Homemade Greek Yogurt

I am ashamed to admit I’ve never been a huge fan of eating a bowl of Greek yogurt on its own, even with fresh fruit or honey. Don’t get me wrong — I do understand the attraction, and I really want to love it, but I sometimes find it a little too sour and cloying when eaten plainly. I prefer Greek yogurt stirred into sauces or a large dollop served on top of a spicy curry, but that is as far as it goes for my taste.

However, I’ve been converted after making my own Greek yogurt. Although making it from scratch creates the same thick and creamy texture Greek yogurt is famous for, it’s more delicate in flavor. It’s deliciously tangy without the sour harshness found in some store-bought brands. Making it from scratch will now be a regular project, and although it does take time, it is surprisingly easy to make! 

There are a few ways to make yogurt at home, including using only the stovetop, Instant Pot, or an immersion sous vide circulator, but this method uses the oven. You only need three ingredients to make your own yogurt: ice, milk, and a starter culture (plain yogurt that contains live and active cultures). The ratio is 1 cup of milk to 1 tablespoon of live yogurt, so you can make as much or as little as you need. 

To make Greek yogurt, you essentially make plain yogurt first. Once you strain the plain yogurt slowly through a cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh sieve for two hours (or up to overnight, depending on how thick you like it), it drains all the liquid (whey) from the solids, ending up with a deliciously thick strained Greek yogurt. 

• Medium saucepan
• Large and medium bowls (to create an ice bath)
• Wooden spoon
• 1-cup measure for scooping 
• Candy or instant-read thermometer
• Medium to a large-sized fine-mesh strainer
• Cheesecloth
• Mason jars or covered heat-proof containers
• Baking sheet 

You start by first scalding the milk by getting it to a temperature of 180°F and holding it between 180°F and 190°F for 5 minutes, which not only kills some of the unwanted bacteria in the milk, but it also denatures the whey protein (which, long story short, and without getting too scientific, helps prevent a lumpy texture and creates more of a smooth mass, which is paramount when it comes to making yogurt).

Then, stir the milk over an ice bath to lower the temperature to 110°F. You temper a little of the warm milk into the live yogurt (which prevents too much heat from killing the good bacteria for the fermentation process), then the tempered yogurt is stirred back into the warm milk and ready to transfer to jars. The jars are then kept in a warm oven, only heated by the oven light for 4 to 8 hours to ferment, then strained in the fridge to transform it Greek yogurt. 

I’ve made batches of both 4-hour fermented and 8-hour fermented yogurt, and both were perfectly creamy and thick after straining. However, the 8-hour fermentation was more tangy and authentic tasting to Greek yogurt.