How to Make Yogurt - Easy

Since we have purchased the dairy cow, I'm needing to use up more milk than ever. So I've pulled out a few recipes that use up that wonderful raw milk. For years, I thought yogurt was a complicated thing to attack but after a few tries, this is by far the easiest way, that I've found. It tastes so wonderful you'll kiss that store bought stuff good-bye.

I make a gallon (4 quart mason jars) of yogurt at a time but you can divide the recipe into smaller portions if you want. It keeps forever...well maybe not forever, but a long time so it's okay if it sits around a while. Of course, with this large farm family it doesn't last too long around our house.

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Here's what you need:

A large pot that four quart jars will fit into.

Four quart size mason jars

a thermometer

a small cooler

1 gallon of milk

8 Tablespoons of plain yogurt with active cultures

Fill the four jars with milk leaving about 2 inches of head space.

Place the jars in the pot and fill the pot with water. I usually fill the pot until the water is a little over halfway up the jars.

Bring the water to a boil and allow to simmer until the milk reaches about 180-185 degrees F. You'll see a "skin" develop on the top of the milk. That's normal. I usually stir a few time to distribute the heat.

Remove the jars from the pot and allow to cool to 110-120 degrees F. I set them on the counter until they cool to the proper temperature (which takes around an hour). Occasionally, I stir the cooling milk and check the temperature. If the milk is too hot when you add the cultures, you'll kill the bacteria, so be sure to let it cool enough...this is the hard part for impatient folks like me.

Once cooled, I add 2 Tablespoons of yogurt to each jar, very gently stirring.

Place the lids on the jars and set in the cooler*. Add hot tap water to the cooler until the water line is at the top of the jars.

The water may have to be replenished one or two times during the process to keep the yogurt incubating. I usually let my yogurt incubate around 12 hours, but have let it go as little as 6-8. The longer it goes, the better the taste (in my opinion).

Once the yogurt is finished incubating, remove it and let it cool in the refrigerator.

I like it plain. However, the farm kids like it sweetened, of course. I usually use honey or maple syrup to sweeten. We top it with fruit, granola, use it in smoothies, and I've even substituted it for sour cream in a few recipes. Try it, you'll love it!

*I've read of folks incubating their yogurt in the oven or microwave, but being as distracted as I am, I'm always worried I'll forget about it in the oven and preheat. So I chose the cooler method.

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