Copyright 2011 Ben S. Pollock
Though we who note the news have known about the Greek economic crisis for quite some time, it seems to have come to a head here in the first week of November. Maybe if Greece exported more of that sunny yogurt, the budget would teeter back a bit.
But in checking stores here I saw Greek yogurt is made in America. For several months, this dairy treat has been all over the media. Then I checked the Internet and cookbooks in the Shady Hill manse library. Greek yogurt actually has been marketed in America for years.
Mainly, Greek yogurt turns out to be nothing special. Greek yogurt is any ol’ yogurt with the whey removed.
Whey?
Whey is a somewhat clear liquid thrown off when milk is cultured — to make cheeses and yogurt. Whey has vitamins, minerals and a fair bit of dairy protein. But by draining or squeezing it out, the remaining cultured (i.e., fermented or inoculated with microbes) milky goo gets even thicker.
When I make a quart of yogurt there’s maybe a quarter or half inch of whey resting above the white good stuff. Like the Dannon or Yoplait factories, I stir the whey back in. Yes, making your own yogurt is pretty easy, and without a special electric appliance.
Yes, yogurt can be had for roughly the price of milk.
- 4 cups of any kind of milk
- 1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk (optional, but recommended for extra calcium and protein, and acts as a thickener)
- 2 Tablespoons plain or vanilla yogurt (any fat level) with active cultures, OR homemade yogurt, well-stirred
- Sweetener, optional
In a saucepan, heat the milk on medium-high for about 4 minutes or until the milk reaches 180 degrees, measured with an instant-read thermometer. Do not scald, do not boil, when you see fast bubbles, pull the pan off the burner. If it boils over, start again from scratch. Otherwise, the yogurt will carry the taste of burnt milk.
Meanwhile, put hot water in a 1 quart or 1 liter, wide-mouth insulated bottle to preheat.
Let the milk cool to 110 to 120 degrees. That will take about 15-20 minutes. Whisk in the optional powdered milk. Add the yogurt; mix in thoroughly but not vigorously, as bubbles make the Thermos messy.
Empty the water from the insulated bottle. Pour the mixture into it. Screw on the lid but leave a bit loose to prevent a vacuum. Let sit at room temperature for 6-10 hours, undisturbed.
Check it, and the mix should have that yogurt consistency. If still liquid, reclose and let sit two more hours. If it still has not “yogged,” the starter did not have active cultures so you’ll have to start from scratch. But, the liquid that didn’t gel still could be used to make bread or pancakes.
For Greek-style yogurt, drain off the few tablespoons of liquid (whey) at the top, then empty into a lidded container, cover and refrigerate. Drained-away whey can be used as some of the liquid in bread or pancakes. For regular yogurt, entirely empty the insulated bottle into a lidded container, cover and refrigerate. A rubber spatula may be needed to get the last of the yogurt from the Thermos.
Once cool, add optional sweetener and stir well: 2 Tablespoons of either honey or genuine maple syrup (or a half-packet of Splenda) for a quart of yogurt. It won’t be as sweet as store-bought, but to me it cuts the tang just enough. Otherwise, leave the yogurt unsweetened so some can be used for savory dishes. For example, use instead of sour cream.
Notes
Insulated bottle. Any size will do, but re-proportion the ingredients accordingly. A 1 quart or 1 liter is practical. A wide-mouth or food type of “Thermos” is easier, but a narrow-necked beverage bottle is fine, but you’ll definitely need a rubber spatula to help the yogurt get out. The superior heat retention of a new or vacuum bottle is not needed. An inexpensive foam-insulated jug works well. If you use a Thermos that has held coffee or tea, though, the culturing milk may pull off bits of the brown left from stains. No harm, but that’s what it is.
Instant-read thermometer. These are available at discount department stores. It needs to read down to 100 degrees, so a meat thermometer won’t work. A glass candy thermometer works, but it’s breakable. This is science, don’t guess the temperature. Too cool and the bacterias won’t grow; too hot and the little guys will die.
Yogurt for starter. The yogurt you buy to act as the starter must state on its label “active cultures.” Such yogurts often have listed the specific culturing bacteria, their Latin names. I prefer a starter with has a wide variety of them, no fewer than three. (I don’t think it matters which ones.) For succeeding batches you can use your own yogurt as the starter. The yogurt will get a little tarter (and thicker) each time. After 4-6 batches, it will have become unpleasantly sour so buy a fresh little cup from the store and start again. Each strain of bacteria apparently tends to separate; so mix the yogurt starter thoroughly, stirring from the bottom and scraping down the sides of its container, before taking out the 2 Tablespoons as a starter.
Nonfat dry milk. Instant powdered milk comes in cereal box-sized, 25.6-ounce boxes so it lasts a long time. I’d recommend buying a plain loose box, not one with several pre-measured bags (to add to a quart of water for reconstituted milk), which would be a nuisance.
One step beyond Greek style is yogurt cheese, and the Mark Bittman link here explains how to pull more of the whey from it. A quart of conventional yogurt reduces to about a cup of yogurt cheese.
This recipe was adapted from Recipes for a Small Planet by Ellen Buchman Ewald, 1973 (companion volume to the classic Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, first published in 1972).
Homemade yogurt likely will have lumps. Factory yogurt, even organic, has been mixed so well (homogenized) that the lumps have been emulsified. Lumpy rocks, enjoy the authenticity.
By the way, I leave the whey in. The taste is way out.
