While we’re milking Dolly, we have milk on hand to experiment with all kinds of dairy recipes, from cheese to butter to ice cream. One of my goals was to learn how to make yogurt. It’s not quite as straightforward as say, making butter, but it is still simple, especially with the help of an instant pot. Every time I’ve tried it, I’ve had success. It’s delicious and cost-effective, and surprisingly easy once I got a hang of it.
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk (we use raw, whole milk but storebought milk can also work)
2 Tablespoons yogurt starter (basically, already made, active yogurt…I just reused some of the previous batch of yogurt to make a new batch)
Vanilla and sugar to taste, if desired
Pour the cold milk into the instant pot and press the yogurt button, then adjust until it reads “boil.” Put the lid on and wait until the instant pot beeps and reads “Yogt.” Stir the milk and check with a thermometer that it has reached at least a minimum of 180F. Remove the pot and allow the milk to cool to 110F. Remove about one cup of warm milk into a bowl, whisk in yogurt starter to acclimate it, then pour it into the warm milk, stirring to incorporate. Sugar and vanilla can be added at this stage, if desired. Put the pot back in the instant pot and push the yogurt button–it will read 8:00 (hours). For tarter yogurt, adjust the time until it reads 10:00 (and make sure it is on “normal” and not “less” as it ferments). When the yogurt is done, it can either be eaten as-is or it can be strained through cheesecloth inside a metal strainer, or a nut milk bag until the desired consistency is reached. Save the whey for baking, smoothies, etc. Refrigerate yogurt until ready to eat. Remember to save two tablespoons for the next batch! Otherwise, enjoy!
