Of all the things I've done and tried for my job, I never thought that making homemade yogurt would be the hardest. I like yogurt as much as the next millennial, and it seemed like a fun and easy project from the recipes and guides that I researched, so I gamely took on the task as I did when making homemade cold brew and eating bugs.
I realize now that I must have seriously overestimated my kitchen prowess, because it took a whole week of mistakes and failed attempts to finally walk away with a batch of yogurt that actually looked and tasted like yogurt. Here's everything I did wrong (plus tips from an expert) so you don't have to fail like I did.
In theory, making yogurt is simple. All you need is milk and yogurt.
Audrey Bruno
Yes, you need yogurt to make yogurt. I know this sounds redundant, but it's like how you can't make sourdough bread unless you already have sourdough. You need bacteria to breed more bacteria. So if you buy yogurt once, you technically never need to buy it again.
In anticipation of this story, I read a lot of different homemade yogurt recipes and found that they all subscribe to the same basic formula: Heat milk just below boiling for 20ish minutes, cool it back down, stir in the yogurt, and let it sit undisturbed until it's ready.
Gemma Stafford, chef and blogger at Bigger Bolder Baking, tells SELF that unlike with baking, yogurt-making is a forgiving process. You don't need to use exact measurements, and you can add or subtract the amount of starter yogurt you use depending on your taste (more for a stronger flavor, less for a weaker flavor).
Yet somehow despite its forgiving nature, I messed up three batches before I got one right. Where did I go wrong?
The first mistake I made was adding the yogurt too soon.
If you add the yogurt too soon, like when the milk is still too hot, you'll accidentally kill the cultures. I know because I did that!
