I found the recipe on A Year of CrockPotting.
Homemade Yogurt
8 cups milk - she suggests using whole milk, but we had a combination of 2% and skim so I just used what I had
1/2 cup natural, live/active culture, plain yogurt to use as starter
Plug in crock pot (4 quart or larger) and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
Unplug your crock pot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.
When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt (if you've used low fat milk, add 2 tbsp. dry milk powder as well to help it thicken better). Then dump the bowl contents back into the crock pot. Stir to combine.
Put the lid back on your crock pot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.
Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.
In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.
Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.
She suggests blending the yogurt in batches with your favorite fruit, such as mango, strawberry, and blueberry. I chose to leave it plain until serving. I went to try it the morning it was done - and go figure, Jeff had finished off the granola for breakfast before leaving for work. Phooey. So the kids and I ate it with some sugar and cut up fruit.
My yogurt did turn out quite a bit thinner than I expected. Part of that is just the result of it being homemade, I think. But I also think I should have insulated my crock pot better. I wrapped it in two towels - but only on the top and sides. Next time I think I would wrap it on the bottom as well. Or instead of towels, I could insulate it with our electric blanket, turned to low. Or just move it into our room for the night, because it's warmer there at night than in the kitchen. Lots of options available.
One quick note - if you make yogurt and it doesn't set up - DON'T THROW IT AWAY!! There's no sense wasting an entire half gallon of milk just because it isn't thickened. There are several fun ways to use over-thin yogurt. Mix it with jam and freeze as popsicles. Or just mix it with jam and drink it down like those amazingly overpriced drinkable yogurts. Use it in smoothies. Add to soup in place of milk or cream. I'll be doing some of these with my thinner-than-usual yogurt, as well as just eating it. And I think I need to make some more granola.
I remember this from a Year of Crockpotting. I like to use my machine, but this is an intriguing method. I'm glad it worked for you.
ReplyDeleteI made this a few weeks ago (from the same blog). I put an old flour-sack dish towel in my colander and poured the yogurt in there and let it drain for an hour or so until I liked the consistancy. My kids are currently used to flavored yogurt so I put some Jello mix in a container and let them shake a bit into their serving just before eating (this also excited them since they got to stir it and watch it turn blue :) ) Mine was a bit bitter, I think next time I will err on the side of a shorter resting time (mine was overnight for 8 hours, with sub-zero temps outside, so it probably didn't stay as warm as it should have)
ReplyDeleteTFS! I'll have to make it again when I make granola next.
I am IMPRESSED!
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting! Looks great.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to make a lot of yoghourt, married to a dairy farmer, we boiled the milk down to lose a third of its volume, eg 3 pints to 2,which made beautifully thick yoghourt, and no more wasteful than straining it. We used whole milk, but I have done it with shop bought skim, 2%.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea to make yogurt in a crockpot! With Jordan gone, the rest of us don't drink much milk, and I find we take a very long time to use just one gallon. The one in my fridge right now has the date of 2/2 on it!! Anyway, I'm excited to try making my own yogurt
ReplyDeleteCovered and placed in your oven with the light on over-night works, too. It's just warm enough.
ReplyDeleteIf you find the yogurt too thin for your liking whether it is setup or not - you can always run it through a coffee filter so the whey (liquid) strains out. You get nice Greek- style thick yogurt.
ReplyDelete