Ode to Yogurt

One of my new favorite things is the free publication Edible Portland, which features a ton of great recipes, gardening tips, and do-it-yourself projects. In the most recent issue, Lola Millholand wrote a how-to article about making yogurt, and it was such a fun read that I had to try it myself. Many years ago I dated a young man with a chronic tummy-ache (also known as Chrone's Disease), and to help his condition he noshed on homemade yogurt created with a special machine and a mysterious substance called "starter." The whole experience looked a little intimidating and witch-crafty, and I had exactly zero interest in trying it myself. But Lola's article changed all that. I could do it. You can do it. But WHY do it when any grocery store carries it?

Well, first of all you can save money. To make about 8 servings of yogurt will run you the cost of a half-gallon of milk.

Secondly, homemade yogurt is *healthier* for you than the store-bought variety which is teeming with preservatives, added sugar, and has traveled a great distance to actually reach you. By the time it does, it's level of beneficial bacteria (or "active live cultures") is about half of what you'd get if it were made in your home and eaten right away. I have sort of been confused about the benefits of yogurt for awhile, since it is a dairy product and therefore mucus-producing...but yogurt is fermented, and because of that the live cultures in it make it truly a superfood for boosting immunity and improving digestion. The populations that have the longest life-span in the world are also generally yogurt-eating cultures. One of them, incidentally, is the Georgian culture. At the market in the Republic of Georgia they sold wonderful yogurt made from the milk of water-buffalo. It was very rich and tasted similar to this homemade recipe that I will share with you here.

Thirdly, it is seriously yummy. Now, you can't make this stuff and expect it to taste like Dannon (also yummy) - because it is totally different. It is tart and tangy, creamy but also very light and clean on the palate. Imagine the difference between ice cream and gelato. This is the same difference you will find in store-bought versus homemade yogurt.

And finally, it makes you feel like a sorceress to be able to convert milk into yogurt. And babies dig it.

So finally, how to do it. Here goes:

1. To make yogurt, you need "starter" which is - well, yogurt. Get 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt of any fat content you wish. (Generally, the lower the fat content, the thicker the yogurt.) Whisk it in a small bowl for a few seconds until it's smooth, and let it sit until it hits room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. Pour 3 1/2 cups of milk into a saucepan. You may use full-fat, non-fat, low-fat, whatever floats your proverbial boat. You can also use goat's milk, sheep's milk or water buffalo milk -- not that water buffalo milk is normally sitting in the dairy section of your local Safeway. Heat the milk over medium heat, stirring often, until small bubbles begin to form around the edges and it gets foamy. *Do NOT let it boil or scorch.* If you have a candy thermometer, let is reach 180 degrees.

3. Turn off the heat and let it cool down for about 10 minutes or until it reaches the temperature of a hot (but bearable) bath. It should be in between 110 and 120 degrees.

4. Take a small amount of milk and pour it into the yogurt. Whisk until the yogurt is more like a liquid. Now pour the liquidy-yogurt into the saucepan. Stir to combine.

5. Pour this hot milky yogurt stuff into a glass jar, and let sit for 7-ish hours at about 90 to 100 degrees. You know, in your local sauna. Just kidding. You can turn the oven light on, wrap the jar in a towel, and set it in there overnight. You can put a tall jar or insulated lunch box over the jar and sit it over your heater. If you have a "proof" setting on your oven, this would be perfect. I do the oven light method, which works great.

6. TA-DA! After about 7 hours, open the jar up and marvel at your creation. It invokes in me a good deal of pride. Now, put it in the fridge and let it get nice and cold, about an hour. Top with fruit, honey, granola, nuts, whatever tickles your fancy! Enjoy!