Homemade Yogurt

Did you know you can make yogurt at home in the CrockPot? I learned this from one of my favorite food blog sites, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html. It's so easy and cheap, I make a batch nearly every week. It costs under $4 to make a half gallon of yogurt with this recipe!!! Those little 6-ounce containers you buy at the store can be 99 cents a piece! Beyond the cost savings, I think it really does taste better. So fresh and creamy. Below is the recipe from the blog site, and I've added some tips and ideas that I have come up with in the years I've been making it.

Homemade Yogurt Ingredients
-8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. (Debbie recommends starting with whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt-making)

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)

--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring

--thick bath towel

Directions
This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.

Plug in your CrockPot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your CrockPot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the CrockPot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your CrockPot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.

Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. I did mango, strawberry, and blueberry. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

My Tips

• Follow the times exactly (set the timer!). One time I cut 30 minutes off the resting time and it didn't turn out. The milk has to be at a certain temperature for the bacteria to form. Also, be sure that the CrockPot is well-insulated in the towels, especially if your kitchen is cold.
  
• Stoneyfield Farms plain low-fat yogurt is the brand I find to be most consistent for the starter yogurt.
• Use whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt making, then try 2% if you want a lower fat content. To thicken yogurt made with 2% milk, add a few tablespoons of powdered milk when you whisk in the starter yogurt. I've also noticed that the longer the yogurt rests in the towel phase, the thicker it gets.
• Flavorings - the possibilities are endless! I like to add jam (any flavor, but I really like raspberry, blueberry, and apricot), maple syrup, honey, fresh fruit, chocolate chips. Sometimes I put a vanilla bean in the milk when it's cooking for vanilla yogurt. Mmmmm...
• I found these perfect little containers at Safeway and I take a serving of yogurt to work with me everyday. It's a great healthy breakfast or afternoon snack.