Raw Milk Yogurt Plus with Gelatin

Raw milk yogurt is one of my very favorite yogurts. I love the little layer of cream on the top and the soft curd underneath. Raw milk has such a wonderful flavor and the texture is smooth, creamy, and comforting to eat. If you have access to raw milk, give this recipe a whirl.

The gelatin milk is added to allow the raw milk to thicken without heating it to a high temperature. Most yogurts heat the milk to high temperatures to allow the caseins to form a thick curd, then the milk is cooled down and the yogurt starter is added. With raw milk, you want to keep the beneficial bacteria and enzymes intact, so adding a little gelatin does the trick to thicken the milk.

Equipment

Luvele Yogurt Maker or Instapot with yogurt setting or a Sous vide device will work too.
Thermometer

Ingredients

42 ounces raw milk
½ tablespoon gelatin unsweetened
1 sachet Yogurt Plus Starter or 2 tablespoons of a previously made yogurt

Instructions

Place raw milk in a medium saucepan. Whisk in gelatin to cold milk and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom. Then, whisk thoroughly to combine.
Heat raw milk over medium-low heat to 100-110°F, whisking or stirring constantly. Make sure it doesn't get above 118°F so it doesn't kill the enzymes and vitamins in the raw milk.
Once the temperature is reached, remove from heat and whisk in the yogurt starter. This spreads the good bacteria throughout all the milk.
Place milk in yogurt jars without lids and incubate in your yogurt maker at 110°F for 8-12 hours or until a curd forms.
Place the jar or jars in the fridge to cool and set. Cool the yogurt in the refrigerator for at least six hours. As the yogurt cools, it will get even thicker!

Reculturing

To make a new batch, repeat these instructions above but use 2 tablespoons of the pre-made yogurt you made as your starter.

Notes

You can also make bigger batches in a Sous vide device or instapot with a yogurt setting.