Thick, Homemade, Creamy, Dreamy Yogurt
Description
Back in April of 2024, Mr. Stone Soup and I traveled to Austin to see the solar eclipse. On the way home, we stayed in Twentynine Palms, which is a little desert oasis not far from Joshua Tree National Park. We arrived late in the afternoon and enjoyed a spectacular sunset that tumbled lazily across a stark, but beautiful desert sky:
We stayed at the adorably quaint 29-Palms Inn:
The breakfast in the morning was simple: boiled eggs, homemade yogurt, homemade granola, local honey, fruit, assorted baked goods and strong coffee. I went for the kitsch and wanted to stay for the rest of the my life for the yogurt.
The homemade yogurt at the 29-Palms Inn was the stuff of dreams: thick, creamy, not too tart. I went back for seconds...and then for thirds. And on the spot, I decided that I was going to learn to make yogurt that was that damned good.
On the drive home, I remembered that I had an Instant Pot that I thought had a "yogurt" setting. My heart leapt with joy...until I remembered how much I hate Instant Pots.
I tried to make yogurt in my Instant Pot...several times. They were all, without exception, abject failures. If you've found a way to make it with an Instant Pot, well--you go! I can't in good faith recommend making yogurt in them.
I can, however, recommend the miracle machine that is the Luvele Yogurt Maker. It makes yogurt--that's it. And without exception, all my batches have come out thick, rich, creamy and DREAMY. It has a glass carafe for fermenting and keeps the yogurt mixture at a constant temperature in a water bath. I've heard from folks who have heat settings of 100* on their ovens that they can make yogurt this good, but my Wolf only goes down to 150*, so for me, the Luvele is brilliant, and I will never go back.
Plus, the Luvele makes the process SO EASY!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Add milk to a large sauce pan and heat to 180-185*. This will be just below boiling. I use an OXO candy thermometer that clips to the side of the pan for this process, which makes it easy to monitor.
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Once the milk has reached temperature, remove from heat and let cool to 104* (40* C). I cover the pan with a paper towel, or dish towel, just to keep any stray airborne bits from settling in the milk. The first time I made this recipe, it took forever for the milk to cool. I now use employ one of two methods--either filling a big ziplock with ice and setting the pan on it, stirring every once in a while or...
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I sit the pan on an ice sheet that I take out of my freezer. Either method works well--you will have to refill the ice bag and/or move the pan around on the ice mat as the ice melts.
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When the temperature starts to get close to 104* (40*C), keep a sharp eye, because the cooling will happen quickly at this point. At as close to 104* as you can, stir in the plain fresh yogurt and the powdered milk without aerating, if possible. The more air bubbles, the less creamy and dreamy the yogurt will be.
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Ladle or pour the milk mixture into the glass Luvele carafe. Make sure to place the rubber gripper around the carafe as it will be easier to manage.
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Fill the bottom of the Luvele yogurt maker with water and follow directions included with the machine.
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In about 8 hours, you will have the best yogurt you have ever put into your mouth.
