One day while out and about I picked up a copy of a book called “211 Things A Bright Girl Can Do” by Bunty Cutler. The book caught my eye for the wrong reason. I am half blind even with my contact lenses in so I mused aloud “Why are there only 21 things a clever girl can do? Surely there are more!” before a kind soul pointed out that the title said 211. Oops! I’m like your confused half blind friend-embarrassing!
I took it down and flicked through it and started chuckling straight away. There was “How to escape a vicious swarm of bees”, “How To Hide a File in a Cake” and “How to survive a plane crash” with tongue in cheek advice like “Survivors are the ones who don’t stop for family or friends. Just walk over all the other people, screaming loudly” along with actual sound advice. Then there is more practical advice such as “How to manage an umbrella in the wind” and “How to forecast the weather like your grandmother used to.”
In this book there are recipes and one in particular caught my eye. It was how to make yogurt using a thermos. I quickly read through it and saw that it only needed a few ingredients and no special equipment and would let me feed my yogurt addicted Mr NQN yogurt every day. Doing my sums, I figured I could make fresh yogurt for at least half the price of regular yogurt and even make it organic to boot!
All yogurts need a starter and instead of buying a special starter, all you need is a small 200g pot of natural yogurt as your starter (just make sure that it says that it has “live cultures” in it). You can continue to take one and a half tablespoons from this pot and can get at least 6-7 lots of yogurt from the one pot. Then, all you need is some milk, milk powder, a thermos or some jars and some time to create it. Once you mix and heat the three ingredients together you leave it for 7-12 hours and you end up with yogurt! The powdered milk is to give the yogurt a bit of body to it and I used an organic full cream milk (low fat milk is also ok but non fat is a challenge) and you can also use organic yogurt as your starter.
With my first lot I made an organic blueberry yogurt and I made about a half dozen batches straight afterwards and haven’t stopped since. It’s actually quite exciting waking up and seeing your yogurt ready made for you. For those who want a mild flavoured almost cheesecake type yogurt, you can make one by placing a lidded jar of the milk and yogurt in the oven so that it sets quickly within about three hours without developing the tangy yogurt taste.
So tell me Dear Reader, what is your favourite yogurt flavour? I love thick Greek yogurt with honey. And do you like making things from scratch?
Made From Scratch: Yogurt in a Thermos!
Preparation: 15 minutes
Method: overnight, but with no attention at all
The quantity below makes enough to fill a 500ml/1 pint thermos
- 1.5 cups of milk (UHT or fresh will do)
- 1/3 cup powdered milk
- 1.5 tablespoons natural yogurt with live cultures (this is your starter) I used a five:am organic vanilla yogurt which I adore
- You will also need a thermos or glass jars with lids and several tea towels or bath hand towels if the weather is cold where you are. The recipe for blueberry sauce follows below.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the thermos to give the milk a nice warm environment and to sterilise the thermos. To do this, put a kettleful of water onto boil and then pour the boiled water into the thermos and screw the lid on.
3. When the milk has reached the right temperature, whisk the yogurt into the milky mixture. Then empty out the water from the thermos (you can make a jug of iced tea with the water as it will still be very hot) and then add the milk and yogurt mixture to the thermos.
4. Screw on the lid tightly and then place in an area where it won’t be knocked or disturbed. Wrap it in two or three tea towels or bath hand towels to keep it warm and leave overnight (although during summer the ambient temperature keeps it warm). Sometimes it may even be ready as quickly as in 7 hours but in cold weather it can take up to 16 hours to reach a good consistency. To store, place in the fridge and eat plain or with honey or with your favourite fruit topping.
Yogurt In The Oven
5. If you can’t wait and want a quicker, cheesecake type of yogurt, make the milk and yogurt mix exactly as detailed above. Then instead of placing it in a thermos, preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F. While the oven is reaching temperature, preheat some 400ml (or thereabouts) glass jars with lids with the boiling water method above and then pour the water out and place the milk mixture inside and screw the lid on tightly. Turn the oven off and leave the jar/s in the warm but now turned off oven for 3-4 hours. The tart yogurt flavour won’t have fully developed (and you can leave it longer to fully develop) so it will be very mild and creamy but it will have set quite nicely and you can top it with the blueberry sauce for a delicious, less calorific dessert (also add some vanilla and some crushed cookie crumbs if you want, for the cheesecake experience).
Blueberry sauce
- 125g/4ozs blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar or to taste (depends on how sweet you want it and how tart the bluberries are)
- Make sure all of your jars and thermos are very clean and sterilised (instructions below).
- You need to use fresh yogurt with live cultures-natural yogurt with live culture should be easy enough to find, just read the label, most contain them. Make sure that the yogurt hasn’t expired as it may not work if the live cultures have died.
- You need it to reach 82°C/180°F to kill of any other bacteria that may compete with the bacteria we are using to create the yogurt.
- The longer the waiting process the more tart the yogurt will be. I found that the best results were after waiting 22-24 hours for the yogurt to set and that was lovely and tart and tasted exactly like the yogurt you get at the shops.
- If you get the clear yellow liquid, this is whey and is really good for your skin in a bath! It gives you very soft skin
We should add that to things that clever girls can do. - The yogurt should last about 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
- You can also use some yogurt from the batch that you made to make another batch of yogurt. However, use it within 5 days and be aware that there is a point where you can’t use it anymore, after about 4-5 times as the live cultures will also expire.
- If you don’t own a thermos you can put it in a sterilised jar or glass with a screw top lid-I baked a cake and while the oven was cooling, I placed the yogurt in a glass jars in the oven once it reached 150°C/300°F and let it set in the oven as it cooled down. It only took a few hours for it to set (but keep it in there longer if you want a tarter, more traditional yogurty flavour) and it was absolutely delicious. The tight lid is important and this really works best with jam jar sized quantities rather than large pyrex casserole dish quantities (also the lid doesn’t screw on tight and that seems to really help speed up the process).
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93 Comments | Add your own
What a beautiful thermos! And a cracking way to make yogurt. I’m addicted. My absolute favourite is sheep yogurt with rhubarb and hazelnuts. Bliss.
Mmmmm! I was looking forward to this post. Yes, making yoghurt is definately a clever thing to do. It saves money yay! And tastes good! I just had some of my home made yoghurt for breakfast:)
You write that the culture will die after 4-5 batches. Did you test this? I ask as I have been making my own yoghurt since…September or so and I have only used 2 different cultures (as in I’ve always used a scoop of my previous yoghurt batch as my culture) My first one only died because I went on holiday and no one at home made more yoghurt to keep it going (I even wrote instructions!). So it sat in the fridge and died:( I felt so sorry for it as we had become very attached. You make yours differently to me, but that wouldn’t change the composition of the culture. I’m interested to know:)
A very original way of making yogurt.
Cheers,
Rosa
I have never made yoghurt, but it seems like a good idea. I get the most delicious lemon yoghurt here in Italy. I dream about it when I am not here.
We’ve made our own yoghurt for nearly a decade – so easy to do with UHT milk as you don’t have to heat it to sterilise, just make sure it’s at room temp. We use the Easiyo thermos because it lets us make a full litre each time, but it’s nowhere near as pretty as yours!
I have been wanting to make my own yoghurt for ages now! This page is bookmarked. I love honey as well with mine
Oh I am sure that you could write a book for clever girls with more than 211 tips. Lovely looking blueberry yogurt. I used to make my own all the time, but I like mine a bit thicker so I used to pop it into a strainer lined with muslin for a few hours.
well done – I have just started making milk Kefir – yoghurt with a real health kick
That is really clever and with the blubberies through the yoghurt like that I wish I had some of it now for my breakfast…yum!
how very impressive!!!
I love vanilla yoghurt!
Clever girl! I love the idea of a thermos–but I liked the other articles just much. LOL.
I used to make yogurt all the time, but haven’t in years. I tend to like plain yogurt, but if it is flavored, let me have the glorious chestnut or currant yogurt from France or pistachio from Morocco. Yum.
Very clever indeed. I love yoghurt will have to try it.
What a great idea. I don’t eat a lot of yoghurt myself but I do like to use it in baking. I do like making things from scratch if I can but more often than not I end up buying alternatives eg pastry, bread, pasta.
I want that book, It sounds like fun!
I make a lot of yogurt for home and it’s definitely very satisfying indeed
Oops, I forgot to say, have you tried making coffee infused yogurt yet? Oh so good!
Will definitely give this a go.
Passionfruit yoghurt is my weakness.
Love your yogurt picture, but the best part is how to survive an airplane crash. I remember when I was a teenager, something was wrong with the car, and I nearly knocked grandmother out jumping out of the car first. I hope I’m better than that now.
Hi Lorraine!
Omg, I read this an just had to comment. I’ve tried those yoghurt making things that you buy in KMart and the like, and they always felt a bit artificial…and sloppy. So I can’t wait to try this version, te pics look amazing and it will be better for me than chocolate ganache
Linda…xx
–Dear Lorraine,
Here’s my important question: What do you Not Do?
This must be one of your blogs, please….
You, my dear, are Martha Stewart without the bitchy attitude! You give us everything…but we want more… for example,
to know what you cannot do!! Haa
Thanks for making your readers feel as if we can do this stuff, too!! xx Kiss from Minnesota.
Never mind the yogurt! Where can I get your thermos?
I can’t go past Greek yogurt with walnuts, figs and cinnamon.
Hi Tori and Mary
The thermos is a V&A (Victoria and Albert museum) collection thermos. I bought it at Borders but I think that it is still available on some stores online!
I love making our own yoghurt and have done it for years. It is so much cheaper when feeding a family & I’m much happier knowing what went into it.
This is just like Celia’s recipe for Greek yoghurt but I make it in the yoghurt maker so you don’t even have to heat it. It’s delicious isn’t it!
I worked out that if you use cheapo ingredients it’s just $1.30 per liter.
My favourite is Greek yoghurt sweetened with honey too.
I make my own yogurt all the time but I don’t own one of those snazzy thermos bottles. I use a lot of yogurt in cooking so plain is how I keep mine and add things to it when I want some to eat.
I shouldn’t admit that I use way too much of it in ice cream.
Great post,was looking for a yoghurt recipe as didnt want additives ie sugars in the product,this recipe ticks all the boxes,thanks Lorraine youve done it again!!!!
First I want to make my own ricotta cheese how you taught us, and then I’ll try making yoghurt. My mum used to make it herself but without powdered milk, so it was a bit too watery for me. I like yoghurt really thick.
Can the same recipe be used using soy milk?
I use a huge amount of yogurt both to eat and for cooking. And I have made my own, in a thermos, since day dot
! OK, I ‘cheat’ and use packets of New Zealand ‘EasiYo’ mix and their thermos/yogurt jar cheaply available. My current setup must be 7-8 years old! One Kilo comes out at just over $3.00, many flavours and live culture combos are available, but I usually settle for low-fat/no fat plain, so I can use it in a variety of ways. Marvellous 
!
I’ve been making yogurt for so many years having learned from my mother. I usually make 4 litres of yogurt that lasts us about 1½ weeks. I always use good quality fresh milk and fresh live culture.
It’s so much better to make your own yogurt because it’s pure and without artificial thickeners, flavours and colour. Then add your own fresh fruit when eating it.
Natural is the best!
Its actually easier than I thought. I’d always wanted to make my own yoghurt with crazy combos. Need to try this! Thanks Lorraine
Hi Di-I’m not sure to be completely honest. I’ve never tried it before!
my mom used to do this at home! but back then i wasnt a fan of yogurt, and no one else in the house was too so i think thats why she stopped (we would get the live yogurt from our old neighbour)
I haven’t made homemade yogurt since … well a very, very long time. It was all the rage once upon a time. Sounds like it’s time again. I also have to get that book. Thanks for this post!.. as always, and i agree with that comment.. what can’t you do?
I’ve always wanted to try making yoghurt without a yoghurt maker! My favourite yoghurts are the blueberry and pomegranate one from Jalna and the plain one from Vaalia (I’ve tried so many gourmet brands and still love the Vaalia one best >.<)
Thank you Lorraine!
My sister made yoghurt this way in the 70s but she was a decade older than me so it was all a mystery…until now.
Your fave is mine also: greek yoghurt with honey, pot set, yummmmmm
Great recipe. My parents never bought yogurt. I need to do the same. I wonder why its 211, not a round number like 200, 210 etc.
I love Yogurt and have been making my own for some time there are a number of houses in our street that do it every week make pots of it my favorite way to eat it is in a smoothy or made into ice-cream
i am real big on foods that are natural and additive free the favorite flavor would have to be mango at the moment i like to use fruit that is in season in winter its apples and cinnamon or what ever i fancy at the time fresh is best ,
You’re too clever Lorraine and unstoppable when it comes to trying out new things!
My younger , turned-vegetarian brother makes his own yoghurt and always has a jar of it sitting in the fridge. I love the thick Greek style yoghurts and love having it savoury with pomegranate, lime juice, a little ground cummin, pinch of sea salt and small diced lebanese cucumbers to serve with Moroccan lamb Cutlets and vegetable cous cous which coincidently was dinner last night.
For sweet yoghurts, I love passionfruit and blueberry.
One word. Awesome!
Who would have thought a thermos would have come in so handy.
Brilliant!….you have taken all the mystery out of Yoghurt making! Thanks Lorraine!
I made it once after having purchased all the equipment and the mysterious packet of powder. Now that I know what to do this seems an easier method without having to shop for the powder.
This is going to be 211 plus 1 achievements for me.
omg! On reflection.. do hope it’s a bit more than that.
Susie Q
What a pretty thermos. That book sounds like the perfect stocking filler (for bright girls only though). We go through so much yoghurt around here we really must start making our own. I do like to make things from scratch and I’m so pleased with myself when I do – it makes me feel quite industrious.
How cute is your thermos!
Years ago I used an Easiyo yoghurt maker, but that uses packet stuff. I love this recipe, and your blueberry yoghurt looks delicious!
I make yoghurt in an easiyo with just powdered nonfat milk. Yummy. I love it in the morning with my homemade granola.
I am making this when I get on home!!!
Bugger me is it really that easy to make this?
My fave is Greek yogurt, too. With a bit of fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey and a handful of granola, it’s welcome at any hour of the day.
Ahh so much nicer than some of the store bought yoghurts (I’m sorry, gelatine has no place in yoghurt thank you!). I really should get my act together and make some – this looks nice and easy. I love Greek yoghurt and use it all the time, often in place of sour cream in recipes and on top of chilli or swirled through a curry.
Luscious Yogurt …
And absolutely gorgeous Thermos Lorraine.
That book sound interesting, I think I should check out at amazon.
I must be pretty lazy as making own yogurt seems a lot of work. =P I think it’ll change our mind if I make it from scratch. I’ve been buying store bought yogurt and I always complain how sweet it is. I usually buy non-fat yogurt and add my favorite blueberry jam in it along with blueberries or other berries. With one more step of making yogurt, I can say I make from scratch….
p.s. Love your thermo!
Dear Lorraine,
Hats off to you for doing this from scratch when it’s so easy off the shelves. The recipe looks a lot easier than I thought. Well done!
Hi Lorraine. The yogurt looks beautiful especially with the blueberries at the bottom of the jar!
I make my yogurt from time to time. Ever since I’ve tried making my own yogurt, I’m addicted to it! I love having it greek style with honey like you..sometimes, I like to have it with granola and nuts. =)
What a genius method of making yogurt in a thermos!!
I made yogurt so very often — it’s so easy and delicious
I saw an episode of River Cottage a month or so ago where Hugh made his own yoghurt using this method. It really is ingenious. It’s been on my list of things to try.
I love how you’ve served it with that blueberry sauce. So delicious!
I love Greek yoghurt with honey too. My favourite was Tamar Valley yoghurt with honey but I can’t seem to find that in the stores anymore (they seem to only do the flavoured ones now). I guess I’ll have to make my own. Thanks for the reminder
There are lots of things i love about this post …
1) the stunning contrast of deep purple/red and soft cream in your first photograph
2) the pretty thermos you have (trust you)
3) the fact the thermos is wrapped in towels to keep warm (like a baby, adorable)
4) and the fact that you can wake up to fresh yogurt in the morning
I am definitely going to try this one out … blueberry yogurt is totally my favourite.
Thanks for sharing!
I love mixed berry yogurt!
A great book by the sounds of it. I am sure you will come up with something else from there wont you?. Home made yoghurt is a very satisfying thing to make.
You make it sound so easy, it is tempting to give it a go. I became addicted to cherry yoghurt when I was living in Germany as a teen. I had it everyday for breakfast.
I miss the flavour of Oikos in America that had a layer of dulce de leche-like caramel at the bottom…
This is seriously cool!
Too much work. just buy an Easi yo from Coles and the sachets. No saucepans,thermometers etc. youhurt tastes great,especially the Greek and its also cheap.
Sounds fun. But why is it called making-your-own-yoghurt when the main ingredient is… yoghurt?
HI Patti-you can also buy a starter but buying a tub of yogurt is much easier to get a hold of!
Waw! That’s quite impressive: home-made yoghurt! The endresult looks fantastic, Lorraine!
A must try recipe!
Waw! That’s quite impressive: home-made yoghurt! The endresult looks fantastic, Lorraine!
A must try recipe! MMMMM,…!
WOW! I really never thought it was so easy to make yoghurt! I seriously eat yoghurt like it’s water lol i have it on a daily basis, morning day and night! so i’m definitely saving this posts and going to try and make some when I get home
If it’s going to be so much cheaper! My favourite yoghurt is blueberry
Perfect because you included the recipe for the sauce!
Thanks Lorraine ~
Greek yogurt with honey is my favorite too. I love making things from scratch although I am usually not consistent in the long run. I have made my own butter, ketchup and cream cheese so far.
I had a yoghurt maker but gave it to my mom as I was not eating yoghurt everyday! Since then I have found great organic yoghurt and am back to buying it a few times a week
cool jogurt!
while reading through your article I remembered that my mum used to make home made jogurt, realy long ago. I have to ask her again because I remember her having some machine or somthing.
Lovely idea with the thermos, feel like going out and getting one to try your recipe out.
I am wondering though, if I could make that in a tropical humid climate. I am not sure…
I’ve been meaning to try making yogurt at home. Love the thermos idea. Right now I’m in love with the Chobani Lemon Greek Yogurt. xoxo Mum
I’ve been toying with the idea of buying a yogurt maker, Lorraine…I think you just saved me about $50! I’ve always wondered what gave other home made yogurts the body and voilà it’s powdered milk. I am going to try making this on the weekend. Thanks
That is so cool! I love plain yogurt with lots of berries. I could eat it everyday.
Goodness how did i miss this post! I love yoghurt, I have to have it everyday.
My fav, is super thick and tangy greek yoghurt, with fruit and nuts.
I remember that in some point my live my mother started to make yogurt at home (maybe when our country was on a military government…so common in Latin America), but I never asked how she made it, in fact, I forgot it until I saw your post.
I like “lucuma” yogurt, don’t know the name of that fruit in English, but it’s very common in Peru. Is is green outside and orange inside, with big seed…well, that is my favorite one.
Yum! Looks amazing. I must try this ASAP. I love making things from scratch and yes, thick Greek yoghurt is fantastico…I am currently addicted to Jalna Greek yoghurt which I buy in 2kg tubs so really should make my own! Love it with fruit too – have you tried the Gippsland Yoghurt with Mango and Blood Orange? Mmmmmmm
I absolutely have to try the oven method! It must be great to have your yogurt and tailor it specifcally to your tastes!
What a cool idea – I love it!
how clever and what a gorgeous thermos – I love yoghurt but go on and off it – though I love that this has no gelatine in it – one of my pet hates about yoghurt in Australia
the blueberry sauce clinches this one for me–what a beautiful contrast! meanwhile, i’ve never heard the name ‘bunty’ but i like it!
Great post, I definitely want to make my own (lactose free!) yoghurt
Lorraine, this yogurt looks phenomenally thick and creamy and I love the slightly off-white color – and that you show how to make it in two easy ways! I have featured this post in today’s Friday Food Fetish roundup. Let me know if you have any objections and thanks as ever for the inspiration…
this is awesome going to try looks like fun
Great recipe. I’ve found slow cooker recipes that work much the same way but they make ‘way too big a batch for the two of us. This looks just right. I’m looking forward to trying it.
What a cute idea! I make my own yogurt a gallon at a time– and often strain it to make Greek yogurt. I use the crockpot to heat the milk (no burning) and then incubate it in a warmed oven for about 8-9 hours. I’ve only had it flop once.
p.s. I used to use dried milk, but don’t anymore. I don’t think you really need it, especially if you want to strain it to make it even thicker
Hi Rebekah-That’s great to know that you don’t need the dried milk. I just always used it since I bought such a big bag of it!
I enjoy making things from scratch, most of the time. I would love this yogurt challenge. Yours looks so silky smooth! Beautiful job, Lorraine!
The best yoghourt I ever ate was in former Yugoslavia. I would really like to make yoghourt from coconut milk.
Hi Lorraine – I tried this twice using the oven method but had no luck in getting the nice, thick consistency. Did a bit of googling and found a recommendation that said to put the yoghurt into a rice cooker on “warm” to set. Voila!! Perfect thick yummy yoghurt after 3hrs. I just put the milk + milk powder straight into the jars, heated over a double boiler and cooled in a sink of cold water before adding greek yoghurt as a starter. Hope this helps anyone who had the same problem as me
Hi Danielle-Oh that’s a great idea using the rice cooker. I wonder why it didn’t work in the oven though? Ah well, it sounds like you found yourself an excellent method! Thanks for sharing it
Brings back memories of my (very Eastern European)childhood, with my mum in the kitchen making home made yoghurt. Now that i have twins, i think i’ll restart this tradition. Great recipe – love the blueberry sauce!
Just made my first batch using the oven method, what a great way of making your own yoghurt. Tate was fantastic.
Hello, I’m so happy I saw this post a few weeks ago.
(I’ve always wanted to try making yoghurt but the prices of those sachet things you buy to make it in those big containers have always put me off.)
I had to wait a few weeks to try making the yoghurt as I had to order a digital thermometer, but it is definitely worth the wait.
I made two batches of yoghurt yesterday and it turned out beautifully. I have just finished one of the small jam jars I made it in and – I kid you not – a small tear escaped my eye. To have made something so delicious with very little effort … quite an emotional moment.
So thank you very very much for posting this.
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