Homemade yogurt with milk and live-culture starter
4
Units:
Prep: 10 min Cook: 30 min
Ingredients
- 1 qt whole milk
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt with live active cultures
A thick, tangy yogurt from two ingredients: milk and a spoonful of live-culture yogurt. Heating the milk, cooling it, and holding it warm lets the beneficial bacteria ferment the lactose into lactic acid, transforming liquid milk into a creamy gel.
Instructions
- Heat milk: Heat the milk in a pot to 180°F (82°C), stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Do not boil.
- Cool: Cool the milk to 110°F (43°C). An ice-water bath speeds this up.
- Inoculate: Whisk the starter yogurt into a small amount of the warm milk to temper it, then stir back into the pot.
- Jar: Pour into a clean glass jar and cover loosely.
- Incubate: Keep warm at 105-115°F for 6-12 hr. The oven with just the light on, a cooler with a jar of hot water inside, or wrapped towels all work.
- Refrigerate: Transfer to the fridge when set. Chill at least 4 hr before eating.
Tips
- Use plain yogurt with "live active cultures" clearly on the label as your starter.
- Save 2 tbsp from each batch to start the next one — endless yogurt from one purchase.
- Longer incubation = tangier yogurt. 8 hr is mild; 12 hr is sharp.
- For thicker Greek-style yogurt, strain through cheesecloth 2-4 hr after chilling.
Created: 3/23/2026, 2:40:45 AM diyfreetraditional
Heavy-bottomed pot, instant-read thermometer, glass jar (1 qt), insulation (oven, cooler, or towels)