I am excited to share my new kitchen creation. Making yogurt has been intriguing to me since I was a child when my mom made homemade yogurt in the oven. I remember the tart clean flavor of the yogurt and finally I decided to try it. The crock pot recipes seemed simple and so I began. I took instruction from Cultures for Health on some recipe instructions but for the fermenting period I link you to The Healthy Home Economist as she suggests fermenting for 24 hours so that all the lactose can be absorbed by the cultures. I used the best organic whole milk I could find at my local grocery and a good quality plain whole milk commercial yogurt for my starter culture. I found by following this very simple recipe I made yogurt in 20 1/2 hours total. I let this batch culture for 15 hours. I am currently making my second batch and this will be a 24 hour culture period. I look forward to comparing the product!
Homemade Yogurt
- 1/2 gallon whole organic milk
- 1/2 cup commercial whole plain yogurt
Pour the 1/2 gallon of whole organic milk into the crock pot. Heat on LOW for 2 1/2 hours. Turn off the crock pot after 2 1/2 hours and let warm milk cool to room temperature while keeping covered. After 3 hours of cooling the milk to room temperature, remove 1 cup of warm milk from the crock and mix in a small covered container with the 1/2 cup commercial whole plain yogurt. After well mixed, pour the milk back into crock pot and whisk the milk. Cover the crock with the lid and wrap the crock pot with 2 thick bath towels. Culture your recipe for 12-24 hours. The longer you culture the more tart your yogurt will be. I also understand the lactose diminishes when you culture your yogurt for 24 hours. After the culture period is complete, transfer your yogurt into tightly covered glass jars and store in your refrigerator. Happy yogurt making!
Source: A combined recipe from sources noted in my intro.