My parents have a milk cow which means lots of fresh milk – sometimes close to 5 gallons a day! You can only drink so much milk before it ruins, so making lots of ice cream, cheese, and yogurt is the only obvious solution, right?? 😉 Homemade yogurt is super easy to make as long as you have milk and a good kitchen thermometer (I recommend this one). Heat your milk to 185 degrees, cool it down to 120 degrees, add your cultures, pour into jars, and incubate in a warm cooler for a few hours and you’ll have some the best yogurt ever! It’s really that easy. Top with some granola and you’ve got a killer breakfast. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Homemade Yogurt
1 gallon of whole milk
1 cup yogurt starter (you can use a small cup of plain store-bought yogurt or you can use a cup from your previous batch)
1. Pour one gallon of milk into a large, heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat the milk to 185-190 degrees F.
2. Place the pot in a sink filled with cold water and let the milk cool to 120 degrees F.
3. Stir one cup of yogurt starter into the cooled milk, using a whisk. Stir well to ensure that the starter is thoroughly incorporated into the milk.
4. Pour the milk into 4 glass quart jars, and put the lids and rings on. Place them into a cooler.
5. Heat one gallon of water to 120 degrees F and pour into cooler.
6. Shut cooler lid and leave in a warm place for 3-5 hours. When time is up, place the yogurt in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to firm up before you try to eat it.
Notes:
1. If you want to make Greek yogurt, set a colander or sieve over a bowl and line the colander with cheesecloth. Take your finished yogurt, after you’ve chilled it, pour the yogurt into the colander, and let it sit in the refrigerator for 2 to 6 hours to drain. (Keep an eye on it, and when it looks thick enough to your liking, transfer it to a jar; if it becomes too thick, stir some of the whey back in.)
*from The Frugal Girl
