Homemade Yogurt in the Crockpot

I've always wanted to make yogurt at home, but I didn't want to buy another kitchen gadget. Thus I was delighted to find a recipe for making yogurt in a crockpot at A Year of Slow Cooking.

I tweaked the recipe a bit, and I was so pleased by the results. It's wonderful to wake up to a crockpot of creamy, yummy yogurt!

Best of all, this recipe is easy and economical. It took less than 10 minutes of hands-on time, and I made a half-gallon of organic yogurt for about $4.50. By comparison, my favorite yogurt sells for $15.98 for the equivalent measure.

What type of milk did I use? The original recipe calls for whole milk. I chose to use 2% organic milk, which happened to be on sale this week. Because the fat content is lower, I added powdered milk to thicken the yogurt. If you choose to use whole milk, you can leave out the powdered milk. A friend of mine uses raw milk for added enzymes to make her yogurt.

I used Yo'gourmet yogurt starter, purchased at Mother's Market. There are 6 packets in a box, and each packet is good for one quart of milk. (If you use another brand, please check the proportion it recommends.) I used 2 packets of starter for 1/2 gallon of milk. You can use 1/2 cup of store-bought plain yogurt instead. Dannon's is a reliable brand with active cultures. Once you make a batch of homemade yogurt, reserve 1/2 cup of your yogurt for your next batch, and keep the love going!
Crockpot size: I used my middle sized 4.5 quart crockpot, but I am planning to test out my larger 6.5 crockpot with a double batch.

Be sure to make this on a day when you are home and will remember to monitor the process.

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon whole or 2% milk
1/4 cup powdered milk, optional (see note above)
Yogurt starter OR 1/2 cup store-bought plain yogurt

Pour milk and optional powdered milk into crockpot and cover. Cook on LOW for 2-1/2 hours.

Unplug crockpot. Let milk sit in crockpot for 3 hours.

After the 3 hours are up, scoop out 2 cups of warm milk. Whisk in 1/2 cup of plain yogurt or yogurt starter. Pour back into crockpot. DO NOT STIR.

Wrap a large, heavy bath towel around the crockpot for insulation. Let yogurt incubate for 8-12 hours. (The longer the incubation, the tarter the yogurt and the higher the level of active cultures). Whisper sweet nothings to your crockpot. Optional, yes, but it can't hurt. ;-) I let mine incubate overnight for 9-1/2 hours.

Voila! Homemade yogurt!

I serve it chilled with drizzled agave nectar or honey, and chopped, fresh fruit. Sometimes I add slivered almonds. The kids have descended on the yogurt and only a tiny bit remains, so it's time to make another batch!