Another Step

The boy loves yogurt. That statement doesn't seem strong enough. The boy is so crazy about yogurt that I have to limit how much he eats. It is the first thing he grabs out of the fridge if he is looking for a snack.

We have been buying the little cups of yogurt for far too long. Not only are they too expensive, they are not good for the environment. The city won't recycle them even though they are 1 's and 2's. Guilt got the best of me and I have taken the plunge. I am now going to make my own yogurt regularly.

I have made it a couple of times, just to see if I could. I have made it both in an oven with the light on and in a cute little device called, oddly enough, a yogurt maker. Since it takes so long to culture, I have decided to stick with the yogurt maker so as not to occupy my oven. I have the one on the right. Of course, you can make it overnight, but I tend to get more done in the morning. That's when I get it mixed up and ready to go.

It's a simple recipe. It takes just a minute to heat up the milk before you pour it in the jars. Here is the recipe I use:


Homemade Yogurt

3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup powdered milk (you can omit this, but it makes the yogurt thicker and with a higher level of protein)
1 cup plain yogurt

Stir the milk and powdered milk together in a saucepan. Warm it to about 115 degrees, stirring occasionally.

Add about a tablespoon of the plain yogurt to each cup from the yogurt maker. When the milk reaches temperature, pour into cups on top of the yogurt.

Let the yogurt incubate for 6-10 hours.

And you have yogurt!

Of course, you may want to flavor it. I add some smashed up fruit with a little honey and stevia. It is best to stir this in after you incubate it. It will probably be a little thinner than you are used to buying in the store, especially if you use raw milk, but it tastes great and is so good for you.

Enjoy!