Healthy Homemade Yogurt

by Heather
(Southfield, MI)

I don't think anything is better than homemade yogurt, made from fresh whole milk! You can easily make yogurt while homeschooling and the family will love it! :)

To make homemade yogurt, you will need yogurt starter or some really good plain yogurt with live active cultures. For my first batch of homemade yogurt, I used Trader Joe's plain organic whole milk yogurt as my starter, but you can use whatever kind you like.

Recipe:
7 cups milk
1 cup powdered milk
4 heaping tablespoons of plain yogurt
(or follow the directions on your yogurt starter)

1. Heat the milk slowly until it just starts to boil. You can whisk in the milk powder while the milk is heating. I add powdered milk to our yogurt because it produces a thicker yogurt. If you like runnier yogurt, you can eliminate the milk powder. I found bulk organic milk powder through our food co-op, but you can use any kind you like.

2. Cool the milk until the temperature falls between 118-120 degrees.

3. Take the scum off the top.

4. Spoon out a cup or so into a clean bowl.

5. Add the 4 tablespoons of culture and mix well.

6. Add the remaining warm milk and stir well.

7. Pour into a clean mason jar or any large glass container with lid.

8. Wrap with a couple of large, old towels.

9. Put it in your oven or someplace warm where the temp will remain constant and undisturbed. (You do not have to heat your oven. If your oven is cold, you could warm it up a bit before placing the yogurt in it, but be careful - you do not want to cook your yogurt or damage the live cultures.)

Warning: If you use your oven, put a large sign on the front. We have set fire to our towels and almost cooked our yogurt accidentally more than I would like to admit. :)

10. Wait overnight or approx 8 hours.

11. Refrigerate when done!

12. Don't forget to keep some aside for your next batch of yogurt.

We add fruit preserves to our yogurt but you can add some fresh fruit with a little sugar, or honey to sweeten yours up.

For Greek-style yogurt, remove the whey by letting the yogurt drip through cheesecloth.

Fresh, homemade yogurt! It's delicious, healthy and costs less than store-bought. You can make this while homeschooling and the family can help too!

For Guaranteed Yogurt Success: Download a free ""Warning Sign" to let your family know you're making yogurt. :)