It's Yogurt Time
A few months ago Paul and I were shopping at one of my least favorite stores, with blue signs...where you can get hummus, shoe laces, motor oil, yarn and Imodium AD all at the same time......you know.....When we were at the check out we saw a magazine of recipes for cooking in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. I mentioned that I had been reading several blog posts of people using this magic hat trick. That's all it took for Paul to turn the cart around and head for the small appliances isle and toss one in. Talk about an impulse buy!
Yogurt Photo to remind me that I really will come back to the topic!
We have a 'couple' rule that if we are out shopping and come across something we were really not searching for we should apply a wait time. If it is under 100 dollars that wait time might be just walking around the store with it in the cart. If it is over then that would be a 'leave the store and come back another time' situation. Well this was just under $100 so we were safe---cuz I hate having to break our own rules. And I don't regret the decision at all, in fact we now have a second pot.
But back to yogurt....
Cuz that's what I started talking about, right? SO many squirrels...
Yogurt is intimidating....until you try it. Then you wonder why you hesitated making it. Very little hands on time, super easy, no long list of ingredients, and a blank slate to adorn with a multitudes of toppings.
As with anything, it is important to know the basic process. There are several good articles to read about the process in general, the science, and tried and true recipes. I found many recipes that peaked my interest, but wanted to stick with something very basic and pure.
So here goes....
1. Sanitize your pot. With a cup or two of water, set on Manual for 3 minutes. Then do a quick release and let it cool! There is a specific reason you need to let the pot cool. If the pot is hot when you start it effects the timing for the boil process. Also if the pan is cooled there less of a chance of our milk scorching on the bottom.
2. In your cooled pan you pour in your milk. Told you this was difficult! I am showing the gallon recipe, but you can do a half gallon at a time if you want.
3. Next you press the Yogurt button, and Adjust. It will read BOIL, put the lid on it (this is not under pressure) and let it do it's thing. It is not a bad idea to come through and stir it every now and then. This process takes at least 40 minutes. You can use a wisk, I use my thermometer, works perfect and there is just one thing to keep sanitized. The target is 185 degrees. If your Boil cycle goes off and your tempeture is not up there yet you can either hit BOIL again, or do Sautee and stir every few minutes. If I get to 170 on Boil cycle it only takes about another 10 minutes on Sautee to bring up to 185. Then take the liner out and either cool on a hot pad, or set the pot down into a cool water bath, stir every now and then to help it cool entirely down and eliminate hot pockets. You want it down to 110 degrees,
........during this time you can have a pot of fruit on the stove top, remember that dusty appliance in your kitchen???? Here is a pot of blueberries with lemon zest , lemon juice, and a little sugar. I cook this down slowly and it gets nice and thick. Then I put it in a pint jar and let it cool over night.
4. Once your milk has gotten to 185 and then back down to 110 you add in your starter. For a gallon you use 2 rounded tablespoons of plain yogurt. I use Chiobani most often, use one without sugar and ingredients that says "Contains live cultures" not just "made from live cultures". Take a few large spoons of the cool milk out of the pot, blend your starter yogurt in with the milk until smooth, then stir well until incorporated entirely in the pot. Be careful not to scrape the bottom of the pot.
5. Once back in the pot you hit the Yogurt button again, hit adjust until it says 800, this is for an 8 hour incubation. Make sure it is on Normal not Less or More... Put the lid on it and forget about it. The timer will start at 0 and count up. You will be impatient, I do this while I sleep so I will not peek while it is doing it's thing.
6. The time is finally here, you can take the lid off! With sterilized utensils scoop out the yogurt into your strainer. I love, Love, LOVE the Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer. I have two because one only holds half a gallon. You will notive one is white and one is black. I got both on Amazon, and the black one has a stainless steel mesh, it seems a little sturdier to clean but both of them perform identically as far as straining. I scoop out the first half and the pour in the rest. Again, make sure you do not scrape the bottom.
7. I strain for 10 hours, this gives a nice thick greek yogurt. This strains in the fridge, and they stack nicely. Then I take the strainer out and flip it upside down into a bowl. I wisk it until smooth, adding in my sweetener and flavoring. I have found that 2/3 cup of honey and 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of vanilla bean paste makes a perfect yogurt to top with lightly sweetened fruits. It's simply marvelous!
THIS stuff is AHHH Maze ing!
Greek Yogurt
1 gallon milk, Whole milk or 2%
2 tablespoons starter yogurt, rounded
2/3 cup honey, to taste
3 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup, to taste
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Bean Paste, or 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Bring milk to 185 degrees on Boil cycle, cool to 110 degrees. Set aside a small amount of cooled milk to blend your starter in until smooth, add to your pot of cooled milk and mix very well, not scratching the bottom.
Incubate 8 hours, longer if you want it tart.
Strain in refrigerator 6-10 hours. Wisk until smooth and add your sweeteners and flavor. Top with fruit compotes or curds and refrigerate, or top with fresh fruit upon serving. Keeps for 2 weeks.
My favorite way to serve is in half pint jars, topped with various fruit compotes or curds. Pictured below is half blueberries and half lime curd.....one of our favorites!
