Thick, tangy, homemade yoghurt from just two ingredients. Once you’ve made your first batch, you’ll never need to buy a starter again: just save a couple of spoonfuls and keep the cycle going.
Makes: about 1 litre
Time: 30 minutes, plus 12 hours to set
Ingredients
1 litre full-cream milk
2 tbsp natural yoghurt with live cultures (store-bought for your first batch, then your own after that)
Method
Gently heat the milk to 85°C and hold it there for a few minutes. This changes the milk proteins so your yoghurt sets thick.
Let the milk cool to 45°C.
Scoop a little of the warm milk into a bowl, add the 2 tablespoons of yoghurt and stir until smooth.
Whisk this back into the rest of the milk.
Pour into a clean jar and put the lid on.
Keep it warm at around 45°C for 12 hours. I use my dehydrator, which works beautifully. No dehydrator? Use one of these:
Esky: sit the jar inside with a couple of jars of hot water, close the lid and leave it overnight
Oven: switch it off, turn on just the oven light, and leave the jar inside
Chill in the fridge, and it’s ready.
For a thicker, Greek-style yoghurt, strain it through a cloth-lined sieve for a few hours to drain off the whey.
My tip
Always save 2 tablespoons from each batch as the starter for your next one. That’s what makes it truly homemade, and you never have to buy yoghurt again.
How I use it
Thick yoghurt is the start of so many things in my kitchen, from a breakfast bowl with Benji’s granola to a soft cheese for the table. More ways to use your homemade staples are coming in my Kitchen Staples book.
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Slow Beautiful Christmas
If you love making things by hand, join me this Christmas. Six live cook-alongs, 30 of my family’s Christmas recipes, and a small group making it all together. Doors close 6 November.
