Homemade Yogurt

The Cyclist loves to create good things in the kitchen and his most recent discovery is Homemade Yogurt. He ran into it while reading some of his favorite blogs and so we tried this recipe from Loving the Bike .com.

It is amazingly simple to make and we love it so much we make it every few days when the threat of running out rears its nasty head.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plain yogurt
32 ounces milk (4 cups~ we use nonfat, but any will work)

Supplies needed:
Saucepan
Candy Thermometer
Big bowl of ice
Glass Jars with lids
Oven preheated to 110 degrees or Slow Cooker preheated at "Keep Warm" or "low"

Measure 32 oz. milk into saucepan. Using a candy thermometer, bring milk up to 185 degrees and keep it there for 15 minutes (stir constantly and be careful not to let it boil-over). In the meantime, fill a large bowl (bigger than the saucepan) with ice. After the milk has been at 185 degrees for enough time, set the saucepan in the bowl of ice to begin cooling it quickly. Cool it down to 100-110 deg F. Place ¼ cup yogurt starter in a clean bowl. Once milk has cooled, pour ~1 cup into the bowl with the starter. Mix well (with whisk). Pour mixture back into the saucepan and mix all milk/yogurt well. Pour into small jars, leave in the large pot or pour into your slow cooker. Place in or on heating source – if in slow cooker or oven, turn off and cover or close.

Allow to ferment 24-29 hours. Then, refrigerate ~4-8 hours. Done.

For a thicker or Greek-style yogurt, strain in a coffee filter or paper towel over a strainer for a 1-2 hours. (I tried this once and it was messy and didn't seem to make that much difference.)

We like to eat it with a little jam and granola mixed in. I should add that I didn't really like yogurt before and I really love this stuff.

Try it!