If you’ve watched even one of the videos from the 100+ Real Food video library available on this blog, you probably know that I have a microwave in my kitchen.
Do I use it for cooking or heating anything that my family consumes?
No. I haven’t used a microwave to heat or cook anything in many, many years. I much prefer my small countertop convection oven which doesn’t heat food unnaturally and creates carcinogens like a microwave does.
Why don’t I just remove the microwave from my kitchen then? The truth is that the microwave can function as a handy airtight cupboard and proves quite useful for other tasks besides cooking and heating believe it or not.
I mentioned in one of my Real Food videos that I frequently use it for airtight, room temperature storage of freshly baked bread, cookies, and other baked goods.
It also works very well for making homemade raw yogurt. It is, of course, made from unpasteurized milk.
What about Greek yogurt? Is Greek yogurt better? How about the similar German style cheesy yogurt known as Quark? While not necessarily healthier, if you make it yourself allowing sufficient time for probiotic inoculation, these are certainly a nutritious choice! It is ultimately a personal preference as long as the yogurt is fermented properly.
If you don’t have access to raw yogurt, whether regular or Greek, then you don’t know what you’re missing. Pasteurized yogurt even if organic pales in comparison to the digestibility and nutrient value of raw yogurt, so if you are able to snag some raw milk from a local farm, here’s how to make it into raw yogurt.
While the recipe below works fine using the microwave as the incubator, yogurt made in a slow cooker is more dependable in texture.
*This helpful recipe idea was given to me by my friend Cynthia Calisch, who has passed away. May she rest in peace.
Raw Yogurt Recipe
How to make raw yogurt using the microwave as the perfect incubation unit (turned off). When raw, yogurt has a pleasant drinkable style texture compared with scoopable heated yogurt.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Plain, whole milk yogurt preferably organic and grass-fed
- 3 3/4 cups Raw cow or goat milk preferably grass-fed
Instructions
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Scoop 1/4 cup of the plain whole milk yogurt into a clean, wide mouth, glass mason jar (I like these). After you've made raw yogurt one time, you can use your own raw yogurt as the starter for subsequent batches.
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Warm the raw milk on the stove to between 105 - 117F. No enzymes or nutrition is lost heating to this temperature but the warmed milk enables the yogurt culture to "take" better than room temperature raw milk.
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Pour about half a cup of the warmed milk into the mason jar and mix with the yogurt.
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Pour the remaining warmed milk into the mason jar, stir and close the lid tightly.
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Wrap the mason jar in a thick hand towel, secure with a rubber band and place inside your microwave closing the door. Leave the light in the microwave on to keep a bit of warmth inside.
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In 24 hours, open the microwave and voila! You will have yourself a lovely quart of raw yogurt!
More Information
My last batch of yogurt was just a bunch of curdled stuff. Is it still yogurt? Or is it clabbered milk. I made drinks and leather with it. Do I still get the benefit of yogurt when it turns out like this?
Love the microwave thing. My mic has a light on the outside bottom, so it’s warm enough on the inside for incubation. Good thing- I had to dust it out to use it! Thanks for the great idea.
This is awesome! I’m going to try it this weekend.
How many times can I reuse my homemade raw yogurt as a starter for the next batch? How can I tell when the health benefits are gone?
For most up-to-date information you have to pay a quick visit the web and on web I
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Jenni in March mentioned “pet food” as a legal term for raw milk. Yup. In our neck of the woods
we have to buy “pet food”, not raw milk, or the powers that be will swoop down and destroy the operation. It’s kind of like hiding from the gestapo. (sp?)
LOL
Oh my goodness I just opened my jar and it came out PEFECT!!! Thank you so much Healthyhomeeconomist!!!! I am on cloud nine! It is so easy and nutritious and DELICIOUS! I added blueberries and some organic maple syrup and it is so yummy I CANNOT stop eating it! LOL I’m seriously way too excited right now! 🙂 Thanks again! ~Julie
I am trying this right now- except I don’t have a microwave, so I found a warm little niche on top of my hot water heater! The milk I’m using is raw, grass fed, and milked this a.m! How perfect is that!? I can’t wait to see how it turns out!!! 🙂
Will the yogurt turn out thick or watery? I just made some raw yogurt and am slightly dissapointed cause it’s kind of runny. 🙁
I have found homemade yogurt is usually runnier unless you add something like dry milk powder {yuck!}. You can make it thicker by straining it through a cheesecloth or flour sack towel from your kitchen cabinet knob for a few hours. You’ll be left with thicker Greek-style yogurt in the cheesecloth and whey in the bowl below. Just don’t leave it too long or you’ll end up with yogurt cheese!
Hey…you had me with the picture. I was going to give you hell about using the microwave. I am glad I decided to read the post before I reacted. Thanks for the great yogurt recipe.