Homemade Greek Yogurt (Two Ingredients)
Milk warmed to 46°C, stirred with a spoonful of live yoghurt and left overnight, then strained through cloth until it thickens. Two ingredients, almost no work, and the whey that drains off is worth keeping.
Servings: 2
Calories: 380kcal
Ingredients
- 1 liter milk whole milk gives a thicker result than skimmed
- 1 plain yogurt, with live cultures about 2 tablespoons; check the label says live or active cultures
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a pot and warm it over low heat, stirring now and then so it heats evenly.
- Bring it to 46°C. Without a thermometer: dip a finger in, and it should be hot but comfortable, not scalding. Too hot kills the cultures and too cold leaves them dormant.
- Stir in the plain yogurt until it is completely mixed through.
- Pour the mixture into a container with a lid.
- Leave it somewhere warm to ferment for at least 8 hours, undisturbed.
- Line a sieve with a clean cotton cloth and pour the set yogurt into it to strain.
- Put the whole thing in the fridge while it drains, because straining takes several hours.
- What stays in the cloth is the Greek yogurt. What collects underneath is whey, and it is good in bread or smoothies rather than down the sink.
Notes
The temperature is the whole recipe. At 46°C the cultures multiply; much above that they die and nothing happens; much below and they stay asleep. If you have no thermometer, the finger test works: hot enough to be uncomfortable but not enough to make you pull away. Straining is what separates Greek yogurt from ordinary yogurt, and the longer it drains the thicker it gets, from thick yogurt at two hours to something close to cream cheese overnight. Keep two spoonfuls of each batch to start the next one.
Nutrition
Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 850mg | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 931IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 713mg | Iron: 1mg