Making yogurt is extremely simple. All you need is one-half gallon of raw or pasteurized milk, one-half cup of plain yogurt with live cultures, a small cooler, and two sterilized quart canning jars. If you have a candy thermometer, that helps, too (but is not required.)
Heat the milk to 180 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat it to a low simmer, but do not allow it boil. Stir the milk frequently so that it doesn’t burn or curdle.
Remove the milk from the heat and allow it to cool to 110-120 degrees F. I will b
e very warm to the touch, but you should be able to stick your finger into the milk at this point without getting burned.
Whisk the yogurt into the milk and pour the mixture into the sterilized jars. I sterilize mine in the dish washer, but you could also use boiling water to do the job.
Place the jars in the cooler and leave them overnight. If you like a tangy yogurt flavor, leave them for 24 hours.
Refrigerate and enjoy!
Tip: Save some of your yogurt to use as a culture for your next batch. And if you prefer to use 4 pint jars or 8 half-pint jars in place of the quart jars, that’s okay, too!
Take it one step further to make tangy Labneh cheese. All you need is cheesecloth, a strainer and a bowl to transform your yogurt into a delicious Lebanese cream cheese.
