My Mama, May Fair has been eating yogurt for as far back as I can remember when the general population thought that was pretty wierd. Well, those days are over, for sure. We’ve got it all going on in the cultured dairy department these days with Activia, a variety of greek yogurts, soy yogurt and many, many more. I’m not a fan of any of them unless they are organic, full-fat and plain. I always tell folks to add their own fruit a little bit of honey or pure maple syrup, nuts, cinnamon, you get the idea. If you’re not making the effort to put your own yogurt together then I can pretty much guarantee that you’re consuming too much sugar. And, once again, it’s a whole lot less expensive to make your own and you’re not polluting the planet with all that plastic.
I didn’t start making yogurt until about eight months ago when I was trying to figure out what more I could do to try and help heal my gut. I don’t eat a tremendous amount of dairy because of the lactose. But, then I found out if I make it at home with no additives of any kind and ferment it for 24-30 hours then most all of the milk sugars will have been eaten by the beneficial bacteria in the fermentation process and whatever sugar is left has been converted into a monosacharide. This is what the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the GAPS diet recommend when you or your child is ready to introduce yogurt or cultured cream into their diet…which makes sense.
I use my Excalibur Dehydrator to ferment my yogurt and it works out great. Or you can buy a yogurt maker which will make your life real easy too. I’ve heard from friends that they really like the Yogourmet Yogurt Maker. Or, you can be like my friend Gina and use your heating pad. Keep in mind without stabalizers and additives and guar gum your homemade yogurt will be a bit runnier but, very delicious still and WAY more nutritious! So adjust your expectations of the final product and enjoy. That’s a big challenge in trying to get folks to convert to a real food diet because we all get used to the way things should look and taste and then when we make it without all the synthetic mess it can be quite different. But, you will notice a difference in how you feel, for sure.
I’ve been making my yogurt out of goat’s milk and my cultured cream out of Hatcher Dairy’s cow cream and it is divine! I am going to try using Hatcher’s whole milk in my next batch to see how it turns out. Goat’s milk is apparently easier to digest so that’s why I started off with it.
This process and the amounts used apply for both the yogurt and the cultured cream.
Here’s what I do:
Ingredients:
4 cups of milk/cream
1/4 cup yogurt from full fat-plain yogurt or your previous batch
1. In a classic sauce pan over medium heat up the milk/cream to 180° (use a good trustworthy thermometer or two, like me)
2. Pour the hot milk/cream into a large bowl to cool down to 110° or lower (place bowl in cool water if you want to quicken the process)
3. Once cooled then slowly whisk/stir in the culture starter from a previous batch of yogurt.
4. Pour the milk mixture into glass jars leaving about an inch at the top. Screw lids on tight.
5. Set the temperature on the dehydrator to 110°, leave only the bottom shelf in and place the jars so that air can move between each one. Let it cook away for the next 30 hours.
I want to say that I also use my dehydrator to dry out my soaked/sprouted nuts and seeds…more on this later.
Then when the 30 hours is up place the jars in the fridge and you are good to go for smoothies or making yogurt cheese or what have you! The cultured cream is great for a chilled sauce for fish or making a dip or putting a big dollup in your soup, yum!
Talk to me and tell me what’s going on out there in your yogurt land…any tricks of the trade you’d like to share?
I was wondering if I could use my dehydrator to do this. It doesn’t have the sides and back though. Its rounded, and I could sit the jars one the bottom tray and then sit the top tray on the lids. But the sides will all be open. I’m not sure it will stay the right temp. I’m struggling on how to make yogurt right now. I tried the crockpot yogurt a few months ago, and it flopped. I’ve heard the heating pad thing too, but haven’t tried that either. I just don’t want to ruin another yummy quart of goats milk. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I started GAPS about a month ago, and really love your webiste! Its a real encouragement and help through the tough beginning stages! Thank you.
Hey Brooke, thanks so much for your kind words…I’m here for you on the food front and hope I can continue to help you! Doesn’t sound like your dehydrator will work because you won’t be able to control the temperature. Making good yogurt really is quite the science if you want a quality product. To be honest, I am going to just go ahead and “bite the bullet” and buy a real yogurt maker since I’ll be using the thing for the rest of my life…the investment will be worth it. Seems if you order from Amazon you’ll get free shipping. Every little bit helps, right? Please let me know what you end up doing?
R u going to buy a yogormet? I’ve heard mixed reviews,that it heats to too high a temp with a 24 hr ferment. My first thought was to buy a yogurt maker, then I heard that its still difficult. So I wasn’t sure that I wanted to invest in one or not. What are your thoughts?
I’m leaning towards the Yogourmet but, I’m going to do a little research first. That being said, I was visiting RealFoodForager’s blog yesterday and she has a great idea for keeping the temp at 105 degrees, a dimmer/rheostat that will lessen the energy going into the heating element. Check out her video here for coconut milk yogurt: http://realfoodforager.com/2011/05/videorecipe-coconut-milk-yogurt/ Hope this helps!
Hi Shane,
I just read this many months later but I wanted to tell you all that I make wonderful yogurt by finishing it in the oven with only the oven light on! You can leave it 24 hours or whatever! I do not have a yogurt machine but this turns out every time! I hope this is helpful.
Jean
I make mine in the oven by leaving the oven light on, too. I culture mine for 30 hours.
Shane, this is not about yugurt, but could you give me a quick tutorial on kefir? I bought some “plain” today. Tastes like buttermilk – am I supposed to drink it straight or do you have better suggestions? Thanks, Jenny C.
Hey Jenny! Kefir is awesome as long as it doesn’t have a lot of sugar added to it, as in the fruity kind. Full-fat, plain is what you want to be looking for. It’s better than yogurt in that it has a lot more of the good bacteria in it. Being a fermented milk beverage juste drink it straight up or make a smoothie out of it. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Oops, I meant to type “yogurt” NOT yugurt!!!!!
Hi. I simply pour my preheated milk (with the yogurt culture mixed into it) into a quart or 1/2 gallon canning jar, depending on how much I am making. Then I wrap the jar/jars in a bath towel, put them into a cooler, and also add another jar of very hot tap water covered tightly to the cooler to help keep it warm for the duration of the 24 or so hours. Then I close the cooler and put it up on top of my fridge. It works every time. Enjoy!!! No extra cost for another kitchen appliance. Great website. Thanks for all your tips.
You’ve just proved you don’t need the big fancy equipment to make yogurt…good for you! Thank you for sharing Trish!