Take this:
Put it in this:
To make this:
Yummy, creamy homemade plain yogurt made in your crockpot!
I know Karen posted a great yogurt recipe here, but I'm an absolute chicken when it comes to measuring temperatures with a thermometer. I go for easy. Seriously easy.
Here's the secret recipe, which I adapted from the one found here. You can easily 1/2 this recipe for a smaller family, or one that doesn't eat as much yogurt as we do.
Homemade Crockpot Yogurt
1 gallon whole milk (I've only used whole, but this week I'll be trying it with 1%, I'll let you know)
1 cup store bought plain yogurt with live cultures (or if you've made it before keep a starter)
frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring
crockpot
blanket or large towel
I typically start this process mid-afternoon. This allows me to do all the steps before I go to bed and I wake up to a crockpot full of nice creamy yogurt. Trust me, it's the best way - unless you want to get up really early.
Turn crockpot to low.
Pour milk into crockpot.
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.
Leaving the crockpot lid on, unplug crockpot and let sit for 3 hours.
After 3 hours scoop out 4 cups of the milk and stir in one cup of yogurt starter/store-bought plain yogurt.
Pour mixture back into the crockpot and stir.
Put lid back on crockpot, leave it unplugged, and wrap the entire crockpot with a heavy towel or blanket to insulate.
This is where you can go to bed for 8 hours...or you can just wait.
After 8 hours you'll have yogurt. Easy, eh? It is thinner than store-bought yogurt, but it has all the same nutrients with less of the bad stuff, like sugar. If you want, you can add a packet of unflavored gelatin after you add the starter to thicken it up more. You can also try adding some powdered milk to thicken it.
You can blend fruit into the yogurt after it sets up. I keep mine plain and add flavorings upon serving it.
The yogurt will store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Remember to keep 1 cup for a starter.
