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!

Eggnog French Toast

3/4 cup eggnog
1 egg
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
3-5 slices leftover French bread, whole grain loaf, challah, etc.
unsalted butter
maple syrup

Whisk together eggnog, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.

Soak bread on both sides in eggnog mixture. In the meantime, heat up a pan (cast iron is wonderful if you have it) and melt a large pat of unsalted butter. When the butter is bubbling, cook french toast until brown. Do in batches if necessary. Serve warm with maple syrup.