All of that yogurt was making a dent in our grocery bill, so I did some research and found out I could make my own!
The first batch requires a small amount of store-bought yogurt (just one cup) to use as a base, but after making that first batch, a base can come from the homemade yogurt that will already be on hand.
What you’ll need:
- One cup plain or vanilla yogurt
- One gallon whole milk
Here's how to do it:
- Slowly warm a gallon of whole milk (16 cups) on the stove top until it reaches 200 degrees, stirring often to prevent burning. Note: I usually make mine a half batch at a time so I only warm 8 cups.
- After the milk reaches 200 degrees, remove from the burner and set aside until it cools down to 110 degrees.
- Take the starter yogurt out of the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees, then turn it off.
- Once the milk is cooled to 110 degrees, take out a cup of the warm milk and mix with 6 Tbs of the starter yogurt for a full batch (or 3 Tbs for half batch) and mix well.
- Add the milk in with the rest of the warm milk and mix again.
- Separate it into single-serve containers (I use mason jars) and put them on a cookie sheet uncovered in the warmed oven for 6 to 8 hours.
After making that initial starter batch you can use your own yogurt as the starter for the next two batches you make. Then start over with a fresh yogurt. For best results use pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized milk.
This is a guest post by Sarah from Green Bay, WI
Find out more about the KCL Contributor Network!
