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Comfortably Domestic

Real Food. Real Life.

Have You Tried This Yet?

by 11 Comments

A little while ago, my friend Cathy B. @ Bright Bakes posted a recipe for homemade Greek style yogurt from scratch. Yes, you heard me correctly: Homemade. Yogurt. I alluded to the fact when sharing my Chai Spiced Granola recipe.

I admit that my first reaction was, “Are you out of your mind?!” Seriously. I make most everything from scratch. I’m not easily intimidated in the kitchen. I will even try to make something just to learn from the process. But yogurt? Yogurt has always been intimidating. I find the idea of homemade yogurt absolutely charming, but I could never bring myself to do it.  I guess I wasn’t that charmed, after all. Besides there was all that buying of enzymes and probiotics, the special yogurt cooker equipment–way to fussy for life.

But then I read Cathy’s post about the virtues of fresh yogurt, and you know what? It looked easy! Just a gallon of milk, a little Greek yogurt to act as a starter, a thermometer, and a big ol’ pot. Nothing at all fancy required. I instantly went from “Are you out of your mind?!” to “I am SO going to do this!!”

I tend to multiply my end punctuation when I get emphatic.

But you know what? I saw how Cathy B. made yogurt, and I knew it would be a piece of cake. Truly it was. I’ve made several batches in the past couple of weeks, because we appear to be inhaling it almost as fast as I can make it.

Friends, homemade yogurt is delicious. It doesn’t have the acidic bite of regular plain yogurt, but rather it is smooth, creamy, and lusccious. The best part is that homemade yogurt is economical and ever so versatile. Homemade yogurt can be served a multitude of ways.

Chai Spiced Granola is an obvious choice. Add a little drizzle of real maple syrup or a spot of jam = breakfast of champions.

Or perhaps stir in a bit of Greek yogurt in your next batch of muffin batter to moisten the deal.

Or better yet, adorn Spicy Pulled Pork Carnitas, or Shredded Chicken Tacos with a dollop of your homemade goodness, and watch your family sigh with delight.

The possibilities are endless! So think about it.

Mull it over.

Take a deep breath.

Then go for it!

You too can make Greek style yogurt from scratch. Then be sure to thank Cathy B. for showing you how.

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Comments

  1. I forwarded this recipe to all of my co-workers, a good number of whom eat yogurt on a daily basis at work, and at least six of us have made it and have sworn off purchasing store-bought!
    Reply

  3. Lady, this looks amazing. I swear to God, someday I'm coming to visit and we're cooking like crazy. And then we'll eat it all ;) For serious, I love when you do things like this because they kind of de-fear-ify them for me.
    Reply

    • Kat, I really hope that you try to make the yogurt. If I can take the fear out of trying something new in the kitchen for you, well then, you've made my day! We will SO get together to cook sometime! And eat. And eat. And...
      Reply

      • I like what Kat said about de-fear-ifying, but I have to say that even using a thermometer in the kitchen (besides Thanksgiving turkey) terrifies me. I love to cook so I really need to get over it. Perhaps this will be my first attempt after I put on my big girl pants.
        Reply

    • Heather--The short answer is: I don't know for sure. The longer answer: Lactose is a tricky thing. You know your son, so that is ultimately your call. I have read that some lactose intolerent individuals can handle yogurt because of the probiotics in the yogurt? That might not be the case with your son. I would certainly give it a try with lactose free milk, as I can't think of what purpose the lactose would serve in "setting" the yogurt. However, I do know that if the milk is "ultra-pasteurized" (as opposed to standard pasteurization) that the milk will not "set" when making cheese and yogurt because it has been stripped of virtually all of the natural enzymes/natural microbes due to the ultra-high heat used during the ultra-pasteurization process. (This is much higher than standard pasteurization.) You would have to check the label on the lactose free milk--it should be labeled pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized. Then my other issue would be whether you could find a lactose free Greek (not fat free) yogurt with live & active cultures to use as a starter. If you think your son could handle the small amount of lactose used in the regular yogurt to be used as a starter, than I say go for it!
      Reply

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