Homemade yogurt! Cheap and easy!

Jason and I go through a lot of yogurt during the week, and I have recently found a recipe to make homemade yogurt on a blog I read called The Frugal Girl and she makes 4 quarts and they go through a quart a week.  I decided to give it a try after talking with my sister-in-law Holly and my friend Bridget who are also planning on trying it.  Holly actually did hers in a crockpot, but used soymilk...hers turned out good...we shall see how this turns out. 

First you will need a gallon of whole milk...if you want to make only two quarts, use a half gallon.

Next, you will need a starter...I tried to find a good starter at Fareway, but wasn't very satisfied with their selection of yogurts.  This one seemed like a viable canidate...it probably should have been a vanilla kind or something like that...but whatever. Make sure you use a name brand cup since off brand don't seem to work very good.

You will need 4 quart jars for a gallon or 2 quart jars for a half gallon. 

Sanitize your jars by placing them upside down with lids in a pan of water about an inch high.  Let them boil for 10 minutes...on The Frugal Girl, she said running them through the dishwasher will work just as well...alas I am dishwasherless:(

I purchased a candy thermometer to be able to see the temp of my milk as I heated it which is the next step.

Next, you need to heat the milk on the stovetop up to between 185 and 195 degrees.  This took about 15 minutes.  I gave mine a stir every once and while to keep the heat moving throughout.

Next you will need to remove the pan from heat and place into cold water in the sink and let it cool down to 120 degrees.  Next you will mix in your starter yogurt into the 120 degree milk.  Make sure to whisk in good to ensure the starter is dispersed evenly.  (If you want to make vanilla flavored yogurt, add in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sugar and a few tablespoons of vanilla at this point as well.)

Next pour into jars and scoop off the bubbles on top of the jar.  Then put the lid on and place into a cooler.  You will then need to heat one gallon of warm water to 120 degrees and pour into the cooler and shut the lid.  Let the yogurt sit for 3 hours in a warm area. 

Take out of the cooler after the 3 hours, and place in the refridgerator.  The yogurt will get harder after sitting in the fridge for a few hours.  An opened quart will last about a week in the fridge, and unopened will last about a month.

Here is my finished product with some fresh strawberries...I'm not sure why, and maybe it's because it was my first time making it, but the consistency was kinda weird...I may have jumped the gun on waiting for it to get cool before puttin in my starter or something along those lines.  Not sure...hopefully next time it will not be such a weird consistency...it still tastes great!

Mmmmmm.....creamy and cold!  LOVE IT!

I think I will continue to make this...it could save us a lot of money actually!  I think it cost $4 to make this batch...not to shabby!  Try to make it and tell me how it turns out!

Here is the recipe, courtesy of The Frugal Girl...

Ingredients

1 gallon of milk
1 cup yogurt starter(you can use a small cup of plain Dannon or Yoplait yogurt, or you can use a cup from your previous batch.)

1. Place four quart glass canning jars, four lids, and four screw-tops in a large pot. Fill with an inch of water; cover with lid and heat to boiling. Boil for ten minutes. Leave the lid on the pot and move it off the heat until you are ready to use the jars.

2. Pour one gallon of milk into a large, heavy bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat the milk to 185-195 degrees Farenheit(90-90 Celcius).

3. Place the pot in a sink filled with cold water and let the milk cool to 120-130 degrees farenheit(50-55 degrees celsius)

4. Stir one cup of yogurt starter into the cooled milk, using a whisk. Stir well to ensure that the starter is thoroughly incorporated into the milk.

5. Pour the milk into jars, and put the lids and bands on. Place them into a cooler.

6. Heat one gallon of water to 120-130 degrees F(50-55 degrees C) and pour into cooler.
7. Shut cooler lid and leave in a warm place for three hours. When the three hours are up, place the yogurt in the refrigerator.