While not required, this step will save you time, and ensure consistent results every time out. Further, it prevents you from scalding the milk, which will ruin your yogurt.
- Place larger pot in sink
- Place smaller pot inside it
- Fill larger pot until water line goes about half way up the side of smaller pot
You could probably skip this step, but since you need to bring your water to a boil anyway, it removes any possibility of contamination.
- Place your thermometer and spoon in the large pot of water
- Place smaller pot upside down over larger pot
- Heat water until boiling
If you do not have a set of pots that fit inside each other, you could heat the milk directly, but you will need to watch it and stir constantly. With the water jacket approach, you simply:
- Place the smaller pot into the larger pot of boiling water
- Carefully pour your milk into the smaller pot
- Clip your thermometer to the rim of the smaller pot
You want the milk to reach 185°F to prepare the milk proteins for yogurt culture production. If you do not have a thermometer, this is also the temperature at which milk begins to froth, like in a latte.
- Keep water boiling
- Stir frequently
110°F is the temperature at which yogurt cultures reproduce themselves. You could wait for the milk to cool on its own, but this is much faster and more efficient.
- Carefully place pot of milk in cold water bath
- Stir occasionally
Pitch simply means to add, and comes from the world of brewing. Brewers pitch yeast to make alcohol, you'll pitch yogurt to make more yogurt!
- Pour your 2-3 Tbs of yogurt into your 110°F milk
This step requires that the yogurt remain warm, and undisturbed. A heating pad in a quiet corner works best.
- Stir milk well to distribute yogurt you just pitched
- Cover with lid
- Set heating pad to medium and place on a cutting board
- Place pot of pitched milk on top
- Cover with a dish towel
Now that you have patiently waited seven hours, it is time to see what you have made.
- Remove from heating pad and uncover yogurt
- Use a spatula to see that milk has curdled (see picture)
- Stir vigorously to mix curds in with liquid
- Carefully pour yogurt into container(s)
- Cover with tight fitting lid(s)
- Place yogurt in the coldest part of your refrigerator
- Wait overnight
Yogurt contains lactic cultures that digest mile sugar lactose and convert it to lactic acid. The presence if lactic acid, produced during the lactic acid fermentation is responsible for the sour taste in original yogurt. However it improves the stability and safety of foods. The lactic acid caused the characteristic curd to form. It restricts the growth of food poisoning bacteria. It converts carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or orgainic acid using yeasts, bacteria or a combination of under anaerobic conditions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_%28food%29http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/make-yogurt/what-you-need
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