Yogurt

I did something that I have wanted to try but has always made me nervous. I made homemade yogurt. I've looked up the directions on doing this several times but I was hesitant to make a dairy product that has to sit out so bacteria can grow. It was a mental block but I finally got past it.

Here is the final product, it turned out a lot smoother than I expected.

It tastes just like plain yogurt. Elee really likes it this way.

Ardon preferred it with flavor added so I sprinkled a little Jell-O over his.

It was a fun experiment and is supposed to be a lot better for you.

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I kind of combined recipes for our yogurt, here is what I did if you get ambitious and want to try making your own.

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You will need:

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4 c. milk (make sure it's not ultra pasteurized)

3/4 c. powdered milk

1-6oz yogurt cup with a distant expiration date

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Mix your milk and powdered milk well and put in a crock pot for 3 hours on low. After 3 hours take the crock out and let it set for an hour or so, until you can stick your finger in it but it feels just too hot for a bath.

At this point turn your oven on and preheat to the lowest temp it will go. Scoop out some of the milk and add it to the yogurt to temper it then dump everything back into the crock and mix well.

Turn your oven off and the oven light on, then place the crock with lid on in the oven and leave it alone. It will need to sit in there undisturbed for a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 12 hours, the longer you let it sit the tangier it will get from the live cultures. I let it sit for about 9-10 hours and it was just slightly more tangy than what I buy at the store. Refrigerate it.

You can also add fresh or frozen fruit to flavor it. It is supposed to last for 7 days in the fridge and you can freeze some of it to use as a starter for the next time.

If you decide to try it have fun and good luck!