Homemade Yogurt

I'm not a fan of yogurt, but when the Doctor tells me that I should start eating it daily for better health; I have to take it into consideration.

I've tried several store bought kinds and keep having to gag it down. I've even tempted the plain yogurt and adding my own sugar and fruit. My girls love it no matter the brand or flavor. Most likely because they've had it from a very young age.

My husband recently purchased some Oikos Greek Yogurt for me to try. I must say this was the best yogurt I've ever had. I could actually eat this happily every day. Link below.

http://www.stonyfield.com/oikos/index.jsp?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=greek%2Byogart&utm_campaign=general

Due to prices and the amount of yogurt we consume as a family; I've decided to attempt to make my own. Below are some websites I've found to be good sources of recipes and suggestions.

http://faithfulprovisions.com/2010/03/30/homemade-yogurt/
http://homecooking.about.com/od/dairycookinginformation/a/homemadeyogurt.htm

As for myself, I have decided to use a combination of like. I will attempt to describe the process I went through this morning. Please keep in mind my first batch is currently incubating. Look for future posts to see how it turned out.

Recipe used:

-1 quart milk
-1/4 cup maple syrup (you can use any of the following sweeteners or none: sugar, honey, maple syrup, chocolate syrup, etc)
-Optional 1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk (I did not use this on this first batch)
-3 rounded tbsp of plain yogurt
-1 tbsp vanilla (you can use any of the following flavor choices or none: vanilla, lemon, pepperment or 1 tsp of any of the following: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)
-1 tbsp fruit preserves (if desired)

Tools needed:
-whisk
-soup ladle
-pot/pan (that can hold 1 quart of liq)
-large pot/pan (that can hold 2-3 quarts of water)
-containers to store finished yogurt (I used small canning jars)
-cooking thermometer
-tongs
-large oven safe container (I used a big glass bowl or could use a glass baking casserole dish)
-3-4 hand or kitchen towels

Bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil in large pot. I started by sanitizing all the tools and containers I would be using.

In smaller pot heat 1 quart of milk on med/low. Here begins the tricky part. (try not to let milk boil)

*Note: reserve 1 cup plain for next time starter prior to adding any sugars or flavorings* (I skipped this step as this is my first attempt)

Once the milk starts to heat up; add 1/4 cup maple syrup and stir till dissolved.

Then add 1tbsp of vanilla and stir till dissolved

If desired here is where you would add the instant dry milk (I skipped this step on my first attempt). It is primarily used for thickening the yogurt if you prefer.

Then remove from heat and allow milk to cool to between 100 and 110 degrees F.

While milk mixture was cooking remove small canning jars from large sanitizing pot using tongs (boil at least 1 minute) and add 1 tbsp of fruit preserves to the bottom of each jar.

Warm oven to 100 degrees F

Once milk mixture reaches between 100 and 110 degrees F. Stir in 3 tbsp of yogurt. Mix well till combine.

Pour into warm containers/jars. Remove jar lids from large sanitizing pot using tongs and cover each jar.

Line large glass bowl with towel and add a few jars. Layer another towel and a few more jars. Cover with towel. Make the canning jars nice and snuggly for their afternoon/evening nap :)

Turn off the oven and place bed into oven and let incubate for 8-10 hours.

Yogurt can be then stored in fridge for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 6 weeks (I'll have to read more about the freezing part, sounded tricky).

Please note most of this recipe was taken from http://homecooking.about.com/od/dairycookinginformation/a/homemadeyogurt.htm

Currently I am awaiting my first batch. It as currently been incubating for approx. 2 hours. So about 6 hours to go till I check to see our progress.