Homemade Yogurt
This is the EASIEST yogurt recipe ever. And I figure since Cinque is going grain-free right now and his food-intake consists of a lot of yogurt, it’s the perfect time to bring this back. We make about 4-5 gallons a week and use it for everything from salad dressings, to meat sauces, from breakfast shakes to desserts.
I had three gallons of soured milk in my refrigerator and I didn’t want to throw them away. And it worked and it worked and it worked. It didn’t matter how many mistakes we made or how many times we forgot about it and came back to it, it always worked.
Even when we ran out of plain starter and could only find vanilla starter at the store and even when we forgot about it for two days, it always worked. Yogurt is very forgiving.
It prevents the stomach flu. Well, hallelujah for that.
There are only four steps to this yogurt recipe, and even though there is a 12 hour wait time, there is only a five minute prep time. Also, if you compare recipes you will notice that I leave out some steps. I found them tedious and forgot to do them most of the time anyway. It didn’t matter though as the yogurt always turned out just as delicious as the other batches.
Heating raw milk over 115 degrees causes it to be pasteurized. For those who want to keep their milk below 115 degrees through this process: Put the same amount of milk in your crockpot, set the crockpot to low and stick a thermometer in it. Time it to see how long it takes to get to 110 degrees and make a note of it. Use this time rather than the 2 1/2 hours I have in the recipe below. Add the starter right away rather than waiting the three hours and cover with towels.
Whether you try the first or the second method, let us know how it goes.
Ingredients
1 gallon of raw milk
1 cup of starter (this is yogurt from previous batch)
Instructions
Pour milk into crockpot, cover with lid and turn on low for 2½ hours. (10 seconds)
Unplug and let sit for 3 more hours. (1/2 second)
Pour starter into crockpot and whisk well (about 20 seconds).
Replace lid, wrap entirely with two bath towels and let sit for 12 to 24 hours or overnight. (30 seconds)
Notes
For a thicker yogurt, when it’s done, skim the top layer of whey off of it with a ladle or spoon OR strain it by pouring the yogurt into a colander lined with a large coffee filter.