Making your own yogurt from instant skim milk powder saves money, plastic containers and all the refrigeration and shipping costs of fresh milk, plus it's quicker and simpler than scalding, then cooling fresh milk to a precise temperature. If you eat a lot of yogurt, you're defeating the purpose of eating vegetarian, because it takes lots of cattle to produce milk and all its attendant methane and CO2.
I have a Yogourmet yogurt maker, which has a 2 quart tub. For a long time I paid through the nose for their starter powder, but after a yogurt hiatus I started again with some ordinary, good store-bought yogurt. Now I set aside half a cup of my yogurt in a jar for starter. It just keeps getting better.
If you're a strict meat avoider, you won't like that I use gelatin, but you have to use way too much skim milk powder without it, if you want your skim milk yogurt nice and thick.
Put the empty tub into the yogurt maker and hold it down while pouring hot water into the space between. Plug it in.
Fill the inner tub with cold water to within an inch of the top and pour it into a stainless steel pot. Measure three cups of instant skim milk powder into the cold water and whisk it in. Put the thermometer on the side of the pot and stir constantly while heating the milk to 115˚ F (42˚ C).
In a cup, place 1/3 cup cold water and stir in 1 tbsp gelatin powder (cheaper at the bulk store than those envelopes). Mix in your half cup of yogurt.
Pour the hot milk into the tub. Use the whisk to stir in the starter & gelatin. Cover and leave for 5 or 6 hours. Longer will only make it more tart, not thicker.
Pour the hot milk into the tub.
Use the whisk to stir in the starter & gelatin.
Cover and leave for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Longer will only make it more
tart, not thicker. Make sure the inner lid is on tight before trying to lift it out. |
