Homemade Yogurt

Deliciously creamy homemade yogurt from the slow-cooker/crockpot!

INGREDIENTS:

- 8 cups of whole milk

Pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do not use ultra-pasteurized. It is recommended to start with whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt-making.

- ½ cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt

You need to have a starter - once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter.

- Frozen or fresh fruit for flavouring, optional

- Thick bath towel

DIRECTIONS:

This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a day when you are home to monitor.

• Plug in your crock pot and turn to low. Add all of the milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 ½ 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 warm milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in ½ cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then pour the mixture 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.
• 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.
• Blend in batches with your favorite fruit if desired.
• If you prefer a thicker consistency, place a cheesecloth or coffee liner over a sieve and pour in the yoghurt. Put the sieve into a bowl, cover and put in the fridge. Allow to sit until your yogurt has reached the desired consistency. Stirring the yogurt causes it to go runny again, so don't handle it too much.

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.

Count ½ C of yogurt as 1 dairy.

Recipe courtesy of www.stephanieodea.com