Bringing Life

Tag: breakfast

  • Homemade Yogurt from Scratch

    Homemade Yogurt from Scratch

    Why Make Yogurt at Home?

    Homemade yogurt isn’t just about saving money—it’s about freshness, control, and nutrition. When you make it yourself:

    • Cost savings: A single gallon of milk can yield 8 cups of yogurt for less than store-bought tubs.
    • Customization: You choose the milk type (whole, skim, goat, raw, organic, etc.), thickness (Greek-style or regular), and flavors.
    • Fewer additives: No thickeners, stabilizers, or hidden sugars—just milk and live cultures.
    • Sustainability: Making yogurt at home cuts down on packaging waste.

    How Yogurt Works: The Science Behind It

    Yogurt is created by fermenting milk with beneficial bacteria. The two classic starter strains are:

    • Lactobacillus bulgaricus
    • Streptococcus thermophilus

    Together, they convert lactose (milk sugar) into lactic acid. This acid lowers the pH, thickening the milk proteins and giving yogurt its tangy flavor. Many store-bought starters also include additional strains like Lactobacillus acidophilus or Bifidobacterium lactis, which may aid digestion.

    The fermentation process not only preserves milk but also boosts probiotic content, supporting gut health.

    four quart jars of homemade yogurt in a dehydrator

    Ingredients

    • 1 quart (4 cups) milk – whole milk makes creamier yogurt, but any type works
    • 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with live, active cultures (store-bought or from a previous batch)

    Equipment

    • Saucepan
    • Thermometer (optional but helpful)
    • Whisk
    • Clean glass jar or container with lid
    • Towel or blanket for insulation

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    1. Heat the milk
      Pour milk into a saucepan and gently heat to 180°F (82°C). This denatures proteins so the yogurt sets thicker.
    2. Cool the milk
      Remove from heat and let it cool to 110°F–115°F (43–46°C). This is the ideal range for the cultures.
    3. Add starter
      Whisk 2 tablespoons of yogurt into a small bowl with a bit of the cooled milk. Then stir this mixture back into the pot.
    4. Incubate
      Pour into a clean jar, cover, and keep warm (around 110°F) for 6–12 hours.
      • For thinner, milder yogurt: check at 6 hours.
      • For thicker, tangier yogurt: let it go longer.
        You can wrap the jar in a towel, place it in an oven with the light on, use an Instant Pot’s yogurt setting, or a dehydrator set to 110°F.
    5. Chill and enjoy
      Once it’s set, refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The yogurt will thicken further as it cools.

    Variations

    • Greek Yogurt: Strain finished yogurt through a cheesecloth or coffee filter for 2–4 hours to remove whey.
    • Flavored Yogurt: Stir in honey, fruit purée, vanilla, or jam just before eating.

    Storage

    Homemade yogurt keeps for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Save 2–3 tablespoons from each batch to use as the starter for the next one.

    If you would like a video on the process, check out this one on our YouTube channel!

  • Best Buttermilk Biscuits

    Best Buttermilk Biscuits

    Hello again!

    Around here, we usually keep breakfasts pretty simple. Bacon and eggs, eggs and bacon, that sort of thing. Sometimes, for variety, we add cottage cheese, veggies, or fruit to the menu.

    And then, other times, we feel like splurging a bit. Usually in those cases, our minds (Tim’s for sure!) turn to biscuits.

    Finding the perfect recipe was a bit of a journey. Especially since we started with store-bought biscuits out of a can. I still shudder sometimes to think of it.

    This recipe is not original to me. I found it online at bakerbettie.com

    The enjoyment we get from eating these flaky rounds of yummyness is ours, though. They are amazing with butter and honey or jam, with Tim’s delicious sausage gravy, or as breakfast sandwiches. Or even reheated with a little butter.

    biscuit bacon egg and cheese sandwiches

    OLD FASHIONED LARD BISCUITS

    Ingredients

    • 2 c Flour
    • 1 T Baking Powder
    • 1/4 t Baking Soda
    • 1 1/4 t Salt
    • 6 T Leaf Lard, cold *
    • 1 c Buttermilk, cold

    Instructions

    Preheat oven to 450 degrees and make sure an oven rack is in the center of the oven.

    Grease a cake pan or cookie sheet or line with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, if desired. I never grease my pan for biscuits and they seldom stick more than a little bit. If you use a cookie sheet, make sure it has a rim to keep any melted lard from running off.

    Keep lard and buttermilk in the refrigerator until needed.

    In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk. *

    flour mixture in a mixer bowl

    Add in the cold lard and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork. You want the lard to be mostly in pea-sized pieces with a few larger.

    pieces of butter in flour mixture in a mixer bowl
    butter pieces in flour mixture

    Add the cold buttermilk and stir with a spoon or spatula until just combined. This will not take long and you don’t want to overmix as the biscuits will be tough. The batter/dough will be pretty wet and sticky.

    buttermilk in flour mixture

    Turn the mixture out onto a floured table or countertop. Dust flour over the top. With floured hands, bring the dough into one mass.

    flour on a table

    Pat the dough out and then fold in half. Turn 90 degrees and pat out again. Repeat this 5-6 times. The folds help the biscuits end up flakier.

    patting out biscuit dough

    Press the layered dough out until it’s about an inch thick and use a round cutter that has been dipped in flour to cut the biscuits. Press straight down with the cutter and do not twist. Pat the scraps back together and cut again. Or you can pat the dough into a rectangle and use a sharp knife to divide into 8 biscuits.

    a cut biscuit round
    cutting out biscuits

    Place the biscuits in the prepared pan, making sure the edges are touching to help the biscuits rise.

    unbaked biscuits on a cookie sheet

    Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Do not open the door for at least the first half of the bake time. Keeping the steam trapped inside the oven helps with the rise.

    golden brown biscuits on a cookie sheet

    Let cool, if possible, and then enjoy however you choose.

    Notes

    * I have substituted butter, tallow, and bacon grease for the lard with no problems. You just want it cold when it goes in.

    *I make mine in my stand mixer and it works just great. Just don’t overmix.

  • Our Favorite Buttermilk Pancakes (Make-Ahead & Fluffy!)

    Our Favorite Buttermilk Pancakes (Make-Ahead & Fluffy!)

    If you are like me, then from time to time, you have children—or even a spouse—who ask for pancakes. While I’m thankful it doesn’t lead to a situation like If You Give a Pig a Pancake, it still sparks some familiar questions: Do I want classic or fluffy? More ingredients or fewer? Regular or buttermilk?

    For years, I wrestled with that dilemma. We don’t buy pancake mix, so every time I needed to make some from scratch, my mind would start scrambling. What recipe did I use last time? Was that the favorite or just another okay one?

    Over time, I started narrowing down the options. I discovered that my family’s favorite pancakes were fluffy, a bit more complex in ingredients, and made with buttermilk. That helped—sort of. It still left a lot of recipes to sift through. Pun intended. 🙂

    And then, there was the timing. If I got up and started mixing the batter, I had maybe 5–10 minutes before my “Kitchen Crew” showed up to help. Some would come in jabbering a mile a minute, eager to grab something—anything—and get to work. Others would stumble in, rubbing eyes and stifling yawns, but still determined to be part of the process. While not a problem, it did highlight another preference. Pancake batter that could be made ahead. 

    If I could mix up the batter the night before and only have to flip them the morning of, that would save a ton of time. Especially with the size of my family and their colossal appetites. A batch of pancakes that made 8-10 2″ pancakes just didn’t cut it. 

    So you can imagine my relief when I found a recipe that checked all the boxes. It made fluffy pancakes that were easy to mix up without skimping on the ingredients and called for buttermilk. It had yeast in it so it could be made ahead and put in the fridge overnight to fluff. And it even came with some bonuses. It wasn’t too sweet and it didn’t even have to be doubled. That’s what I call a winner! 

    It took all of one time to know we had finally found our favorite pancake recipe. This time, I ignored the voice that said I’d for sure remember which recipe we liked, and wrote it down on a recipe card. Not going to lose that one!

    I wish I could remember where I originally found the recipe—I’m pretty sure it was Pinterest, but the exact source is lost to time. If you recognize it, let me know so I can give credit where it’s due!

    INGREDIENTS

    4 Cups Flour

    1 Tablespoon Yeast*

    1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

    2 Tablespoons Sugar

    2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

    1 Teaspoon Salt

    4 Eggs, Lightly Beaten

    4 Cups Buttermilk

    1/4 Cup Oil

    INSTRUCTIONS

    In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk all the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours. Stir before cooking. 

    Makes about 20-24 3″ pancakes. 

    *If you use active dry yeast, activate it in a 1/4 cup warm water or buttermilk and let sit for 5-10 minutes, while it blooms. If you use instant yeast, just follow the recipe as given.

    So whether you’re flipping for a crowd or just need a little breakfast win, I hope this recipe brings as many smiles to your table as it has to ours. And if your Kitchen Crew shows up to help… pour them a little extra syrup for me.

    Just don’t blame me if giving your kid a pancake leads to building a treehouse and finding a harmonica. 😉