make your own yogurt!

Lula eats a lot of plain whole milk yogurt, but it really starts to add up especially if we buy the organic kind! So, one day I tried making yogurt myself. It's really very simple and if you use organic whole milk, then it's just like the expensive stuff you can buy at Whole Foods but for a fraction of the cost!!

Here are some of the materials and ingredients you will need:

1 quart of milk (we use whole but 2% or skim would also work)

1/4 cup nonfat instant dry milk

2 Tbs plain yogurt (to use as a starter)

Candy thermometer (probably any type of food thermometer would work!)

Glass jars (just reuse those old salsa and mayo containers)

1. First, you need to scald the milk in order to kill any bad bacteria. Pour all of the milk into the glass jar(s) and microwave for about 3 minutes. Stop every minute or so to stir and check the milk's temperature. Your goal is for the milk to be at about 180-185˚ F.

2. Once the milk has reached the desired temperature, you now need to cool it down to about 112˚F. I just stick it in the fridge for about 45 minutes. Check the temperature after about 30 minutes just to make sure. You don't want it to go below 90˚!

3. Now you need to add 1/4 c nonfat dry milk as well as 2 Tbs room temperature plain yogurt. When you are getting to the end of your yogurt, save a few Tbs to use for your next batch!

4. Next, you need to incubate the yogurt to make the cultures grow. The goal is to keep the yogurt between 90˚-120˚F, but the closer you can stay to 112˚F the better. There are many ways to incubate. I have found the crockpot to be a great one! I turn the crockpot on low and fill it about 1/2 with water. I usually do this while the yogurt is cooling in the refrigerator. Then, I turn the crockpot off, and stick the jars in the water and put the lid on. I also wrap the crockpot in a towel to seal in the heat. Check every hour or so, and if the yogurt temperature is starting to get too low, turn the crockpot back onto low for 5 min or so to heat it up a bit.

The yogurt needs to incubate for at least 5-12 hours. The longer you incubate, the more tangy the yogurt will be. If you want a milder tasting yogurt, incubate for 5-6 hours.

There are many other ways to incubate your yogurt! I have tried putting hot water in a cooler along with the jars of milk. In the summer, I have set it outside in the sun. You could also turn your oven on low, then turn it off right

before you stick your yogurt in! As long as it stays at that 90˚-120˚F range, you are good to go!!

5. After your yogurt has incubated, refrigerate for a few hours to let it set up.

6. When you are all finished, you should have thick and creamy yogurt!!

Try mixing your plain yogurt with honey, fruit jam, granola, almonds, maple syrup for a delicious and nutritious snack or breakfast. We mix Lula's with wheat germ and flax seed. I'm sure it's not too tasty, but she loves it and is getting tons of protein, iron and calcium!

happy yogurt making!!