Yogurt in a Klean Kanteen

I usually use a crockpot or my rice cooker as the incubator for making homemade yogurt.  But as I was having a little fun experimenting with different ways to keep the milk mixture warm as it cultured, I discovered that an insulated Klean Kanteen works rather well.  (Make sure it's an INSULATED Kanteen, not the regular Kanteen.)  It doesn't quite keep the heat long enough for a thick Greek-style yogurt, but it is perfect for a softer yogurt (think mainstream yogurts like Yoplait or Danon), or even a drinkable yogurt.  It's best to use a 2% milk (or even whole milk if you're so inclined) in this case, as opposed to skim, since skim milk doesn't thicken up as well as its fattier counterparts.

I used a 16 oz. insulated Klean Kanteen.  This would also work well in the 12 oz. insulated.  I would not use the larger 20 oz. insulated unless you're making a drinkable yogurt, only because it was a little difficult reaching the bottom of the 16 oz.; you would need an extra-long spoon to scoop from the 20 oz.  I can't wait for the insulated food canisters to come out, they would be perfect for making yogurt.

This recipe makes enough to fill one 16 oz. insulated Kanteen.

Yogurt in a Klean Kanteen


Ingredients:

• a scant 2 cups 2% (or whole) milk
• 2 tablespoons organic dry milk powder (optional.  Omit if you are using whole milk or making a yogurt drink instead of a spooned yogurt.)
• 2 tablespoons organic starter (store-bought organic nonfat plain yogurt, or reserved yogurt from your last batch)

Directions:

• Fill your insulated Kanteen with hot tap water, as hot as you can get it.  Tightly screw on the leakproof loop cap and set aside.
• In a small pot, combine the milk and milk powder.  Over medium heat, bring the milk to 185 degrees F, whisking frequently.  It will produce small bubbles.  In the meantime, fill your sink with about 2 inches of cold tap water.
• Once the milk reaches 185 degrees F, remove from heat and place the pot into the cold water bath.  Stir frequently until the milk temperature goes down to 120 degrees F.
• Once the milk goes down to 120 degrees F, whisk in the starter.  Make sure you whisk it well to dissolve it all.
• Pour the hot water out of your insulated Kanteen (shake it upside down to get as much out as you can).  At this point it should be warm inside.  Pour the milk mixture into your insulated Kanteen and tightly screw on the leakproof cap.
• Put the filled Kanteen somewhere draft-free and out of the way so it won't be jostled.  Let the yogurt incubate for about 5 hours.  I've found that after 5 hours the yogurt is only still barely warm, so at that point you should place it in the fridge until you're ready to eat it.  It will firm up a little more once cold.  If you want a softer yogurt for drinking, only incubate it for 3ish hours.
• Serve plain, or mix with some honey, preserves or fresh fruit.

Play around with the incubation times based on what kind of yogurt you like.

The above pictures were taken right after the yogurt had finished incubating for 5 hours.  Here is how it looked after being refrigerated for 24 hours.  So thick it needs to be scooped out because it won't pour.  YUMMY!