the fridge and it seems to be a nice little “ricotta” sort of thing.
I will admit that after reading another post, I did not heat the milk to 180. After reading on the link you provided (thank you!), I most certainly will for Try #3. For all I know, that was what messed up the previous two tries, not the ultra-pasteurized milk (which you’ve had success with) or the thickeners in the Stonyfield yogurt.
Wish me luck!
YES! It worked!
Thanks for this recipe, Eliza.
Hurray! I’m so glad you were happy with the recipe, Joanne.
From my knowledge, you CAN use more yogurt, but if you do that, you can’t let it sit as long. For example, if you used like, a cup of yogurt, you’d only let it sit for about 3 hours. Since you only use a small amount, it requires much more time to build up the bacteria.
As well, I read another person’s comment saying that it’s fine to forgo heating the milk to 180 if it’s undergone pasteurization already. This is untrue. It still needs to be heated up. There are different methods of pasteurization, anyway. Not all of them heat the milk to 180.
Also, little miss muffet ate curds and whey, essentially cottege cheese.
You’re right – you do need to heat the milk to 180 degrees whether it’s pasteurized or not. And thanks for the clarification about Little Miss Muffet!
Hi! Quick question…the reserve 2tbs of yogurt that you retain for a starter for your next batch…how long can that be kept? Can it be frozen to be kept longer?
Also, the yogurt that you purchase for a starter, does it matter if it’s already greek yogurt? For example, I have a tub of Chobani vanilla flavored greek yogurt in my fridge. Can I use that? I’m not that concerned about whether it’s organic or not.
Hi Crystal,
I’ve read that you can freeze the yogurt that you’re going to use later to ‘start’ the yogurt. I haven’t tried it but it sounds like it will work just fine. You can absolutely use the Greek yogurt you already have in the fridge to start your homemade batch. The important thing is to make sure it has those active cultures, and there should be a notation to that effect on the side of the carton. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
~Eliza
Hi there – I have a question about the yogurt making process in your recipe. Can you tell me about the food safety aspect of leaving the milk out overnight, or for more than four hours? I want to try this but I don’t understand how this process is “safe”. I understand you must need a way for the good bacteria to grow but how do you stop the bad bacteria from growing? Please help! I’d love to make this! Thank you!
Deborah,
Great question! If you make sure to heat the milk to 180 degrees, use clean utensils and discard any yogurt that fails to set properly you shouldn’t have any worries. Here’s a little more information from the National Center for Home Food Preservation:
“Yogurt provides two significant barriers to pathogen growth: (a) heat and (b) acidity (low pH). Both are necessary to ensure a safe product. Acidity alone has been questioned by recent outbreaks of food poisoning by E. coli O157:H7 that is acid-tolerant. E. coli O157:H7 is easily destroyed by pasteurization (heating). Therefore, always pasteurize milk or use commercially pasteurized milk to make yogurt.
Discard batches that fail to set properly, especially those due to culture errors. Yogurt generally has a 10-21 day shelf life when made and stored properly in the refrigerator below 40°F. Molds, yeasts and slow growing bacteria can spoil the yogurt during prolonged storage. Ingredients added to yogurt should be clean and of good quality. Introducing microorganisms from yogurt add-ins can reduce shelf life and result in quicker spoilage–”garbage in, garbage out”. Discard any yogurt samples with visible signs of microbial growth or any odors other than the acidity of fresh yogurt.
Always use clean and sanitized equipment and containers to ensure a long shelf life for your yogurt. Clean equipment and containers in hot detergent water, then rinse well. Allow to air dry.”
I’m wondering if there’s a way to figure out protein content in this recipe? The reason I use Greek yogurt is for high protein & low sugar and am wondering if this recipe would be good for it???
Dear Emily,
If you make regular yogurt, the protein content will be identical to the ingredients you use. If you make Greek yogurt, some of the protein will drain off in the whey so it’s trickier to estimate the exact protein content.
If you want to increase the protein content in this recipe, you can add 1/3 to 1/2 cup powdered milk to the regular milk before you heat it.
Good luck, and if you try adding the powdered milk I’d love to hear back from you about whether you’re happy with the result!
Thank you for this recipe. I tried it for the first time yesterday. It was super easy. I accidentally used Ultra-Pasteurized Organic Milk, so next time I will use just Pasteurized. The yogurt turned out great. I strained it overnight. Next time I will just strain it for 1 or 2 hours.
Sandra – I’m so glad you were happy with the result and thanks for your comments.
How do you calculate the amount of protein in the homemade yogurt? Is it the same as the milk? I’m not sure since the whey is drained off.
See above – Emily asked a similar question. For the highest protein content, add some powdered milk and make Greek yogurt, which will concentrate the protein content. Good luck and thanks for your question!
I think you just saved me a lot of money. I buy more yogurt than anything else in my fridge. My son and I are trying it tonight!
[...] I followed these instructions. [...]
Can the yogurt be made w/ non fat milk? Any experience w/ this? Any alterations to the recipe? I’m def. going to try it. Love the streamlined recipe and your relaxed substitutorial (?) way w/ a recipe! Card.
Yes, you can totally make yogurt with non-fat milk. You can even make the strained, Greek yogurt with nonfat milk. I prefer 1% myself, but non-fat will work fine. Just follow the directions exactly and I think you’ll love the result. Let us know how it turns out!
Thank you for the recipe! I can’t believe I made my own yogurt. It was easy and I didn’t have to wait all night. Only took 6 hrs. WOW! Yogurt is one of my fox staples and to know I can make it myself without chemicals and sugar all the better. My brother is a health nut and a chef and I can’t wait to tell I did it. Thank you so much.
Anne, your happiness is infectious and I’m so glad you’re enjoying making your own yogurt!
[...] pretty expensive when I can make a 32-ounce batch of homemade Greek yogurt for just a few dollars. (Here’s the recipe, in case you missed it in my earlier post.) Plus, I’m trying to eliminate disposable [...]
I have my 4th batch cooling on the counter right now, and I am so happy to have found this recipe. I like it plain, but my daughter loves it with some vanilla bean paste added for flavor. I noticed that most of the organic milk at the grocery store was ultra-pasturized in the half gallon and quart containers, but that the same brand in gallon containers was not ultra-pasturized. I thought that was odd. Anyway, so happy to have found this recipe and your site thank you so much!
What a great idea, Karen. Readers, in case you’re not familiar with vanilla bean paste it’s like a thick version of vanilla extract that contains the little vanilla bean seeds – and the truest vanilla flavor ever. You can buy it at places like King Arthur Flour and Williams Sonoma.
Came across this advice while Googling Yogurt-making, as I’m getting still getting 14-16 liters (30 pints to you Yanks) of ultra full-cream milk a day from our Jersey Cow Chloe, and the pigs we were fattening on it have gone to the great mud-bath in the sky (and our freezer!) Our neighbours take what they can and it seems a shame just to dump the rest, but down here in New Zealand we are only allowed to sell 5 pints a day at the farm gate.
Question 1: is it necessary to pasturise milk only minutes from the cow before dumping the starter in? It’s still warmand can sit on a rack over the log-stove for the day incubating – it’s mid-winter in New Zealand.
Question 2: a previous attempt to make yogurt in a kit with little pottles resulted in a layer of cream on top 1/2″ thick like the skin on a tin of paint. Is there any way of home homogenising milk?
Sort of question 3: the aforesaid previous attempt produced what tasted like yogurt under the skin but refused to thicken. I partially solved that by using as a started a powdered yogurt mix – just add water – but I added a tablespoon per liter of milk. I’d like to try the Greek style but without ‘cheating’ and adding the powder I suspect it would all just drain through the cheese-cloth.
Next stop, cheese.
Hi, Tom — see Daniel’s helpful response to your questions just a few boxes down, and give Chloe the Jersey milk cow a scratch behind the ears!
Hi there, I just tried this for the first time. It is in the fridge right now straining and I can’t wait for it to be done. But I had a question about the taste. You mentioned that yours comes out with a mild taste but mine came out pretty sour. It’s fine with honey, but not what I was expecting. I am wondering if the length of time I had it in the oven had to do with it. I put it in with only the oven light on at 10pm and didn’t take it out until 9:30 am cause I slept in. So is that way too long and had I taken it out after 8 hours, it would of been more mild? From what I’ve read, it sounds like the sour it is the more fermented it is and healthier for you, but I still would like to have some control over it if I wanted it a little sweeter. Thanks for this recipe, I can’t wait to try the Greek yogurt tonight!
Hi!
But with regard to your yogurt, I would have to guess that the extra fermenting time resulted in a more tart taste in your case. The batches I’ve made sit in the oven with the oven light on for 8 hours, and the yogurt is mild and creamy — amazing. So maybe try making a batch during the day next time, because for gosh sakes–if you can keep getting 11 1/2 hours of sleep you shouldn’t change a thing about your nighttime schedule.
What a great night’s sleep you got! Trying not to be jealous.
xo
Eliza
@Tom from Down Under-
1. The step of heating the milk to 85deg C (185F) does much more than pasteurize the milk, (kill undersirable bugs). Fresh raw milk is remarkably resistant to spoilage due to the presence of certain live enzymes. Unfortunately, these same enzymes also antagonize the yogurt-making bugs, so the high temp is necessary to de-activate these natural preservatives.
The natural milk proteins are also partially denaturized by the heat, which impoves the texture markedly. Put it simply, do NOT skip this step!
When I make Greek Yogurt, I use a bain-Marie to heat the milk, stirring it constantly so it doesn’t skin-over. I keep it at 85deg C (185F) for 30 minutes (yes, one half-hour) which results in a thicker product. I cool the upper pot in a sink full of cold water before I pitch in the starter. The rest of the procedure is standard, and the author does a good job describing what to do.
By the way- don’t recycle your yogurt as a starter in perpetuity. After too many generations, the bugs evolution changes their biology and may produce an off-taste.
As far as homogonization goes, that requires special equipment to force milk through a set of very small orifices, rupturing the membranes of the suspended fat globules. Not something to do at home. Just mix the butterfat back into the yogurt. (I skim mine and eat it straight-up when I am in the mood for an extra-rich treat!) It is not likely to separate when you make Greek yogurt, in any event.
I live in the hills of upper-eastern Tennessee, and I get my milk fresh from a neighbor’s Jersy Moo-Cow.
Yum!
Thanks for this great information! We have no nearby cows in our suburban neighborhood but I wish we did.
Hi. I used your recipe last night and was very careful to stir stir stir. The only thing I did differently was double the recipe. It has slept in the oven for about 9 1/2 hours now. This morning it loooks like your picture except it is much more watery. I don’t think we used too much yogurt. Do you think it needs to stay in the oven longer?
I also tasted it and it tasted warm, like a combo of sour milk and yogurt, and thin. It’s the consistency of… hmm… partially pudded pudding.
Would you say I should leave it in the oven longer or have I screwed it up? Please answer as soon as you can! Thanks.
Laura Lee,
I would suggest letting the yogurt ‘set’ for another couple of hours in the warm oven if it still seems thin. When you refrigerate it, it will thicken and then you can pour a little of the whey off, too. Good luck!
xo
Mine turned out kinda thin – nothing I’m sure another sit thru the cheese cloth won’t cure – but super super tart, like drinking straight lemon juice – I used 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt – any ideas what I may have done wrong. I really want to start making my own yogurt – both to save money and to ensure we are eating healthier.
Hi, Rebecca -
Sorry for the disappointing result.
But you might not have done anything wrong. Perhaps the plain yogurt you used for a starter was “off” and the bacteria weren’t all alive. You might experiment with another brand. Also, the longer you ferment the yogurt generally the more sour it will become. So you might try your next batch with a shorter resting time in the oven. Make sure you follow each direction exactly as far as the heating and cooling temperatures, and don’t cover the dish with a lid or anything while you’re waiting for the temperature to drop to 105-110 degrees F.
If you want a foolproof way to make thicker yogurt, you can add 1/4 cup of dry milk powder to the milk before you heat it initially. The added protein will help thicken the mixture.
Good luck and I hope you’ll try again!
The best way I found to incubate yogurt was a big cooler and heating pad set on medium, but next time I’m going to try it your way! Seems so much easier.
I had one batch that was sooo tangy (twaaaang!) that I couldn’t tolerate it. I drained most of the whey and added fresh milk. The previous batch was yo cheese and I didn’t want another one, so this rescued the yogurt. (I am the queen of failed yogurt.)
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The one batch I made that was really tangy also happened to be the batch I left in the oven the longest. You might try this: heat your oven to 150 degrees while you are making the yogurt mixture. Turn it off as soon as you pour the yogurt in the container to cool on the countertop, and turn the oven light on at that time. Proceed according to the directions, and start checking the yogurt after 6 or 7 hours. This may give you the firmness you want, without the extra tangy-ness. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
Thank you for the great recipe and tips, I had planned to try the crock poy, but then found your method. I am so happy with the results! No more Chobani for me, homemade organic yogurt for a fraction of the price!
Thanks, Tawn. Isn’t it satisfying to make your own? I love it on so many levels.
I have been making yogurt for years, and since I did not have a thermometer when I began I never have used one. I heat the milk in a double boiler until the water boils, stirring frequently I cool the milk in the pot on the counter for 40 minutes. I heat a small oven to 150 ( lowest setting) then turn it off, add starter to milk turn off the oven and let culture for 6-8 hours. Works every time!
Thanks for sharing your process. I’d like to experiment with this since it sounds easier. After all, people have been making yogurt since Biblical times without thermometers so it should be do-able!
I now strain my yogurt with paper towels or coffee filters. No problems. I now heat my milk in the microwave and then eventually “cook” in the oven on my proof setting or with the oven light on. In the past I had great success with making a smaller amount of yogurt on a heating pad. Now I make 3-4 quarts at a time.
Great idea, Cindy. I also like your suggestion to use the ‘proof’ setting in the oven. Soon we won’t be using incandescent light bulbs because they’re being phased out, which is a very very good thing, but I’ll need to adjust this recipe accordingly!
Just to let everyone know in relation to the asterisk…. All milk, whether it is organic or not, does NOT contain antibiotics. It is all tested before it is put onto the shelves and any milk that tests positive is rejected.
Thanks for your comment and clarification, Moo Moo, and I updated the notation accordingly.
Readers, for further information you might want to check out this article “F.D.A. and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk,” in the January 25, 2011 New York Times:
“Today, every truckload of milk is tested for four to six antibiotics that are commonly used on dairy farms. The list includes drugs like penicillin and ampicillin, which are also prescribed for people. Each year, only a small number of truckloads are found to be “hot milk,” containing trace amounts of antibiotics. In those cases, the milk is destroyed.
But dairy farmers use many more drugs that are not regularly tested for in milk. Regulators are concerned because some of those other drugs have been showing up in the slaughterhouse testing.”
According to the article, in 2008 federal inspectors found illegal levels of antibiotics in a fraction of the 2.6 million older dairy cows bound for the slaughterhouse that year. Concerned that those antibiotics might also be contaminating the milk Americans drink, the F.D.A. wants to start testing for the two dozen antibiotics that are actually used. The plan was met with opposition by the Dairy Farmers of America.
Thanks so much for this info. I’m so excited to try it.
Tyeanna, happy yogurt making and let us know how it turns out!
This is great! Simple, and it is organic (if you use the organic products)!
I used to (sometimes) make large batches of yogurt on a ship and used the warmer to ‘keep’ it then refrigerate, but haven’t really gave it a second thought about making it at home. But just recently (and the addition of a young one) my taste buds have change and really like the ‘Greek’ style yogurt.
Works great for smoothies too!
Thanks, Tyrone, and I enjoyed visiting your blog, too! Readers, check out http://tyronebcookin.com/ for some great postings about food.
This is fabulous! I’m a Greek Yogurt lover and your technique was easy to follow. Thanks for sharing!
Hurray! If you’re happy, I’m happy. Thanks, Kat.
Thanks for article. I have been making the yogurt using an old Salton Cosmopolitan Yogurt Maker with blue lid and 5 white cups that I bought at a thrift store for $3.00. I love the way it comes out. I have made it a few different ways sometimes using yogurt that I purchased and sometimes the yogourmet starter. The last time I made it I used more than a few tablespoons of the left over yogurt for the starter and it was more sour than usual. Thanks for the tip. Question: My maker did not come with instructions so I found some online. It says do not use any yogurt with sugar and it will not process right and vanilla would have sugar in it I believe. Any thoughts on that? Also I always add powdered non-fat milk to my mix as I am warming the milk as the instructions I found said that makes thicker yougurt. Thanks, Barbara
Thanks for the tip about adding the powdered milk, Barbara. In answer to your question, I haven’t tried making it with sweetened yogurt so I’m not sure if it will affect the process or not. Maybe one of these days I’ll conduct an experiment! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Hi,
thanks for this recipe. However, I have not had much luck after making 3 batches.lol
-My first batch I followed the instructions exactly. I added the 1/3 cup of powdered milk for thicker yogurt. The problem I had was my oven light burnt out over night (8 hours) and the yogurt was like water.
-Second batch after getting a new oven bulb. well after warming the milk must have not stirred enough and burnt the bottom of the pan. The whole house smelled like burnt milk. The milk also tasted burnt. yet instead of just throwing it away I would try it again and practice. This time I forgot to add powdered milk. Yet after 8 hours it was yogurt. thicker and nice. yet it tasted like burnt milk.
-Third batch. I was determined to make it work. This time I stirred really well. no burnt milk. I also once again added the 1/3 cup of powdered milk as I was warming it. After 9 hours and in the fridge over night its like thick soup. I tried to strain it in some filters and nothing strained its too thick but not like yogurt.
Any ideas why this is not working? I am wondering if the powdered milk is the problem. Does the milk have to be a certain temp when I add it?
The yogurt I used was ff fage greek. I also use skim milk.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
thank you,
david
Dear David,
I am so sorry to hear this! But I applaud you for being persistent. Here’s what I suggest. I have a feeling your oven may not be getting warm enough from the lightbulb. Why don’t you preheat the oven to 150 degrees during the step when the cooked mixture is on the counter cooling. Turn the oven off just before you put the covered, towel-wrapped container in the oven, but do leave the oven light on. Then proceed as directed. Also, would you be willing to try a batch with 1% milk? I think the little bit of added fat will help it thicken, too. I would love to hear back from you if these suggestions help, and I will be sending you positive yogurt-making vibes!
[...] draining process takes a while if you dont have a large strainer. Im using this link as my recipe: Make Your Own Homemade Greek Yogurt | Happy Simple Living Dead simple and a lot cheaper than buying store bought yogurt. I add berries for breakfast. [...]
I just made this yesterday and WOW! It is so delicious and I love that I can save on my grocery bill! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you were happy with the results, Jenna! I love the savings, too.
Hello Eliza,
I have tried this twice and had some luck. The first batch, I forgot about my oven light, so it was still liquid after 8+ hrs. The second time it worked…but my yogurt has a glue like consistency. I even strained if for several hrs and it still has this gooey texture.
Did I not leave it the oven long enough? It tastes great and I will be trying again, but just that I’d inquire, any thoughts?
Thanks!
Olivia
Dear Olivia,
It sounds like your yogurt was a little thin, so I’d suggest preheating your oven first to 150 degrees during the step when the cooked mixture is on the counter cooling. Turn the oven off just before you put the covered, towel-wrapped container in the oven, but do leave the oven light on. Then proceed as directed. I think the little bit of extra heat will jump-start the mixture. This has worked for me in the past and I hope it works for you! Let me know, okay? And thanks so much for stopping by.
xo
Eliza
[...] followed a tutorial outlined at Happy Simple Living closely, and ended up with a great result that I think you’d enjoy [...]
A friend of mine told me she made her own yogurt and said it came out really good. When I asked her for the recipe, she pointed me to your website and said she followed your directions to the letter. My oven doesn’t have a oven light (it’s an old gas stove). It is lit via a pilot light. Do you think that the heat from the pilot light would be warm enough to process the yogurt? My 8 year old son LOVES to eat yogurt and I’d love to try making my own.
Thanks for sharing!
Is this process safe? Do you know how much fat, protein and calories would be in a cup?
I have been making Greek yogurt for quite awhile now and I love it. I had been eating the Fage brand for quite awhile and it was my favorite. Unfortunately, I saw the price rise and the size of the container shrink until I was paying almost $2.00 for 6 ounces. Something had to change so I turned to my bff, Google, to teach me how to make it at home.
I make it the same way you do. My oven doesn’t have a setting lower than 200 so I just set my oven to preheat and set the timer for 1 minute only. I do this while I’m putting the starter and powdered milk into the cooled milk.
I have really enjoyed reading your blog!!! Thanks!
I’ve been making my own yoghurt for many years now, instead of throwing out the whey I use it to make a Norwegian cheese called Gjetost (Brown Cheese) which is delicious… and as I know live in Norway, appropriate!
)
Oops, typos, sorry…. *now* and that was meant to be a smiley face!!
Found this after reading your comments.
Uses for whey. Go to the bottom of the recipe.
http://www.stacymakescents.com/homemade-greek-yogurt
Thanks so much for stopping by to share this information, Brian. Who wants to waste the whey when it can be put to good use? Very helpful.
pleas send me process of the yoghurt production
I,m a small produtoer in sri lanka
Thank you SO much!! I’ve been making my own yogurt for over a year, but did NOT know why it was so watery!! Came upon your site to make Greek yogurt, so I am trying to make a batch now!! Both my children love yogurt and my son is coming home from Afghanistan next month, so I’ve been trying to improve on my recipe so he can have plenty when he comes home. I’m so excited! : D
I just finished separating the whey from my yogurt…this is the best I’ve made in 2 years! My kids will be so excited.
Question, has anyone had any luck making yogurt using soy milk or almond milk?
I’m not sure about soy milk or almond milk, but thought you might be interested in this recipe for making homemade coconut milk yogurt:
http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/04/25/homemade-coconut-milk-yogurt/
Instead of incubating in the oven, I used a small space heater on the countertop. The batch was covered and wrapped in a towel. I could move the heater accordingly and confirmed w/ a thermometer 100* sustained heat for 12 hours. Stained 3x (just like fage) for some rediculously thick fat free yogurt!
That’s a great idea, Wilson. Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you for this recipe i have been using it for a couple of months now and love that i control what the sugar content is.. store bought is so high in sugar and being diabetic i can’t eat much of it! after eating this my Blood Sugar doesn’t go up much at all!!!
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Such a great and simple recipe- I used the Wallaby organic yogurt you have in the picture, very delicious!
Thanks for the recipe. On an associated note, while I do like sweets, I don’t always like to start my day with sweetened yogurt. Instead, I like to have a yogurt and tomato salad for breakfast. This gives me a good dose of protein without all the carbs that yogurt with granola and sweetener delivers. To make my “salad” I use about a cup of coarsely chopped high quality tomatoes, about a cup of Greek yogurt, fresh sea salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yummy and filling without all the carbs.
That sounds fabulous, Mike. Thanks for sharing your low-carb lunch special with us.
I have been making the yogurt for about 2 months now and love it. I have also got my son and his wife involved. But I have been having a little problem,my yogurt sometimes has a grainy texture I can’t figure what it is that I do wrong the taste is good, but the texture feels like small cheese curds. Any ideas of how to correct this? Thanks for a great site. Linda
[...] Happy Simple Living — Make Your Own Yogurt Get a daily dose of probiotics from your own kitchen. [...]
I haven’t tried it but it sounds like it will work just fine. I love the way it comes out. Both are necessary to ensure a safe product.
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So if I don’t have an oven (just a smaller toaster oven) could I just skip the oven light step? Would leaving it on the counter be enough heat? Or maybe putting a desk lamp on it while keeping it covered? Thanks for the awesome post!
This yogurt looked very nice. I love eating yogurt but I only tasted the commercially-bought yogurt. I haven’t tried making a homemade yogurt so I am excited to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
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[...] This seemed like just the opportunity we were looking for! We followed the instructions from this website and didn’t have any problems whatsoever. The yogurt came out thick and creamy and we [...]
[...] have successfully made yogurt and it only took two tries! I used this recipe from Happy Simple [...]
we have been using powdered whole milk to make yogurt. hard to find this product, but amazon carries it. made by nestle, called Nido; about $13 and makes about 4 gallons of milk, more if you like thicker tastier milk, ditto yogurt
Great tip – thank you, Joanne!
I’ve been making yogurt in my crockpot for a few months. I basically followed these instructions, but did it in the crock (although I am a microbiologist and did not keep the pot open to air or change pots because I was paranoid about contamination). Anyway, the first time I used Chobani as a starter. The yogurt came out perfect. So thick with no need for straining. Next I tried Wallaby and then Stoneyfield. The results were good, but nowhere near as good as with the Chobani. I still have to go back and repeat the results with Chobani, but I’m wondering if their cultures make the difference. Anyone else experiment with the starter?
I do this exact recipe of yogurt only I do it in a crockpot so easy.
I am going to have to try the crock-pot method. Thanks, Penny.
I love Greek Yogurt! But it’s so expensive. I found out that I could make cheap greek yogurt easily by using a yogurt strainer. You just pour in cheap store-brand yogurt, refridgerate and voila! 4 hours later you have delicious greek yogurt for about 1/4 of the cost. You can even use organic yogurt for a good price too.
*Note: regular yogurt only makes about half as much greek yogurt. So a 32 oz container makes about 16oz of greek yogurt. But still that’s about $1 per 16oz! Verus $3.5 or more for greek yogurt. Put it in little containers with a littler sugar and fruit and save a ton over individual greek yogurt cups!
Thanks for sharing this simple idea!
Well, five gallons of milk later and I still can’t make yogurt. I’ve tried variations of this recipe using different types of milk and yogurt, added powdered milk, used different kinds of pots to “incubate” the yogurt – nothing works. It’s not that the end result is grainy or sour, the yogurt just won’t form, I basically end up with warm milk. Disappointed!
I feel personally responsible for your yogurt not forming, and I am going to e-mail you so we can correspond and figure out what’s wrong. Your “Yogurt Luddite” name made me laugh.
Ah, thanks. I think the problem is that the yogurt wasn’t staying warm enough during the incubation period (oven light wasn’t sufficient). I had a gift card so I ended up buying a yogurt maker and have a batch in there right now. Hope it works!
Success! Turns out, the issue was the temperature in which I incubated the yogurt. I followed the rest of your instructions and the yogurt turned out great!
I’ve seen lots of great ideas in the comments. I use the cooler technique with glass quart jars and lids and some with boiling water in them to maintain the temperature because I make so much at once. I also sterilize things — including spoons, pot, containers – to not introduce unwanted bacteria. The whey can be used in so many other ways — (with acidity)ricotta cheese, cottage cheese…. Need to Google and go to quite a few sites to see lots of variations. Basic thick yogurt is made with very high fat milk. The milk used in Greek natural — as she mentioned with sheep, Jersey cows — their milk is much higher in fat than say Holsteins. Milk from the animals, heated, and then made into cheeses, yogurt, etc will be rich and thick. Our regular “whole” milk has lots of fat removed so they can sell cream. Putting some cream back will help. Whey has sugar in it, so taking it out also does take out some sugar.There are lots of cookbooks out there for ways to use yogurt, so do remember that you can have lots of options. Temperature is critical — so it your attempts aren’t working, do figure out a way to keep that 100-110F. Another way to get better drainage faster — stir the yogurt before straining (I use basic, cheap coffee filters – buy them bulk). Unfortunately, look at different yogurts you like — many use thickening agents. Very many. I also freeze yogurt in thick baggies then into a big thick bag– into the deepest part of the freezer (to avoid freezer burn). I have good starter for each time rather than using from made batches and losing the quality over time. I also have starter for whenever I want — like after a vacation or maybe an illness. It sure feels liberating doesn’t it! Thanks for posting and helping others!! Saving money feels great….
My favorite Greek yogurt is Oitkos Organic. It has 5 live cultures, no thickeners, and is made from pasturized non-fat organic milk. Stonyfield has just bought out the company and the plain 32 oz. has become difficult to find. I can only find it at Whole Foods and it is expensive! This blog has given me the inspiration to make Greek yogurt from scratch using a starter from my favorite yogurt. WOW! I’m excited!
Do you know if this greek yogurt has as much protein as the store bought stuff?
[...] on how to make yogurt without a yogurt machine, including this website How to Make Yogurt and this one if you like Greek yogurt (one of my personal favorites!) Share [...]
Do you have any suggestions if your oven doesn’t have a light?
So very excited! Cooling in the fridge right now! $4.40 for a gallon of yogurt! AMAZING!!!!!
I love your blog and have been thinking about making yoghurt for a while. Last night I had about a litre of milk that was turning sour so I heated up the 2% milk till it nearly boiled and then allowed it to cool down to about blood temp (my thermometer is broken).I poured the milk into a glass bowl and I stirred in one tablespoon of bought plain yogurt and then covered the bowl with a clean towel. I placed the bowl into my “hot box” which is just two big pillows and left it for the night. This morning I had lovely yoghurt but it was a little thin so I poured it into a cheesecloth and placed the whole lot in my sieve over the milk pot from last night. I left it in the fridge while I went for a cycle ride. When I got home we had lovely thick yoghurt on our cereal. It was so easy thank you!!
Can you use whipping cream rather than milk?
Whipping cream has 0 carbs and the yogurt I use has 9 grams of carbs per cup. This would be very low carb for those of us on carbohydrate diets.
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I stuck an outdoor thermometer in my oven with the light on. It only reached 75 degrees? Is this safe? Another site I saw says to keep it a 110.
Suggestions? Alternate methods? Thank you! I really want to try this!
[...] own Greek yogurt: I love Face Greek yogurt but it’s fairly expensive. Also, when I was reading Colin [...]
[...] Happy Simple Living has this easy and perfect recipe! [...]
This is great yogurt. I use the microwave instead of the stove top. It takes between 16 and 17 minutes, on High, to reach the correct temperature. I also add a cup of dry milk to add extra calcium.
My son taught me how to make yogurt, without a thermometer. We heat the milk on low till it starts to steam, never letting it boil. Remove from the heat, and let it cool till you can stick your finger in and leave it there for 8 seconds. At that time I add the starter. I then put it in a quart size mason jar, and wrap it in a down comforter overnight. In the morning I refrigerate it, and once cooled, strain it through a coffee filter in a colander (hanging over a large bowl). Perfect yogurt every time. Love the quality that I control, and saving money.
I seem to have a problem with yogurt,it didn’t thicken overnight,its very liquid consistency.going to leave it in a tad bit more.