How To Make Your Own Yogurt At Home

One of the things I like to do is make my own yogurt at home. I really enjoy the freshness, and taste of homemade yogurt. I especially like the thicker, Greek-style homemade yogurt. I make and eat homemade yogurt for health and financial reasons, and because most pre-packaged yogurt is made with both sugar, and cow’s milk treated with hormones and antibiotics. Organic yogurt is available, but can be dear to purchase, especially non-sugared, non-fruited varieties. Once you learn how to make your own yogurt at home, you won’t want anything else!

I learned to make organic yogurt at home using this recipe for homemade yogurt.  You'll need a small amount of kitchen equipment including:

A food thermometer

A cooking pot large enough to hold the amount of milk you’ve put aside

A heating pad

A clean dishtowel or two

A clean spoon for stirring, preferably metal.

Several small containers, such as a jar or bowl (glass or metal preferred)

A larger container, such as a crockpot sleeve, terracotta pot or canner.

So, first things first. Everything you are using should be clean, dry and sterilized.  The heat softens the milk proteins and prepares them for bacterial growth while the other purpose is to keep the milk from growing contaminants. If you let the milk ferment longer than seven hours, your homemade yogurt will be thicker. We use 2% organic milk for our Greek yogurt because we like it rich and creamy. We top our homemade yogurt with fresh fruit, and sometimes honey if we want something less tangy. I have found that mini Ball jars (half size) are ideal for storing and transporting homemade Greek yogurt.  It will last about 7 days in the refrigerator, maybe longer.  It does not freeze well, in my experience.  I use homemade yogurt as a substitute for sour cream in many dishes and salads.
Let me know how it turns out!