Homemade Yogurt and Other Musings on Milk

Some of the most difficult food items to get in Bush Alaska are dairy products. Fresh milk, yogurt, ice cream, and most types of cheese are a rarity at the local story. One way we keep our dairy needs met is by making our own yogurt.

At first I tried making it in a cooler, as I had seen it done at the Crockett household. That however turned out to be a massive fail for me. Angie also recently mentioned her attempt at crock pot yogurt, also a fail. A couple years ago, I broke down and bought a yogurt maker. As you will find out in the up coming posts, our family is big on kitchen gadgets. They make many cooking tasks easier.

Milk happens to be the main ingredient in yogurt. So, I wanted to tell you about the most amazing brand of powdered milk. The Rudstroms consume massive amounts of milk in a week. Sadly most powdered milk is, well, just plain disgusting. That is until we discovered Moo Milk recommended by our friend Lyndi, a fellow teacher from the way back machine.

There is another option that tastes good, box milk. Box milk is ultra-pasteurized and can be stored on the shelf. The one downfall is that it is heavy and more expensive to ship than powdered milk. See Angie's post on German Pancakes for a peek at box milk.



Moo Milk is technically a "whey milk alternative". I don't really know what that means but it tastes delicious. We order it in 50 pound bags which lasts us just over a year. It's wonderful to always have milk on hand, not to mention it's economical. A gallon of milk ends up costing less than $2. Beat that lower 48! The company that sells the stuff is in Salt Lake City. Here's a link to their sight if you're interested in buying from them. I have to say, they're not the speediest when it comes to shipping, so order a month or two in advance. It's better to be pleasantly surprised than frustrated when you run out of milk.



Now, after all that build up on the wonders of Moo Milk, I must point out it doesn't work for making yogurt. We have to buy "real milk" powdered milk such as Milkman brand. It's not good for drinking, in my opinion, but perfect for yogurt.

Anyway, on to yogurt making.


Whisk together 2 cups of powdered milk, 5 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of sugar.


Heat over medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
This kills off all of the bacteria you don't want so you can replace it with the yogurt culture instead.


Let the mixture cool to room temperature. At this point you can add one of two things. Plain yogurt with an active culture or some freeze-dried yogurt starter. I save one jar to use on the next batch. The directions say you can only reuse your yogurt one time. After that use the powder instead.


We purchased this yogurt maker for about $50 and it's has worked flawlessly for the past couple years.
At this step, I often add some fruit or jam for a little flavor.


The milk and culture must sit for 7 hours to do it's thing. This makes yogurt a weekend activity for me. Cooking overnight would be another option.


Delicious yogurt for your enjoyment.

~AnnMarie