The simplicity and rich taste of homemade yogurt /yoghurt /matsun as
well as the control over the quality of milk used are the main reasons
for making our yogurt.
Although raw milk is very nutritious by itself, I love using
it to make whole milk yogurt. For the first batch I bought yogurt with live
active cultures from the store (2 tablespoons of Danone plain yogurt yields very thick yogurt) and keep saving a small amount from each batch for using it in the next one later.
Ingredients:
1 quart or 1 liter whole milk
2 tablespoons yogurt with live active cultures (Danone plain yogurt culture consistently yields thick yogurt)
Directions:
Put one teaspoon of filtered water on the bottom of a pot (I use stock pot)
which will help milk not to stick to the bottom of the pot after heated. Pour milk
into the pot and heat over low to medium heat. To make thicker yogurt, it is
recommended to heat the milk over 160F (70C). It is easy to use candy
thermometer but observing a thin film forming on top works too.
Next remove milk from heat and let it cool on the counter or
in the ice bath until it reaches 107-112F (41-44C). If you do not have a thermometer, an old
fashioned way to check the temperature is by dipping a clean finger into the milk. If it is possible to
hold a finger for 5 seconds comfortably without burning feeling, then it is time to add live active cultures to the milk. Slightly cool
temperature is preferred to make sure yogurt cultures will thrive
and make thick yogurt.
Take about 3 tablespoons of cooled milk and mix it with 2
tablespoons of yogurt culture, then pour warmed culture into a quart mason jar/1 liter glass jar with
milk. Once in a jar mix one more time, tightly cover with lid and place in a
warm place wrapped in a blanket (I usually wrap jars with a blanket and place
those in a cooler box) for 6-10 hours (usually overnight). After yogurt is ready, I place yogurt in the refrigerator for
about two hours before using it and reserving a small amount for making more
yogurt later.
Bon appetit!
