Recipes / Dairy

Homemade plain yoghurt

Plain yoghurt made without a yoghurt maker, using RICARDO’s method and an oven with its light switched on.

Recipe author: RICARDO · RICARDO Media

10 minutes prep + 10 minutes heating + 4–6 hours fermenting + 4 hours chillingMakes: 1 litre
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Homemade plain yoghurt · Serving suggestion
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Instructions

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  1. Heat the milk

    Mix the milk and milk powder in a saucepan. Heat gently over a medium heat, stirring, until it reaches 85°C, then remove from the heat.

  2. Add the yoghurt

    Allow to cool to 45°C, then stir in the yoghurt. Pour into clean, warm jars and cover.

  3. Leave to set

    Stand the jars in a baking dish and pour hot, but not boiling, water into the dish. Put in the oven with the light switched on. Maintain about 45°C during incubation and check with a thermometer; the light alone does not guarantee this temperature. Leave for about 4–6 hours, until the yoghurt has set.

  4. Chill

    Remove the jars from the oven and water bath. Dry the outside of each jar with a clean tea towel, then refrigerate for 4 hours.

Tips

Contains milk. Check that the starter yoghurt contains live cultures. Yoghurt heat-treated after fermentation will not work as a starter for another batch.

Use clean, sanitised equipment. Discard a batch that has not thickened properly, has mould or develops an unusual smell.

Milk powder increases the milk solids and helps make firmer yoghurt.

RICARDO describes fermentation at about 45°C. Monitoring the temperature during incubation is additional University of Alaska Fairbanks guidance.

Storage

Chill for 4 hours after fermentation. Keep the finished yoghurt refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

How to serve

Serve plain, or add fruit and cereal just before eating.

Ingredients / history / science

Discover the ingredients and their stories

What goes into the jar? Where does the flavour come from? Open a topic and explore its sources.

About the ingredientsTwo bacteria that transform milk

Plain yoghurt starts with milk and a starter culture. The classic pair is Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. Together they produce lactic acid, changing the milk’s flavour and texture. The controlled warmth in this recipe supports the microorganisms as they work.

History on a plateOne family, many old names

Yoghurt belongs to a family of fermented milks with a long history in Asia and the Mediterranean. Around 1900, regional names for members of this family varied widely: mazun in Armenia, jogurt in Bulgaria and leben in Egypt. The familiar name reflects many local traditions.

A closer lookHow milk becomes a gel

The yoghurt culture produces lactic acid, lowering the milk’s pH so its proteins form a gel. Heating the milk first helps the final texture, and milk powder adds solids for a firmer set. The culture is added after cooling, because excessive heat can damage its bacteria.

Recipe sources

This recipe is based on the sources listed above.

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