Single serving plain yogurt

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

What has happened to single serving containers of plain yogurt? I can only find single servings that are sweetened and have fruit of flavorings. We like to make our own but need to start with a fresh culture every now and then. We now seem to be backed into buying a quart.

[MiikeB]

Mind explaining how you make your own?

[Aleta]

I buy the plain in the larger (quart) but I put it into smaller containers as I need it. I also add my own fruit or I sweeten and flavor it up with vanilla extract and honey.

[whitestripe]

here we have plain yoghurt but only in two brands. that is all i ever buy - the others have sugar and thickeners etc.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Miike B---Making yogurt.

1. Warm milk to 170-180F. Use a thermometer if you like, or judge temp roughly by foam having slowing gathered on top of milk, but not active bubbles of boiling.

2. Cool milk to 100-110 degrees. Err on the side of too cool if you have no thermometer.

3. Stir in a little store bought yogurt. Say, about three tablespoons to a quart of warmed milk.

4. Set aside the warmed milk with its yogurt starter stirred in where you can keep it somewhat warm for the next 4-10 hours.

5. Put away in refrigerator when it has thickened after that time.

Notes.

The yogurt you use from the store must say on the ingredients that it has "active cultures" or "live cultures," but I have not seen one for sale in the US that did not say this.

Don't add yogurt to milk while it is above110F because you will kill the live bacteria that will be creating the yogurt.

Instead of stirring in yogurt as a starter, you can purchase powdered yogurt cultures. Internet is the only way I know to buy it.

Yogurt is the result of living bacteria. That is why you need to keep it warm. Keep a lid closed over it while it is kept warm so that other bacteria does not drift into it, or it will spoil. When you warmed the milk to 170F-180F, you killed other germs already in the milk.

To keep it warm, I used to set the lidded pan on top of a couple sections of newspaper and then wrap it in several towels, all for insulation. If you have a pilot light in your oven, that is a good place to keep it warm. In summer, you can just set it outdoors. Some years ago, my husband bought me an electric yogurt warmer, so now I can make yogurt even in winter with no trouble.

Before you put away your "done" yogurt, scoop off three tablespoons for starting you next batch. Keep it refrigerated till needed. I separate it so that I have starter yogurt whose lid has remained closed until I need it so that other bacteria are less likely to have gotten into it.

There are lots of internet sites where you can read more about making yogurt.

[PrincessPerky]

Yeah, my husband used to take a plain to work every day but now we have to buy a quart, which isn't so bad since EL, and the other kids eat it, prolly good to make us split it up and save our pennies each day. (yes I tried to make it not it didn't work very often)