Homemade Yogurt is Worth the Wait

I remember the first time I talked to a friend about making yogurt.  She brought over some that she had made a few days ago and it was so amazing!  Honestly, I did not like yogurt until I tried hers.  It was sweet instead of sour, with an smooth texture.  This was a few years ago, since I am sure I was either pregnant with Dominic or Charis. 

Soon after this day I went out and bought some yogurt starter and set out to try my own batch.  I had a propane oven that would only go as cold as 170 degrees.  I spent a whole day heating up the oven, waiting for it to be 115 degrees and then putting my culture into the oven in a glass jar.  It felt like forever before there was something the kind of looked like yogurt.  Let me just say, my first batch was not so great.  I tried three more times, but gave up.

Then a month ago a friend and I were talking about making yogurt in a crock-pot.  This is appealing for so many reasons.  One can make more yogurt at once and one doesn't have to devote the oven to a whole day of yogurt making.  I also got a special yogurt thermometer, because I know the first times I failed at making yogurt, temperature was a big part of that. ( http://www.amazon.com/Yogourmet-105-LS-9619-Yogurt-Thermometer/dp/B000N23Q1A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400882785&sr=8-2&keywords=yogurt+thermometer)

The first time I made my own batch of yogurt I used White Mountain Bulgarian yogurt as my start.  This stuff costs almost seven dollars at our local food coop.  It worked well as a start, but I wanted a texture just slightly less lumpy for my yogurt.  Plus, I wanted a slightly sweeter flavor. 

I went back to the yogurt start I bought a few years ago, I mean I bought a new packet of course.  Yogourmet yogurt start worked really well. 

So how do I use a crock-pot to make yogurt anyway?  I found this great website http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-make-yogurt-in-crock-pot

Then I tried to modify it to work with raw milk.  I only heated the milk to 115 degrees.  This takes one hour in the crock-pot on warm.  Then I added the starter or 1/2 cup of plain live cultured yogurt.  Stir it in well.  Then cover the crock-pot and put at towel over the whole thing.  In about three hours use the yogurt thermometer to check the temperature of the milk.  If it is too cold then put it on warm for about 30 minutes.  Watch it closely.  Turn it off when it is back to 115 degrees.  Then wait. If it is late I night I will just check it when I wake up and warm it up if need be in the morning.

Climates change how long this will take.  It could take somewhere between 6-24 hours to look like yogurt.  There will be some liquid (Whey), but you can save this to ferment oatmeal, bake in bread, or look up other uses.  You don't have to do much.  You can leave the house, but keep checking it when you think about it.  Then when yogurt is done stain it with a cheese cloth.  Then put it in glass jars and cool it.  I have read,  one should put it in the fridge for about 8 hours.  There are cultures that can make you sick if you eat yogurt warm in fermenting process.  Cooling the yogurt in the fridge stops the fermentation process.  Yes, this whole process can take two days.  It is not a quick food to make, but worth it.