Greek Yogurt or Your Favorite Yogurt

I just discovered how easy yogurt is to make! Considering that Greek yogurt is about $1 for 8 oz or less this is really quick and easy to do! You get slightly less than the 2 quarts of yogurt, but the whey that you strain off is good for Sour dough tasting bread or pancakes. The slightly thicker stuff that is strained off can be used as a Keifer type dressing base. 

2 qts of milk
2 Tbs of your favorite yogurt ( unsweetened and unflavored)

You can use any kind of milk from whole to nonfat. I suggest letting the lower fat content milks ferment for a longer period of time. 

Heat the milk over very low heat. The temp should not be over 110^. Its best to use a candy or digital thermometer to make sure its not too hot. Remove from heat stir in the yogurt.  Whisk in in well. Cover with a good tight lid. You need to place it in a warm place. The source I got the recipe from said that you could wrap it tight in a towel, and place on a heating pad set to low. I preheated my oven to 150^ while I was heating the milk, and then turned it off so it was cooling when I placed the yogurt mixture in the oven. The recipe source said that you could place it on top of your refrigerator, or if you have a gas stove just place it in the oven the pilot light keeps it warm enough.  Keep it covered and leave in warm place for 8-12 hours. 

Now the yogurt. You want to read the label. Make sure that the yogurt you are using as a culture has no additives or preservatives in it. Use your favorite store brand, but just make sure its a pure product. 

Once you have let the mixture "culture", you can strain it through a double layer of cheese cloth, or they make yogurt strainers you can buy.  The longer you let it culture, the more of the base mixture will thicken. 

Once you have strained it, you can add fruit, honey, natural sugars, vanilla, herbs, or what ever you like to the yogurt. I like leaving it plain and mixing the fruits in as I eat it. It was yummy!