I had to share this with the world...I am soooooo proud. I MADE YOGURT!!! I've been toying with this idea for quite sometime now. Spending $2.39 on small four-packs of organic yogurt for my toddler just seems silly. Of course, the only reason I buy these insanely expensive organic yogurts is because it's the only brand of whole milk yogurt!!
Enter the idea for homemade whole milk yogurt...
After looking around online for days for a good recipe, I went to bowling and lo and behold, another frugal mama on my team tells me that she makes yogurt all the time!! I used her recipe (mostly) and it turned out great!!!!
First, I have to tell you, I NEVER eat plain yogurt. Ewwwww. No way! My friend said the same, but after making her own, she does eat it plain...hmmmmmm. Seems like it's worth a try.
We discussed her yogurt making process...I took mental notes. A few days later, I decided to give it a go...and it worked!! It worked great!!! AND, I really feel like I could enjoy this yogurt plain. (Although I have no real intention of eating it that way!!)
So, if you are like me, and want to save some money, know what you're actually eating, and are ready to try something new, here's the process!!!
I used whole milk, so that it's good for my 14 month old to eat. Plus, I LOVE whole milk.
First, I measured out 32 ounces of milk. Let this sit out for an hour or so to warm up a bit...makes the heating process not take so long.
Next, turn on your crockpot. Low setting. Keep the lid on (EMPTY)...just leave the crockpot on while you complete the heating and cooling process.
Put 2 Tbsp of plain yogurt into a small bowl with 2 Tbsp of milk mixed in. Let this sit on the counter to warm some while you heat the milk.
Heat the milk to 180 degrees in a heavy bottom saucepan, or a double boiler if you prefer. If using a pan, be sure to stir the milk occasionally to prevent scorching. I did this over medium heat (on an electric stove). The heating process probably took about 10-15 minutes.
While the milk is heating, fill your sink with cold water and toss in a couple trays of ice cubes.
Once the milk reaches 180, put the pan into the cold water bath in the sink. I poured the milk into a bowl then put that into the bath. Wait for the milk to cool to 110 degrees.
When the milk has cooled, mix in the yogurt/milk mixture.
Turn off your crockpot. Set the bowl of milk and cultures into the crockpot. Put the lid on. Cover the crockpot with a large bath towel. I also added an extra towel on top. You want to conserve as much of the heat as possible.
Apparently the yogurt making cultures thrive at 110 degrees. They also like it to be very still. This was the hardest part for me, waiting and not disturbing. Probably the reason I chose to make the yogurt overnight.
My friend pours the milk mixture directly into the crockpot. I chose to use a bowl because I didn't want to chance overheating the milk. I used less milk than she does.
I let the mixture culture for close to 13 hours. I think 10 hours is the minimum. When I woke up and checked on it...IT WAS YOGURT!!! And it was tasty. When you're done culturing, vigorously stir the mixture and put into your choice of storage container. Put this in the coldest part of the fridge and let cool for a few hours.
I also plan on trying to make Greek-style yogurt. The only difference in preparation involves straining the finished product through 4 layers of cheesecloth for a 2 hours. Since I couldn't find cheesecloth at my local grocer, I didn't try this yet!! I do plan on doing this in the near future. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Until then, happy yogurt making. I'll keep looking for ways to save us moms money!!
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