Powdered Milk Yogurt Recipes

Steps:

• Start by cleaning and sterilizing all your equipment and tools as well as your work surface. Most utensils and storage containers can be sanitized in the dishwasher (some machines have a sanitize setting). Alternatively, sterilize everything in boiling water.
• Prepare an ice bath, filling a large bowl or sink with ice.
• Attach a candy thermometer to a heavy, large pot and add the milk. Place the pot over moderate heat and heat the milk until it reaches at least 180°F or boils, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming and making sure the milk doesn't scald or boil over. Alternatively, place the milk in a large microwave-safe bowl or a large glass measuring cup with a spout (for easy pouring) and microwave it in 2- to 3-minute intervals, until it reaches 180° or boils.
• Remove the milk from the heat and allow it to cool to 110°F to 115°F. To speed the cooling process, place the pot in the prepared ice bath and stir the milk occasionally. (If the milk temperature drops too low, return it to the heat.)
• If using yogurt as a starter culture: In a small bowl, combine about 1 cup warm milk with the yogurt and stir to combine. Add the yogurt-milk mixture to the remaining warm milk and stir until completely incorporated. Do not stir vigorously.
• If using a powdered yogurt culture: Follow the manufacturer's instructions and add the specified amount of powdered culture to the warm milk; whisk until completely incorporated. Do not stir vigorously.
• Pour or ladle the mixture into the yogurt maker containers or another incubator (if using a thermos, first warm the inside with hot tap water) and incubate between 110°F and 115°F for 5 to 10 hours, depending on the desired flavor and consistency-longer incubation periods produces thicker, more tart yogurt. Do not disturb the yogurt during incubation.
• Cover the yogurt and refrigerate until cold, 2 to 3 hours. (If you used a thermos to incubate, transfer the finished yogurt to a non-insulated container for chilling so the temperature will drop.) Stir any flavorings into the yogurt just before serving. (For thicker, Greek-style yogurt, after incubation, spoon the yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl and let it drain, covered in the refrigerator, for at least 1 hour or overnight. Discard the whey that drains out of the yogurt or reserve it for another use.)
• Yogurt can be stored in the refrigerator, in covered glass, ceramic, or plastic containers, for up to 2 weeks, but the flavor will be the best during the first week. As yogurt ages, it becomes more tart. If more whey separates out of the yogurt, just stir it back in before serving.

Steps:

• Rub an ice cube over the inside bottom of a heavy pot to prevent scorching (or rinse the inside of the pot with cold water). Add milk and cream, if using, and bring to a bare simmer, until bubbles form around the edges, 180 to 200 degrees. Stir the milk occasionally as it heats.
• Remove pot from heat and let cool until it feels pleasantly warm when you stick your pinkie in the milk for 10 seconds, 110 to 120 degrees. (If you think you'll need to use the pot for something else, transfer the milk to a glass or ceramic bowl, or else you can let it sit in the pot.) If you're in a hurry, you can fill your sink with ice water and let the pot of milk cool in the ice bath, stirring the milk frequently so it cools evenly.
• Transfer 1/2 cup of warm milk to a small bowl and whisk in yogurt until smooth. Stir yogurt-milk mixture back into remaining pot of warm milk. Cover pot with a large lid. Keep pot warm by wrapping it in a large towel, or setting it on a heating pad, or moving to a warm place, such as your oven with the oven light turned on. Or just set it on top of your refrigerator, which tends to be both warm and out of the way.
• Let yogurt sit for 6 to 12 hours, until the yogurt is thick and tangy; the longer it sits, the thicker and tangier it will become. (I usually let it sit for the full 12 hours.) Transfer the pot to the refrigerator and chill for at least another 4 hours; it will continue to thicken as it chills.

Steps:

• Combine the warm water with the powdered milk and place in a medium saucepan. (I sometimes blend some of the water with the powdered milk in my electric blender to make it smooth or use an emulsion blender.)
• (You could add 1/3 C sugar and 1 T vanilla extract at this point for vanilla yogurt. Try other flavorings too.).
• Heat the milk mixture to 180 degrees or until small bubbles form on the side of the pan and the milk begins to rise up (about 5 minutes.).
• Pour the scalded milk into a pitcher and allow to cool to 100 degrees (about 50 minutes). About half-way through the cooling time, remove your yogurt from the refrigerator and allow to set out or it will shock the starter. When the milk mixture has cooled to 100 degrees, stir in the yogurt starter (Dannon yogurt).
• Pour the yogurt into a clean quart canning jar and cover with the lid. Wrap the jar in a towel or blanket and place in a styrofoam cooler or haybox. Be sure it is wrapped tight without any room for air to circulate around the jars. Pack it snug. Let the yogurt incubate in the box for 9 hours.
• Remove the jars from the hay box and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
• Note: You can add a couple T of your favorite fruit jam in the bottom of the glass jars before pouring the unset yogurt mixture into the jars.
• Save a bit of the yogurt from this batch to use as the starter for your next batch - so you don't have to buy the Dannon Yogurt again. Well, at least not for a while. Eventually you might want to start with a fresh starter as the taste will get stronger with each batch (about every third or fourth time).
• You can buy a large container of Dannon Yogurt and freeze the unused portion in icecube trays to use for later yogurt batches.
• Chill.

Steps:

• Combine milk and powdered milk in crockpot set on high; heat until temperature reaches 200 degrees F. (A small sauce pan can be used, however watch carefully that the milk does not burn.).
• Allow milk to cool until it is warm, not hot (110 degrees F).
• Add the plain yogurt and stir well.
• Fill thermos with hot water.
• Drain hot water from wide-mouthed thermos and fill with yogurt mixture.
• Cap and set aside for 4 to 8 hours.
• The longer the yogurt sets the sharper the flavor.
• Store in the refrigerator; the yogurt will continue to thicken.
• Sweeten with fruit or honey.