Yogurt @ Home

I am serious...making your own yogurt is so easy.  Very minimal effort.  You should do it just to say you did.  And save money. The big yogurts are $7 to $10 a pop and milk is $2.50 a gallon.

Let me direct you to Annie's Eats DIY Greek Yogurt post with detailed instructions and pictures.  Here is her DIY Yogurt Mix-Ins post which I have not tried yet.

Now if you want to see my lame pictures and helpful hints, keep reading.  I am noooo Annie.  


1. Heat 2 cups of milk to 180 degrees.  I chose whole milk because I am trying to give Wyatt to put on some elll-beees (that's lbs).  Once the temperature is up to 180, remove from heat and let the temperature come down to 110-120 degrees. Bringing the temperature back down takes a while.  Have patience.  Don't do this step right before you want to go to bed like me.  Mix milk with 2 teaspoons of a store bought Greek yogurt.  I chose FAGE 2%.

2. Time to incubate. Turn on your oven for just a minute to get it warm but not hot.  Turn on your oven light to add a little more heat.  The goal is to keep the liquid in the 110 to 120 degree range for about 8 to 12 hours.  I had one of the Pyrex thermal totes with a little heater pack in it.  I heated the heater pack for half the time recommended and then poured the liquid into the pyrex dish, wrapped it up,  and let it sit.  The other option is wrapping a bowl in layers of thick towels.  Let the bacteria do its thing over night.  I let mine sit for 11 hours.

3. Find a way to drain your yogurt.  There will be a bunch of liquid on top of and in the yogurt.  I happened to have cheese cloths, but you can use papertowels or some thin dishcloths perhaps.  Allow the yogurt to drip dry in the fridge for about an hour and then give it a good squeeze.

4.  Move the yogurt to a bowl and wisk it until nice and smooth.  Add your mix ins,  fruit, granola, honey, agave, vanilla, etc.  For me, I chose almond extract and honey.  I learned that almond extract in smoothies makes the smoothie taste like candy.  The same is true for yogurt.  Wyatt had his yogurt straight up and he REALLY LOVED IT.

I really do think I will repeat this recipe. Wouldn't it be fun to make home-made frozen yogurt from home-made yogurt?  I think so.