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Organic Raw Milk Yogurt | Caroline@BareFoodAngel.com |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 1quart | 10minutes |
| Passive Time |
| 8-10hours |
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- 1quart raw whole milkunpasteurized un-homogenized. For a thicker product substitute 1 pint fresh cream and 1 pint fresh milk. (Sources of Raw Milk: Organic Pastures sold at Lassens (Thousand Oaks), Sprouts (Woodlands Hills and Thousand Oaks)
- 2tbsp kefir starterby Body Ecology or Mercola or Bulgarian or Greek starter
- 2tbsp plain organic whole yogurtfrom a previous batch, or 2 tbsp organic, plain, whole fat, unsweetened, additive free yogurt with culture. Strauss brand or Trader Joe’s Organic european style
- Heat milk in a saucepan over a medium-low flame until it reaches about 110° Fahrenheit / 43º Celsius.
- Remove from heat and whisk in 2 Tbs. starter culture such as Kefir starter from BodyEcology, Bulgarian or Greek starter, and/or use 2 Tbs. yogurt from a previous batch to inoculate the raw milk.
- If you are using the oven light from your existing oven, place mason jar full of milk and starter and/or pre-made yogurt in the oven.
- Cover the jar(s) with towels to allow incubation and allow the jars to stay in the oven between 12 hours to 24 hours. The longer you leave it to incubate, the more sour the yogurt seems to get, which some prefer.
- If you’re using a yogurt maker, simply pour the mixture of fresh milk and starter into the yogurt maker and culture it according to the manufacturer’s instructions for about eight to twelve hours.
- If you’re using a food dehydrator, first pour the mixture of starter and raw milk into a 1-quart glass mason jar and cover it with a lid.
- If you’re using a slow cooker or cooler, place the mason jar full of milk and starter in the center of your slow cooker or cooler and pour warm water (approximately 110° Fahrenheit, 43º Celsius) into your the ceramic insert or until it reaches just below the lid of your mason jar.
- Cover with a warm towel for added insulation and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen to culture for eight to twelve hours.
- If you’re using a food dehydrator, simply place the mason jar full of starter culture and milk into the food dehydrator, set the temperature to 110° Fahrenheit / 43º Celsius and allow it to culture for eight to twelve hours.
- Once the culturing period of eight to twelve hours is complete (you can leave in oven between 8-24 hours), remove your still warm raw milk yogurt from the oven, yogurt maker, slow cooker, cooler, or dehydrator and place it in the refrigerator to chill and solidify for an hour or two.
- Serve plain as a sauce, combined with fresh fruit or nuts, or sweeten it, if desired, with a touch of honey or maple syrup.
Equipment: -Oven light in your existing oven (inexpensive and effective) - Yogurt Maker or a slow cooker, or a cooler and 1 quart mason jar, or a food dehydrator and a 1 quart mason jar. NOTES: Raw milk yogurt has a tendency to be runny. This is normal and is caused by the action of temperature-sensitive enzymes present in raw milk that would otherwise be killed by heat. If liquid-like consistency is unappealing to you, consider substituting part of the milk for fresh cream, or straining the yogurt through a fine butter muslin available from most cheese-making suppliers. Furthermore, due the natural presence of beneficial bacteria in raw milk which are likely to eventually out-populate the strains in your desired starter, your yogurt starter will degrade over time. For this reason, it is necessary to maintain a pure seed starter, or to be mindful of the desired quality of your yogurt and to purchase new starters to periodically refresh your old starter. This is generally not necessary when making yogurt from boiled milk.