Homemade Greek Yogurt!

Anyone who buys Greek yogurt knows that it's an investment. You either pay $1.50 for a single serving, or you pay $5 to $6 for a container that "Serves 4." So a few months ago, I decided to look into the process of making my own Greek yogurt, because I knew it had to be cheaper than buying it. I know making yogurt sounds like one of those temperamental things that involves a lot of gadgets and intricate steps, but I assure you it's not! The only items that you will need and possibly don't already have are: a thermometer and straining material (cheese cloth, yogurt bag, t-shirt, coffee filters, etc.). I bought this reusable cotton cheese bag from Amazon for $8, and have been using it for months.

I fused a number of different methods together into one "recipe," but listed below are a few of the websites I read for my first yogurt trials:

Answers to Questions About Yogurt-Making
Stove-top Recipe by Tracey's Culinary Adventures
Crock Pot Recipe by The Little Red House

Ingredients:

- Gallon of milk (or half-gallon if you want less yogurt)
- Starter yogurt: Either a single serving size of plain, Greek yogurt (make sure it lists live and active cultures as an ingredient)- 0%, 2%, etc., or if you're making yogurt for a 2nd time, an equivalent amount of your previous batch of fresh yogurt

Instructions:

1. Pour milk into a large pot and heat on stove-top until it reaches 180 degrees - stirring constantly.  If you don't stir the milk constantly, it will burn and I can only imagine that's gross.
*Warning: this step takes about 20 minutes, so I usually turn on music or watch an episode of Cheers on my phone. I've heard of people using a double boiler or a crock pot to heat the milk so that it requires less stirring, but I haven't tried either of these methods.

2. Once the milk reaches 180 degrees, remove it from the heat and let it cool to about 110 degrees. I usually put the pot of milk in a sink of cold water- it takes about 5-10 minutes to cool.

3. While the milk is cooling, pull the starter yogurt out of the fridge. You don't want the yogurt to be too cold when you add it to the milk, because it will cool the milk down.

4. Once the milk reaches 110 degrees, pour about a cup of it into a separate container and add the starter yogurt, stirring until the yogurt is dispersed in the milk.

5. Pour the milk/yogurt mixture back into the pot of milk and stir well.

Step 4: Mix starter yogurt into a cup of milk

Step 5: Pour mixture into pot and stir

6. If you have an oven that goes as low as 100 degrees, set your oven to 100 degrees and put the pot in the oven for 6-8 hours. If your oven does not go this low (like mine), this step involves a bit of creativity. The goal is to keep the yogurt at approximately 100 degrees for 6-8 hours, so however you can achieve that is great. Here is what I do:
- Cover the pot with a lid, and wrap the pot in a blanket/towel.
- Cover the pot with an insulated grocery bag
- Place the grocerybagpot in an insulated cooler bag and zip it closed.

7. Wait 6-8 hours (the longer you wait, the tangier the yogurt), and try not to disturb the yogurt during this time. The bacteria are multiplying and like to be left alone.

8. After 6-8 hours, you will have a full pot of yogurt! If you do not want Greek yogurt, you are good to go at this point. If you do want Greek yogurt, you will need to strain off some of the whey so that you are left with a thicker, more concentrated yogurt.

Yogurt before straining

 9. For Greek yogurt: scoop/pour the yogurt into your straining cloth and let it strain in the fridge for a few hours (I usually set it up to strain while I'm at work so I'm not tempted to check on it all day long).

10. Pour off the strained whey, scrape the yogurt into a bowl, whisk to remove any possible lumps, and you're done!

Deliciously smooth and thick Greek yogurt!

If you don't have cheese cloth or a cheese bag, here are a few household options for straining your yogurt: thin/clean t-shirt, thin/smooth dish towel, high quality paper towels, or coffee filters. However, if you plan on making yogurt frequently, it's completely worth investing in a straining bag!

Ghiradelli-Level Gluten Free Brownies

After a 6 month hiatus, I'm back! In that time, I discovered something sad... I am probably gluten intolerant. I say probably because it's hard to really know whether a person is gluten intolerant or not since there are varying degrees of intolerance and it doesn't always show on an allergy test. However, I do know that most of my issues have resolved after reducing my gluten intake, so it's worth pursuing. That said, I still plan on making both glutenous and non-glutenous recipes... mostly because I love food too much not to, but also because I'm not technically allergic... right?

This brownie recipe is unique because it's a gluten free recipe, but it's actually WAY better than any gluten brownie recipe I've tried. Maybe I just haven't tried the right recipes, but achieving perfect homemade brownies has always been tricky for me. I also have a very high standard for brownies, namely Ghiradelli's Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix. Judge me for loving boxed brownie mix if you will, but I will not change my mind. I love Ghiradelli brownies and I stand by this recipe. The only problem is that most people don't have GF flour in their pantry, so I'll have to experiment to see if they can be made just as well with wheat flour.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dutch-process cocoa or baking cocoa
3 large eggs
3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
* I used Bob's Red Mill GF flour, but the recipe calls for King Arthur GF flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips and/or 1 cup chopped nuts - optional
* I didn't add these because I didn't have any on hand

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease an 8" square pan
2. Place the sugar, butter, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl or saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts and the mixture lightens in color
   * This step helps melt the sugar, which will give the brownies a shiny crust
3. If you've heated the sugar and butter in a saucepan, transfer the mixture to a bowl
4. In the bowl containing the sugar-butter mixture, blend in the vanilla and cocoa until incorporated
5. Add the eggs and mix until shiny
6. Blend in the GF flour and the baking powder
7. If adding chocolate chips and/or nuts, stir into batter
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading to the edges
9. Bake the brownies for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is set
   * I baked mine for 30 minutes, but I prefer my brownies gooey-solid
10. Remove pan from the oven and place on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before cutting
11. Enjoy!

This may have been my breakfast this morning...