"I've been making or helping to make yogurt since I was about ten years old," are the first words in "Homemade Yogurt & Kefir: 71 Recipes for Making & Using Probiotic-Rich Ferments" (Storey, $19.95). From there, author Gianaclis Caldwell uses that lifelong expertise to take readers on an illuminating journey through the ins and outs of transforming ordinary milk into velvety, tangy yogurt, minus any help from the folks at Yoplait, Chobani or Dannon.
At a time when sourdough bread starters are all the rage, why not use this shelter-in-place era to master another make-at-home fermented staple?
In a recent phone conversation from her Oregon farm, Caldwell _ the author of five other dairy-related titles _ discussed the simplicity of the process, the importance of whole milk and common first-time yogurt-making pitfalls.
Q: Why should we be making our own yogurt?
A: There are several reasons. First is the quality, because there's so much more subtlety and nuance in homemade yogurt. There's the economics of it, too. And making yogurt gives you an understanding and an appreciation of the effort that goes into artisan, small-batch food production.
Q: Homemade yogurt has been part of your diet for forever, right?
A: My parents were by no means hippies, but they grew their own food. That was important to them. Once we had a cow, we had milk, and then yogurt became a staple. My mom said that I would gorge myself on it. My dad was half-Greek, and the only way that he made it was by draining it, although back then that wasn't called "Greek" yogurt. When the cartons started coming out in the late 1960s and early 1970s, that yogurt didn't taste like yogurt to me _ it still tasted good, because it had so much sugar in it _ but I was definitely spoiled. Then again, all fermenters are spoiled. That's a little fermentation joke.
Q: The process doesn't seem terribly complicated. Is it?
A: I grew up making yogurt, and it didn't seem difficult. To break through, you need to do it successfully once, and that's when you realize that some of these things just aren't that difficult. I wasn't raised to believe that everything came out of a factory. In our history, factories came into the equation only fairly recently. And there are always compromises in factory-made products. Tasting what yogurt should taste like, it's a revelation.
Q: Is it really just a matter of mixing warmed milk with plain yogurt? No messing with powdered cultures?
A: Yes. Get a carton of a good locally produced yogurt, and use that as a starter. There aren't that many manufacturers of powdered cultures. Just remember that not all yogurt cultures are probiotic, so if you're making yogurt for the probiotics, you want to be sure that the carton of yogurt contains probiotics bacteria.
Q: What are the ins and outs of choosing the right milk?
A: I prefer using whole milk, because the fats are important. You get the vitamins to help process the minerals in the milk, and you'll get a nicer texture for the yogurt. Choose the freshest milk you can buy. If you have the choice, buy non-homogenized. A smaller bottler that sells cream-top milk, that's nice. Definitely go for organic, for the health of the animal and the quality of the milk. If there's a small producer following humane practices, that's even better than going with organic, because organic certification isn't necessarily geared to small farmers, it's easier to do on a larger scale.
Q: You raise goats. We're fortunate to have a goat dairy _ Poplar Hill Dairy Goat Farm in Scandia, Minnesota _ that distributes milk to many local supermarkets. Do you recommend using goat milk for yogurt?
A: If you like fluid goat milk, then you'll like goat's milk yogurt. Commercial goat's milk yogurts often have thickeners added, and that's quite acceptable. If it turns out too thin, I'd encourage draining it, because you'll get a good, thick yogurt, and you'll also reduce the lactose level, which can make it easier for some people to eat.
Q: Are there any plant-based milks that you recommend?
A: I like using coconut milk the best, but I love coconut. I don't make it regularly, because there are so many steps in the production (following Caldwell's "Classic Yogurt" recipe with plant-based milks requires additional steps). Plant milks don't have lactose, so another sugar is added, and they can't curdle on their own, so you need to add a thickener. They all turn out, but none of them taste like dairy yogurt; they lack that tang. But, so what? I would do it if I couldn't eat dairy. I look at plant milk ferments as a whole other food, and not as a substitute. If you keep that in mind, you won't be disappointed.
Q: You mention thickeners. Do you have one that you prefer?
A: I like tapioca starch the best. It has the least flavor, and creates the nicest results in terms of texture.
Q: Is there a common error made by novice yogurt-makers?
A: It's probably lack of coagulation after the correct amount of time. The most likely problem is that there wasn't enough strength in the culture that was being used. Cultures don't last forever. If you're using a powdered culture _ and some store chains do sell it _ it's often not stored properly. If it's not stored in the freezer, it will lose its strength much more rapidly.
Q: What about cleaning with sanitizers?
A: You can go overboard with sanitizers, and you'll end up with residues that negatively affect the ferment, where the cleaner kills the bacteria that you need. When I was a commercial cheesemaker, I was sanitizing all day long. At home, I'm a little more casual. I shoot for "clean." I use boiling water.
Q: One of your cookbook titles is "Mastering Basic Cheesemaking," based on your years of commercial cheesemaking. For the uninitiated, is yogurt or cheese your recommended introduction into home-kitchen dairy production?
A: I'd start with whatever product you like to eat the most, because they overlap. If yogurt is drained, it's virtually the same as chevre, which is also fermented and drained. You also have to remember that some cheeses _ ricotta, paneer _ aren't fermented. If people have made fermented things like wine, or beer, or charcuterie, then they could dive into aged hard cheeses. But remember, there's a reason that they're called hard cheeses, and it's because they're hard to make.
Q: I've seen electric yogurt makers in the $50 range. Does the yogurt-making process require any fancy or expensive equipment?
A: No. It really comes down to using the right milk, introducing the bacteria, and keeping it warm, and that can be accomplished in so many ways. My favorite is using an ice chest with a hot water bottle, that combination will maintain the warmth long enough for fermentation to occur. Folks need to be reminded that these foods are ancient because they happened naturally, and easily. You can turn to that for comfort. Fermented foods are the oldest foods, because they want to happen, naturally.
