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For The Love Of Yogurt…Make Your Own!

For The Love Of Yogurt…Make Your Own!

I grew up here in Arizona.  As a child, we lived in the middle of nowhere outside Phoenix.  What are now strip malls and housing developments was just desert in the early 60’s.  Hot, dry desert.

My father was interested in all kinds of things.  He experimented with everything from greenhouses to healthy foods.  We were the only children who had to eat wheat germ on our cereal.  We weren’t allowed dyed foods or much sugar.  Dad kept bees. We ate honey.  He was ahead of his time in a lot of ways.  I thought he was crazy.

Before yogurt was commonly sold in grocery stores, flavored with everything imaginable and loaded with sugar, gelatin and who knows what else, my dad was making yogurt.  Worse yet, he was making us eat yogurt.  He made it by burying jars of milk in the ground.  He said that’s how people did it in the Middle East.  Didn’t he know we lived in Arizona?  This stuff made wheat germ taste like candy!  It was horrible.  He ate it warm!  He made us eat it warm.  Even our dog wouldn’t eat it.  But we had to “try it.”  Yuk.

For The Love Of Yogurt…Make Your Own!

I grew up here in Arizona.  As a child, we lived in the middle of nowhere outside Phoenix.  What are now strip malls and housing developments was just desert in the early 60’s.  Hot, dry desert.My father was interested in all kinds of things.  He ...

Author
Lehman's

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon 1% or 2% milk
  • 1/2 cup powdered milk
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt starter (store-bought yogurt or yogurt from a previous batch)
  • 1/2 gallon homemade yogurt
  • 2 packages graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
  • About 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
  • Fresh fruit for topping, optional

Directions

  1. Pour the milk into a saucepan.
  2. Add the powdered milk.
  3. Whisk until combined.
  4. Heat the mixture to 185°F.
  5. Remove from the heat.
  6. Allow the milk to cool to 118°F.
  7. Pour the milk into a yogurt incubator or insulated container.
  8. Whisk in the yogurt starter.
  9. Cover and leave undisturbed for 6 hours.
  10. Strain if desired for thicker yogurt.
  11. Refrigerate before serving.
  12. Pour freshly made yogurt into a yogurt strainer.
  13. Place the strainer over a container.
  14. Refrigerate overnight.
  15. Use the thickened yogurt as Greek yogurt.
  16. Reserve the whey for other uses.
  17. Make the yogurt and strain it overnight.
  18. Crush the graham crackers into crumbs.
  19. Mix the crumbs with the butter or margarine.
  20. Press the mixture into a pie plate to form a crust.
  21. Place the strained yogurt in a bowl.
  22. Add the lemon juice.
  23. Add sugar to taste.
  24. Mix well.
  25. Spoon the yogurt mixture into the prepared crust.
  26. Refrigerate for several hours.
  27. Top with fresh fruit if desired.
  28. Serve chilled.
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