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Homemade Yogurt, Greek Yogurt and Cream Cheese

Apr 9, 2018
3 min read

This is a very easy and fun way to save money and show your homemade skills! I love how versatile this simple recipe is and how many different things I can make from a single gallon of milk! Who knew??

For the sake of making this a little more than just an instructional post, I wanted to tell you a little about the science behind how this all works. I am all about eating real foods and understanding why they are good for us, so buckle up and here we go.

What is yogurt?

Simply put, yogurt is the result of fermentation that occurs when certain good bacteria are added to milk solids. This is achieved when the bacteria turn the lactose sugars into lactic acid. Because the bacteria has broken down the milk, yogurt is easier for us to digest.

Let's take a minute and look back to where yogurt all started. Yogurt can be traced back to the time when nomads domesticated animals and herded them. Our ancestors understood the importance and benefits these animals' raw milk provided for them even if they couldn't explain the types of bacteria or even that there was bacteria involved at all. Knowing the importance of a dairy rich diet, they looked for ways to take advantage of these benefits even when their animals couldn't be milked. It is believed that yogurt was actually discovered on accident when milk store in animal skins reacted with the bacteria in the sheep or goat skin containers and fermented, resulting in a primitive, yet effective form of yogurt. While this curdled milk product has been called by many names across the world, let's focus on where our modern term came from. The word yogurt is Turkish in origin,and was originally something like 'yogurmak' meaning to thicken or coagulate. Sound about right? I would like to note that while our modern day term has Turkish origins, this form of milk fermentation was likely discovered accidentally by many people groups around the same time, so there is no real country of origin. Its variations can be found in the cuisines of regions all over the globe, including Asia, The Middle East, Europe, Scandinavia, and the more modern form is especially held in regard in the United States, particularly among health groups.

Yogurt had been held up as a form of medicine long before modern scientists isolated and studied the particular types of bacteria used to ferment milk. In fact, it is said that the founder of the great Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, fed his armies yogurt to make them brave. Even Francis I of France used yogurt to treat a mysterious intestinal issue, likely diarrhea. We now understand that the poor guy just needed some good bacteria in his gut and yogurt was the perfect solution to this problem. Throughout history, yogurt was actually prescribed as a medicine. This is how it was first introduced to the American market.

It wasn't until the Twentieth Century that the first commercial production of yogurt appeared in 1919 in Spain. Isaac Danone and his son Daniel the ones who brought yogurt to our daily lives through the creation of their company Danone. In fact, their methods are still heavily relied upon in modern yogurt production. By the 1930s, the addition of jam to yogurt brought us the familiar flavors of any yogurt found in a grocery store fridge.

BUT, I'm not here to tell you about store bought yogurt. This is The HOMEMADE Mama after all! I have learned that is VERY easy and VERY inexpensive to make your own yogurt and it tastes delicious!!

The process is quite simple and you can make several different things from this easy recipe. All you need is:

milk

a yogurt starter (any yogurt that has live active cultures in it)

a crockpot

towel or blanket

a mesh strainer

cheesecloth or flour sack

bowl

string (optional)

Check out the video for specific instructions, but here are the basics.

-You want to heat your milk to at least 180 F.

-Then, let it cool down to 110-115 F.

-This is when you want to add the starter. You only need 1-2 TBSP. Make sure to stir it in well.

-Put the lid back on and cover it with a towel or blanket to keep it insulted.

-Let it sit undisturbed for at least 8 hours. If you like your yogurt more tart, let it sit longer.

-At this point, you have yogurt!! You can leave it at that, or if you are feeling adventerous, you can make Greek (strained) yogurt or even farmer's cheese or cream cheese!

You do this by straining the yogurt, but this is all easier to explain in the video. Check it out!