1.
Place
at least
32 oz to 48 oz of fresh milk into a high-sided
saucepan (1 cup of milk makes about a cup of yogurt).
2. Heat the milk until it just starts frothing (but before it boils) or
measure it: use a cooking thermometer and watch until it is
heated to
180ºF (82ºC)
. Remove the saucepan from heat and
allow the milk to cool to lukewarm. To accelerate the cooling
down, place the saucepan in cold water.
3. When the temperature reaches
110ºF (43ºC)
, you may add your
yogurt culture. Culture may either be bought freeze-dried or you
can use plain yogurt from the store or a previous homemade
batch. If not using a thermometer, wait until the pot is just cool
enough to touch with your bare hands (still very warm). Pour the
milk into a small clean cup and add 3-8 Tablespoons of plain
yogurt then stir culture in to distribute it evenly. Mix the room
temperature milk well with the smooth mixture and pour into
VitaClay pot.
4. Place the clay pot into the VitaClay cooker and push the
“Yogurt” button. Set it for 8 hours. Wait for the beep and it will
begin the incubation. Place the clay lid on the pot and close up
the cooker.
5. Once the yogurt is done, dispense the yogurt into your own
containers or leave in the clay pot to refrigerate for 4 hours
before using. Store in the refrigerator and use within 4-5 days.
6. Greek yogurt: The yogurt will thicken further in refrigerator.
After more whey separates from the yogurt, it will become
creamy Greek yogurt or yogurt cheese. You might use a strainer
or cheesecloth to separate more of the whey from the yogurt.
This will help thicken more.
7. Feel free to flavor with fruit, honey or vanilla beans and enjoy!
8. Don't forget to save a small amount to make the next batch!
Note:
1.
8 hours is best. The longer the yogurt incubates beyond that
time, the sourer the taste becomes.