Technically not a cheese, but in the same family of fermented dairy products. Making your own homemade yogurt is satisfying and tastes as fresh as it could possibly be.
Equipment:
- One non-reactive 3 quart saucepan.
- Kitchen thermometer.
- Ripening container and a way to keep it warm for 3 to 12 hours. A 2 quart canning jar or two 1 quart jars with lids work well when immersed in a picnic cooler of 120°F water overnight.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts of whole or 2% milk.
- 1 cup of dry milk powder
- 1 packet of yogurt starter or 1/2 cup of good yogurt with active cultures
- Optional: 2 to 4 tablespoons of honey
Method
Mix the yogurt starter or 1/2 cup of yogurt with about 1/2 cup of milk. Add honey, if using. Set mixture aside.
Add rest of milk to stockpot and mix in dry milk powder. Heat to 120°F, then pour into ripening container. Add yogurt mixture and whisk or stir to combine. Keep yogurt as close to 115°F as possible for 3 to 12 hours. After set, transfer it to a refrigerator.
Homemade yogurt keeps as long as store bought yogurt, perhaps 3 to 4 weeks. Discard when it looks, smells or tastes unpleasant.
Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown on the Food Network