Reply #1: My method. [View All]

[hippywife]

No fancy equipment needed. I bet you have everything you need in your house already.

Ingredients:
1 half gallon of whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 oz. of plain, unsweetened, full fat yogurt with active cultures as a starter

Equipment:
6 mason jars
1 canning funnel
1 cooler
1 heating pad
1 bath towel
2 dish towels

Fold the bath towel in the bottom of the cooler. Place the heating pad inside of the bath towel and turn it on high so it warms up while you prepare the yogurt.

Bring milk to a boil, stirring constantly, and then stir in the whipping cream. Allow to sit in a glass or stoneware bowl until it cools to 100 degrees. Skim the skin off. Place the yogurt in a small-medium bowl or large glass liquid measuring cup and stir until smooth. Ladle some of the hot milk into the starter and stir well to temper. Pour the starter back into the large bowl of hot milk and stir. Ladle into mason jars and seal. (You can sterilize the jars if you want, but I don't because it's eventually gonna go in the fridge and we eat this in a week's time anyway. Just make sure the jars are nice and clean. I leave about an inch or so headroom in the jar.)

Set the full jars on top of the bath towel in the cooler and cover with a couple more dish towels. Allow to culture for 5-6 hours--undisturbed--do not move it. I then set the jars on the counter for a few minutes so they will cool down a little before refrigerating.

You can halve this recipe if you want, you can even use non-fat yogurt but it won't be as creamy and it seems that some studies show that eating a full fat variety is good for you. You can cut fat elsewhere if that's your thing.

This makes the best yogurt. Bill won't start his day without it so I have to keep it made each weekend.

:hi: