As my yogurt and cheese-making dreams are running wild, I have at least turned the yogurt-making part into a reality. Yesterday I made my first batch of Greek yogurt with Jersey milk from the dairy. I started with 3 litres of milk (which produces about 1.5 litres of Greek yogurt after straining). It is unbelievably rich and creamy. The best thing about yogurt is it is much cheaper to make than to buy, and the process is so simple that once you start it is unlikely you will ever go back to buying your yogurt. It’s also much healthier than store-bought yogurt.

What you need:

1 litre of milk (makes 1 litre of yogurt or half a litre of Greek yogurt)
2 tbsp of plain yogurt with live cultures OR starter cultures (1 tsp per 10 litres milk)

saucepan
milk thermometer
cooler

This is how you do it:

Heat your milk in a saucepan to 180 degrees F. Watch it closely and don’t let it boil.

Remove the milk from the heat and allow it to cool to 110 degrees F. This should take about 30 mins or so. Once the milk has cooled, add the yogurt (or cultures) and stir.

Next, pour your milk into jars (I used mason jars) and secure the lids tightly. The milk has to remain in these jars at 110 degrees for at least 6-8 hours. The best way to do this is place the jars in warm water in a cooler and wrap the cooler in a blanket. Leave the cooler in a warm spot (I put mine next to the oven in the kitchen).

I also had some warm little bodies to keep watch…

After the milk has sat for about 8 hours, open up the jars and it will have turned to yogurt.

There will be a layer of yellowish whey at the top. You can simply strain this off and refrigerate your yogurt as is. If you prefer your yogurt nice and thick as a Greek yogurt (like I do) you will have to follow one more step – straining. Line a strainer or sieve with a layer of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth and place in the fridge for a couple of hours. You can even leave it overnight to make it extra thick. The liquidly whey will have strained off, which you can discard (or feed it to your pets or house plants.)

Et voilà! Enjoy your yogurt with some honey, nuts and/or fruit. Or just plain. I eat Greek yogurt at all times of the day with a plethora of dishes. It is packed with protein, calcium and probioitics and low in calories. You can make Greek yogurt with nonfat milk if you wish, but I personally have nothing against a full-fat yogurt. Especially homemade from fresh raw Jersey milk…