Homemade Yogurt

Before I researched how to make yogurt I was intimidated. I knew nothing about it and thought it was going to be a HUGE challenge to make. Boy, was I wrong. It's so simple! It does take about 12-14 hours to complete, but 99% of the time the yogurt it's resting, which means you can go about your day. The best part? TWO INGREDIENTS!

You will need:

• Whole Milk
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• Candy thermometer

What ya do:

 I have made several batches of yogurt with varying amounts of whole milk, but usually I do about a half gallon at a time. It depends on how much yogurt you want hanging around your house in the end. It makes slightly less than the original amount of milk you use due to evaporation but it's not by much... Let's get to it:

1. Pour your milk into a pot and heat it over medium heat until it reaches 185° F. Make sure your thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan but is at least one inch into the milk. The milk will become a little frothy when it gets close to the right temperature. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. The milk doesn't like that.

2. After it reaches 185° turn off the heat and let the milk cool to 115°. Take about 1/4 cup of the warm milk and mix it into your plain yogurt (tempering). Then put the starter back into the pot of milk.

3. Cover your pot and put it in a warm place (I usually put it in a slightly warm oven) and walk away. It usually takes all day, or overnight if you start it late in the day. 

4. After the time is up, eat it up! Add some fresh fruit or honey, granola, whatever else you want and chow down...

...Or make Greek yogurt. You do this by lining a mesh sieve with cheesecloth, placing it over a container to catch the whey and pouring the yogurt into the cheesecloth. This step also takes some time (an hour or two), but it is the best, simplest, all-natural Greek yogurt you'll ever have. 

 This is my set up. See the whey at the bottom?

 Final Product: Creamy, delicious Greek Yogurt

There you have it, cheap and easy!

-Kaitlin