Homemade Yogurt - A Double Win!!

We're finally making homemade yogurt around here!  I've been wanting to try it for ages, but it took my husband to finally get us going!! He researched a bunch of methods and came up with one that is pretty darned easy and does not require too much in the way of special equipment.

It's a double-win because not only do we have delicious, homemade, organic yogurt but we also have a way to reuse all those 32-oz yogurt containers that we manage to accumulate so quickly!! 

The key to getting yogurt to set is keeping it at a just-right warm temperature for about 7-8 hours.  Many people use special yogurt-makers but we are using the heating pad method and it works like a charm!! 

Here's what you need to get started (thank you to makeyourownyogurt.com for the recipe!):

• 1 half-gallon of milk (I use organic!!)
• 2-3 Tbs of plain yogurt (as a starter)
• An 8-10 quart stock pot
• A 4-5 quart pot with lid
• A metal or plastic spoon
• A thermometer with clip (the clip is important!!)
• A heating pad (mine is about 12 by 15 inches long and we set it at medium heat)
• A couple of towels (to keep the heating pad clean and to keep the yogurt warm & snuggy!)

The longer you let the yogurt set, the more sour it will become.  But once you stir it, the fermenting process stops so you don't want to stir too early!  Play around with it until you find the balance that you like best.  If you want a sweet yogurt, you can add honey, agave nectar or maple syrup at the very end (after it has fermented).  We added some vanilla and a bit of agave to our last batch and it was delish! 

Comments

[Nile]

Looks extremely tasty! I will have to try it out and compare it to the ones I usually buy. Maybe it might be better?

By the way, I work as a virtual assistant of The Healthy Moms ( http://www.thehealthymoms.net ), the site is fairly new and I thought I would drop by some mom and health related sites to spread the word.

[Jenni Saake "InfertilityMom"]

I've always wondered how to do homemade yogurt. Thanks!

[Missi]

We make our own yogurt during the summer from raw milk. The farmer that I get it from taught me the old school way.

I use a half gallon jar of raw milk and add a couple spoonfuls of plain yogurt to it and leave it out on my back porch all day in the sun. Voila! Yogurt!

It's sooo yummy!

[Affiliate Program]

What a very delicious recipe!! I can't wait to try it as soon as possible. Thanks for sharing

[prairiemom]

I just made my first batch yesterday. I was terrified, but it actually turned out great! We added some vanilla and a bit of honey to ours, and I gave some to the kids with banana sliced into it, and they LOVED it. even asked for seconds. I am definitely going to be doing this again. Its way easy, and so much cheaper than buying the organic stuff in the store.

[Micaela]

prairiemom - I'm so glad to hear that your kids liked the homemade yogurt! Even though you add honey, I bet it's less sweet than the pre-sweetened kind. And even if you spring for organic milk, homemade yogurt is still considerably less expensive than buying organic yogurt. What's not to love?

[Cindy]

I've been thinking about trying to make yogurt in my food dehydrator. I've been going through a lot of it lately for variations on a plain yogurt snack theme. Gald to know the instructions on makeyourownyogurt work as I have pointed some people that way. Thanks.

[Micaela]

Cindy - Have you heard of people successfully making yogurt in a food dehydrator? I hadn't heard of that method before. Please let me know if it works!

[Nursing tops]

oh cool! this is awesome! love it! you could already make your own Yogurt in your house.. hmmm... interesting. and the best of it is that you could make it in your own taste. nice! thanks!

[Cat]

Missi, when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali that is how we would make it. The family I lived with taught me that trick. You can achieve the same results by placing it in a window that has direct sunlight all day long. Just make sure you don't have a dairy loving cat or dog!