Yogurt, Using Half & Half Cream

Ingredients

  • 1 quart thermos (preferably glass)
  • 1 quart of half & half cream
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons whey (see notes below)

Preparation

  1. Put hot water in the thermos to warm it up.
  2. Pour the half & half cream into saucepan and warm it over medium heat until lots of little bubbles appear on surface of it (kinda like you get with pancakes when you’re cooking them). Do not boil it!
  3. Remove the milk from heat and let it cool until you can just poke your finger in it without saying “ouch.”
  4. Skim the “skin” off the milk and discard it. Add the whey, stir and pour the mixture into the thermos.
  5. Screw the top onto thermos tight, and leave it at room temperature where it will not be disturbed for 24 hours (not in the refrigerator).

Notes

  • Whey: The first question is, “where do I get the whey?” The first time you make yogurt, you will either need to buy some plain organic yogurt that contains live cultures (indicated on the label) or use raw or cultured milk, and make it according to this Whey Recipe.
    Whey Recipe Strain the yogurt through cheesecloth overnight and the next morning you will have liquid whey. Discard the strained cheese-like yogurt. Whey will keep for quite a while in a glass jar in the fridge.
  • After you make your own yogurt, you can strain perhaps half of it and make your own whey. You won’t get a lot of whey with half and half because it is really thick and yummy. However, if you use milk, the resulting yogurt will be runnier and produces more whey when strained.
  • Straining: If you strain yogurt through cheesecloth, the resultant “yogurt cheese” will be the consistency of creamed cheese.
  • Temperature: One of the tricks to making yogurt is to keep the mixture warm, particularly the thermos; often it is made in a warm oven, so don’t let the milk get too cool before adding the whey.