Photo: sobodda

A couple weeks ago I presented a video tutorial on making Homemade Cheese from a recipe I got from my godmother (Greek Orthodox). Well she also gave me a couple more great milk based Greek recipes while she was at it. One of these is Homemade Yogurt.

Making yogurt is something I have been waiting to tackle for some time now, but the weather has been all but permitting. When making yogurt from this recipe you must let it sit out in a very warm area, so it has been too cold. Now that June has approached and this heat advisory has rolled up on us here in Philadelphia, the perfect yogurt making weather has come.

Ingredients

• 1 Gallon Whole Milk or 2% depending on preference
• Small Package Quality yogurt that has “active cultures” that is plain with no fruit or sugar added

Procedure

1. To begin bring 1 Gallon of milk to a simmer.
2. Mix 3 tablespoons of yogurt to one cup of warmed milk.
3. Once mixed, Add the remainder of warmed milk.
4. Leave and let rest 6 or more hours, with lid on, in very warm area with no draft, to thicken until a water appears on top.
5. Hang the yogurt up in cheese cloth to remove liquid until desired thickness is reached (approximately 4-6 hours)
6. Chill and Serve.

For a more Greek style yogurt let hang for the greater portion of time. The more whey that drains the thicker the yogurt will be. You can also use a splash of white wine vinegar to help the curds separate from the whey with a dash of salt.

This yogurt can replace sour cream and milk in recipes and is excellent served with fresh fruit, raisins, nuts or sweetened jams.

Shelf life is usually 2 weeks, but I would keep a close eye.

Enjoy!

-Jimi

If your interested in other milk based Greek recipes:

• Feta: My post on homemade cheese, just substitute the cows milk for raw goats milk.

You may also be interested in our article on Vitamin D in Milk