I've made yogurt for years using different methods (like with a mason jar, heating pad, and towel), but I've found the simplest way is to use my crock pot!
It takes a long time, but hardly any of that time is active work. It mainly has to just sit and grow its "critters" (what my dad has always referred to yogurt's bacteria as).
I've made regular old runny yogurt before, but lately I've been on a Greek yogurt craze, which adds an extra step (and yes, more time), but is so worth it. Just look at how thick this turned out:
What You Need:
1/2 gallon milk (I've been using raw, but see my comments about raw milk further down in the post)
2 Tablespoons plain yogurt (I used store-bought organic)
What You Do (For Raw Milk):
1. Make sure your crock pot is really clean. (get yours here)
Pour your milk into it and set your timer for half an hour and the heat to low. After 30 minutes, check the milk's temperature. You want it to be 110 degrees*. If it's not there yet, set the timer for another 30 minutes and check it again. Repeat if you need to, but I only had to heat it for an hour. Now that I know my crock pot takes an hour to get the milk heated properly, I'll be able to set my timer for an hour next time and not have to check the temperature.* The reason you want the temperature no higher than 110 degrees is because this will keep the healthy raw milk's bacteria alive in addition to the yogurt bacteria you'll be adding.
2. You can see that the raw milk has a scum layer to it, but it's easy to skim it off before proceeding to the next step. I'm trying to come up with something to use the scum for...
3. After the milk is heated, remove about a cup of hot milk and stir it in with the 2 Tablespoons of prepared yogurt in a small bowl. Once this is all mixed, add it all back into your crock pot and then whisk that in.
4. Wrap your crock pot in a towel and place it in the oven for 8-12 hours (I like to leave it overnight). This just holds in the heat and incubates it so the critters can grow.
5. If you like your yogurt runnier, then it's ready to eat. If you like thicker Greek yogurt, then strain the yogurt until it reaches your desired consistency. You can use whatever straining method you find easiest (cheesecloth, tea towel, etc.), but I use my chinois and I think it works the best! (get one here)
Use the leftover whey (liquid) to cook grains or beans. I used mine to make ricotta, but it wasn't worth the effort.
Add in whatever flavoring you'd like (fruit, nuts, wheat germ, honey). I usually just add a couple of drops of vanilla. This makes the yogurt seem sweet without any added sugar. G thinks it's great just plain, but she mainly requests it along with our yummy homemade granola.
This seriously made the best yogurt I've ever had and I loved how easy it was to make, but we have not been able to find any cheap raw milk yet, so it ended up being much more expensive than store yogurt. The minute we do locate an inexpensive raw milk source, this is how I'll make my yogurt. Until then, I'm going to have to use pasteurized organic milk, because then my homemade yogurt will be cheaper than you'll find at the store.
The directions are a bit different for pasteurized milk, but the good news is that it's even easier:
What You Do (For Pasteurized Milk):
1. Make sure your crock pot is really clean. (get yours here)
Pour your milk into it and set your timer for two and a half hours and the heat to low. Then go do something else.* The reason the milk heats longer when you use pasteurized milk is because you're basically re-pasteurizing it to make sure all bad bacteria are killed before adding in the good yogurt bacteria. You can do this with the raw milk, too, but you'll basically be pasteurizing your raw milk and killing all of its good bacteria. If you feel more comfortable with this method and you can get really cheap raw milk, then by all means, go for it.
2. Now you'll need to let your milk cool to 110 degrees before you proceed to the next step. This will probably take 2-3 hours, but you'll want to check the temperature every half hour or so to make sure it doesn't get too cool.
3. After the milk has reached 110 degrees, remove about a cup of hot milk and stir it in with the 2 Tablespoons of prepared yogurt in a small bowl. Once this is all mixed, add it all back into your crock pot and then whisk that in.
3. Wrap your crock pot in a towel and place it in the oven for 8-12 hours (I like to leave it overnight). This just holds in the heat and incubates it so the critters can grow.
4. If you like your yogurt runnier, then it's ready to eat. If you like thicker Greek yogurt, then strain the yogurt until it reaches your desired consistency. You can use whatever straining method you find easiest (cheesecloth, tea towel, etc.), but I use my chinois and I think it works the best! (get one here)
Use the leftover whey (liquid) to cook grains or beans. I used mine to make ricotta, but it wasn't worth the effort.
What do you think? Is it worth it to make homemade yogurt with raw milk? I'd love to hear! Leave a comment or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.
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