This officially marks the second part of my “Straight from Scratch Series”. The idea for making yogurt from scratch has been rolling around my head for the better part of a month.  I first came across the concept of home-made yogurt while surfing one of the many food blogs that I frequent read.

For a while, the idea “fermented” in my brain, but finally I decided that this was something that I wanted to try. One of the key selling points of this recipe was I could make it lactose-free.  Since becoming lactose intolerant in the past year, I have missed out on a few key dairy products including yogurt.  This recipe gave me the opportunity to revisit an old friend without causing my intestines any major pain.

For directions, I ended up following the advice of Frugal Girl. Since her instructions are so clear and easy to follow I won’t adapt them for my blog.  Just follow the link and you will soon be in the yogurt making business yourself.

Unfortunately this recipe did call for some equipment upgrades.  I ended up having to buy a thermometer ($8.00) and a set of mason jars ($12.00), thankfully both of which can be used for other recipes in the kitchen. Note to self: I will definitely have to investigate other recipes that use these items.

The one downside to using lactose-free milk is its milk fat content.  Frugal Girl does suggest using at least homogenized milk (3% MF) to ensure the yogurt is solid in texture. Lactose-free milk typically comes as 1% MF so I was left with runnier yogurt, similar to fat-free yogurt you buy at the grocery store. Next time, I want to experiment with upping the fat content by using cream but cutting it with lactose-free milk in order to minimize the pain.

I enjoyed using this yogurt for breakfast.  Mixed with fresh berries and peaches from the farmer’s market, it made for a great way to start the day.

While the instructions for this yogurt might seem a little daunting, they are pretty easy to follow and there isn’t a lot of “hands-on” time required.  While I won’t make yogurt on a weekly basis I will try the recipe again.  I definitely recommend trying this recipe at least once, if only to have the ability to say I’ve made yogurt from scratch.