Homemade Yogurt

This probably will not come as a surprise to you but I kind of have a thing for yogurt. It started when I was in middle school, downing Gogurts like there was no tomorrow. Anyone remember those?? They were epic. Freeze 'em and they became even better.

Anyway, I grew up in a yogurt loving family. Our refrigerator could pretty much always be found with a slew of little containers. There was fruit on the bottom, whipped, and low fat. There was every brand imaginable (we basically bought what was on sale). One thing you would not find in that refrigerator was plain yogurt. The closest we ever got to that was vanilla. Because it was white.

Well, after reading French Women Don't Get Fat and hearing all about the wonders of plain yogurt I tentatively bought it from the supermarket, topped it with some honey and nuts, and instantly found a new best friend. That Christmas I got a yogurt machine and the rest is beautiful, live-culture history.

Homemade Yogurt

The base to yogurt is just milk and a yogurt starter. Sounds pretty simple, huh?

First thing you do is take the milk and put 42 oz into a high-sided sauce pan. Put the pan on heat and wait for it to either boil or reach 180 degrees.

Have you ever boiled milk? It's not really that fun. It goes from simmering to boiling over the side onto your freshly cleaned stove in five seconds flat. Therefore, I stood over it with a determined look on my face for ten minutes. My brother thought I was PMSing or something.

This is what your pan looks like afterwards. Have fun cleaning that.

After letting the milk come to room temperature pour it into a pitcher and add the starter. Whisk it gently until the starter is dissolved.

Grab your little glass jars (they come with the machine) and fill each one with the milk and starter mixture. Place each jar into the yogurt machine with their little tops off.

Place the large lid on top of the yogurt machine and then set the timer for seven hours. Do not move the machine for the duration of the incubation period.

Seven hours later.....yogurt!

Have any of you made your own yogurt?