Homemade Yogurt

Making your own yogurt can be a thrifty thing to do and seriously, there is nothing so fantastic as FRESHLY MADE yogurt! There is no other way to describe it other than fresh.

I used whole milk to make my yogurt, which will yield a thicker yogurt than other types of milk without having to use powdered milk as an addition. I have a yogurt maker, which is a bit like a slow cooker for yogurt but someday I plan to try a slow cooker yogurt recipe and see what I think of that.

You will need to buy some active cultures, or the easy way to get that is to buy a container of plain yogurt with active cultures in it to use as a starter. Be sure to read the label and make sure it has active cultures in it, and make sure you are not buying yogurt that is thickened with corn starch.

To start off you will need to heat your yogurt to 203 degrees (make sure you use a thermometer) where it will be boiling. Remove from heat at this temperature. Then allow it to cool completely to 95 degrees.

Next you will whisk in your container of plain yogurt with active cultures. After you make your first batch, be sure to save 1 container of your homemade yogurt because this will be your starter for your next batch and the active cultures in that will be added to your next batch and multiply in your homemade yogurt. If you plan things right, you can continue to make yogurt using your own starter continuously and not have to buy any other yogurt.

Finally pour your liquidy mixture in to your yogurt maker. Mine has seven separate jars, which I really like. Be sure to follow the instructions on your machine. Mine has a simple on-off button and stays a constant temperature. I just need to make sure I leave the jars cooking in the yogurt maker for the length of time indicated by what my choice of milk was. Whole milk will cook faster as well, so I only need to cook it for 6 hours instead of 8 hours with skim milk.

Eat plain or add your favorite topping and Enjoy!