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Honey yogurt
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Easy and quickInternational yogurt lover
Ever wonder why the yogurt you eat when traveling is so much better than the commercial yogurt you find in the US? Yogurt is my go-to breakfast when I am traveling simply because I love discovering the many luscious, not-too-sweet, additive-free yogurts that are abundant outside the states.
Infatuated with Aussie yogurt
On a recent trip to Sydney I discovered a creamy hand-crafted yogurt that is swirled with fresh passionfruit, mango and berries. The stuff is insanely delicious and there is no commercial American yogurt that comes close. I returned home determined to replicate it. I bought a Euro Cuisine yogurt maker and began experimenting. My recipe is not an exact duplicate of the Australian yogurt, but it is darn close. It takes a few minutes active preparation time and 8 to 12 hours to incubate. I make several batches a week as my family rebels when we run out.
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Sweeten with raw honey
I use organic locally grown raw honey to sweeten my yogurt. Raw honey has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti fungal properties and is rich in antioxidants. Honey has been shown to have many medicinal properties, including controlling blood glucose levels, lowering cholesterol, aiding in digestion and boosting the immune system. Honey degrades at high temperatures and loses its nutritional value so avoid processed commercial honey.
Flavor after incubation
I have experimented with flavoring the yogurt before it incubates, but am happiest with a lightly sweetened, raw honey yogurt without additional flavoring. I add fresh fruit, jam, roasted fruits or granola to the yogurt after incubation. My very favorite, is adding fresh passionfruit to the yogurt, just like the Aussies do.
Really, making yogurt is easy
Making yogurt is quick and easy, but there are a few concepts you need to understand. Read my method post on how to make yogurt before you get started.
PrintHoney yogurt
Who new curdled milk could be sooo good? Devoid of sugar and additives, homemade yogurt is rich in probiotics that keep your blood pressure and cholesterol down, your immune system functioning, and protect against cancer, inflammation and ulcers. And did I mention home made yogurt is delicious and simple to make?
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 7 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 42 oz 2% organic milk, preferably with DHA Omega 3
- 3 T Greek plain non-fat yogurt or other with multiple live and active cultures and no preservatives.
- 3 T raw honey (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 cup powdered milk
Instructions
- Pour milk in a clean 8-cup pyrex measuring cup. Microwave on high for about 14 minutes. Your goal is to get the milk up to about 180 degrees, or just before boiling. Every microwave will be different, so use a cooking thermometer and adjust the time as needed.
- In a small clean bowl whisk honey and yogurt together. The yogurt is your starter.
- Remove the milk from the microwave. A skin may have formed on the top. Use a clean spoon to remove. This may occur a few times as you let the milk cool. Remove the skin as it forms. Allow to cool to between 112 and 118 degrees. Whisk in the powdered milk. Pour a splash of the cooled milk into your bowl of honey and yogurt mixture and whisk together to thin. Pour the thinned honey-yogurt-milk mixture back into the measuring cup containing the cooled milk. Whisk to incorporate. Pour into glass containers, put into yogurt maker, set the time for 8-12 hours and turn machine on.
THIS SERVES WELL WITH
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omg… it was so easy to make i couldn’t believe it. so so so!!! much better than store-bought yogurt. wow!!!!
What if you dont have a yoghurt maker?!
Hi Sara –
There are lots of ways to make yogurt without a yogurt maker. After all, yogurt has been made for at least 1,000 years, long before a yogurt maker was invented. Various methods include, sitting in the sun on a warm porch step wrapped in a towel, putting in a very low oven (100 degrees), putting in a thermos or cooler wrapped in a towel, wrapping in a heating pad set on low, setting in a crockpot set very very low. There are many ways to go. The idea is to keep it at a fairly constant 110-112 degrees.
In general, I am not a big fan of single-use appliances, but I love my yogurt maker. It is easy, foolproof, and I love the little single-serving containers. I literally use it at least once a week, and more often when my kids are home.
Please let us know if you stumble on a great method for making yogurt without a yogurt maker!
I use my oven as an incubator. After heating the milk I put pour into a glass or ceramic bowl. Once it has cooled to the correct temperature I add the starter, place it in my oven, put a bath towel over the top and around the sides of the bowl, turn on the oven light to keep it warm and leave it for 12 hrs.
Hi Holly,
Yes, there are many ways to make yogurt without a yogurt maker. I have a friend who lived in Australia who would just wrap her yogurt in a towel and put it in the sun on her front porch. Others will wrap it in a heating blanket, or set it in a slow cooker on very low, or do as you do and put it in the oven with a light on. I like to use my yogurt maker because I like to make it in the individual glass jars that come with it, and because it is a no-brainer for me once I put it in and set the timer. I agree 100%, however, that a yogurt maker is not necessary. Whatever method you use, once you start making homemade yogurt, you will never go back to store bought!
I have been making wonderful yogurt for years without a yogurt maker. I have a huge kitchen, but refuse to add another single-use piece of equipment. The only exact temperature to worry about is the one which kills the culture – most ‘warm’ temps below this will allow it to culture nicely. I use a warmed oven, but a friend suggested a heat wrap (normally used for a sore neck) around the pot/bowl on the counter.
Hi Alison, you are exactly right you do not need a yogurt maker to make yogurt. I also understand your hesitation to purchase more equipment. Many people use their oven on very low, or even with just the light of the oven on. Another option is to use a slow cooker set on very low. Electric heat pads are also used and I have a friend who lived in Australia who just put a pot of yogurt out on her front step where it was nice and warm. That said, I like my yogurt maker for several reasons: 1) I make yogurt a lot, and it is easy for me to make a batch, put it in the yogurt maker, set the time and not think about it. 2) I like the little glass jars that come with it. They are the perfect size for a single serving of yogurt.
The important thing is to just make yogurt, whatever method you use. Homemade is so much better than store bought!
to begin with – if you are trying to make something good why would you start buy killing your milk in the microwave??? It boils the milk and by that makes it almost useless. Heat the milk in the double boiler up to 180F and after that cool it down as fast as possible to needed temperature. I use a couple of freezable bowls from ice cream maker. Second, you do not need any dry milk or any other processed items for a great yogurt. Use good whole organic milk and dry freeze yogurt starter(one time, after use a spoonful of yogurt from last batch). Yogourmet Freeze Dried Yogurt Starter works great. Next, if you want thicker yogurt – don’t make it in glass jars. Make it in the yogurt maker and after cooling overnight put it into the strainer (Euro Cuisine GY50 Greek Yogurt Maker works great) for a couple of hours. It will hold the spoon like a sour cream! Good luck!
Hi Eugene, Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Here are my thoughts on the very good points you bring up:
Using a Microwave: I use a microwave to start my yogurt for two reasons:
1) There are different schools of thought on whether or not microwaving kills nutrients. Check out these pro-microwaving articles from Harvard Harvard Medical School, this one from Web MD and this one from Your Medical Source. Likewise, there are plenty of other articles and studies that are against microwaving such as this article by Dr. Mercola. In the end you have to do your research and chose which side of the microwave equation you feel most comfortable with.
2) I use a microwave to start my yogurt because it is quick, easy and there is minimal cleanup required. My rationale is I’d rather make yogurt more often than less often and this method makes it easy for me to make yogurt regularly. When I heat milk on the stove the milk adheres to the sides of the pan and requires considerable scrubbing. Also, I know exactly how long my microwave takes to get the temperature up to 180 degrees. Therefore I can set the time on the microwave and not have to watch the pot.
Adding Powdered Milk: I agree you do not need to add powdered milk to get a thick yogurt. To get a thick greek-style yogurt you can strain your yogurt and get a wonderful result. Again my method is designed to simplify the process. Adding some high quality powdered milk significantly increases the thickness and creaminess of the yogurt and eliminates the extra step of straining the yogurt.
Starters: There are a lot of great starters on the market. You can use a spoonful of the yogurt from your last batch, a powdered yogurt starter or you can use a commercial yogurt, just look for a starter with lots of active live cultures.
Yogurt makers and glass jars: You do not need a yogurt maker to make yogurt. It can be made in a crock pot, in the oven, wrapped in a heating blanket or even by setting it outdoors in the sun. I personally like to use a yogurt maker as it is easy and I can program the time. I also like the individual glass containers as they provide good portion control and provide a grab-and-go snack.
All of these things are my personal preferences, developed after years of yogurt making. Ease and clean up are important to me, so long as the outcome is healthful. Your methods are fabulous and well thought out. In the end it all comes down to what works best for you. Thank you for sharing your process with SNFD readers as your method is a viable option to my method.
We have been making home make yogurt for 20 years using only a small Styrofoam cooler. We use pint and quart mason jars. We place a terrycloth towel in the cooler, set in the jars, wrap the towel over the jars, put the lid on the cooler and place it in a warm window for 12 hours. We frequently let it go 24 hours for a tangy yogurt with more active probiotics.
Thanks for sharing Danny. I like your method!
Cannot share this to FB… link is not active. 🙁
Hi Katy,
Please try again. The link should be active. https://somethingnewfordinner.com/recipe/basic-honey-yogurt/
I have an instant pot with a yogurt button however my favorite way to incubate is by using my food dehydrator. I have lactose intolerance and as long as I ferment 24 hours it doesn’t tear me up. I also use the same method to make cultured sour cream (whipping cream and plain greek yogurt for starter) and after I make the sour cream I can actually use it and make cultured butter and buttermilk. Wonderful for gut health.
I would add the honey after the yogurt, because if you cook the honey with the yogurt, all the probiotics will die as honey is a natural anti-bacterial…. Recommended by Dr. Davis.