How to make Natural Yoghurt at home without special equipment

There is no need to buy any special appliance to make yoghurt. A regular saucepan, a large tub with a close-fitting lid, a spoon and a thermometer is all that is required.

Ingredients 1 litre (2 pints) milk small pot of natural "live" yoghurt (or a couple of large spoonfuls of a previous home-made batch) Method

Place the milk in a pan and bring slowly to near-boiling (82-85°C/180-185°F), stirring frequently. This will kill off all possible contaminants that may be present in the milk. Remove from the heat and allow to cool naturally to 40-48°C/105-118°F. Place the yoghurt starter in a clean, sterilized container and carefully pour the milk on top. Do not stir the yoghurt or it will become mucous-like and unappealing. Add a tight-fitting lid and maintain the temperature for 5-6 hours. You will be able to tell when the yoghurt is ready because it will have become much thicker and look slightly set.

Subsequent batches are made in the same way, but instead of purchasing a starter pot of yoghurt, simply use a few spoonfuls of your previously home-made yoghurt. I highly recommend removing a couple of small pots of fresh yoghurt from the first batch and freezing it. That way, if your yoghurt somehow becomes contaminated, you will be able to start again from scratch without needing to purchase a new starter.

The most difficult part of this recipe may be maintaining the temperature required for incubation. I have tried many different ways depending on the time of year and the weather. In summer (British summers are not usually particularly hot), I have often wrapped the container in a large towel and placed it inside a black cloth bag in the greenhouse. In winter, when the radiators are on in the house, I have stood the container on top of a flat-topped radiator with a folded towel on the top to prevent heat loss. I have also placed the bowl in a large pan and poured boiling water around the sides to just below the top and then put the pan lid on. I have had success with all these methods, but also, unfortunately, a few failures. More reliable is a haybox which I made using a large, sturdy box (the usual instructions tell us to make one with wood but I had a small, square ottoman that was perfect for the job), I stuffed four old pillow cases with hay and placed one on the bottom. I put the container on top of this and packed two more of the hay-filled pillow cases around the side to make it as snug as possible, and the last one on top before replacing the lid of the box.

This recipe features in my book, Make your own Ingredients