Made yogurt!

I've recently gotten into the groove of having some yogurt every morning. After a while, it starts to get a little pricey. I don't need anything fancy. Just some plain yogurt mixed with a small amount of fruit, or sugar, or maple syrup will do for me. What really cinched the decision to make my own was when I found out that many of the commercial nonfat yogurts contain gelatin, which isn't very good for my vegetarian practice. So this past weekend, I decided to try making my own yogurt! It was surprisingly easy!

First thing you'll need is a pot to make your yogurt in, and a thermometer and metal stirring spoon. Then you'll need some room-temperature milk. It can be whole, part skim or skim milk. Keep in mind that the fattier the milk, the thicker the texture. Next, you'll want to have some room-temperature yogurt with live, active cultures.

In the pot, heat the milk to 185 degrees F to kill any unwanted bacteria, stirring constantly. If you're using nonfat milk and would like to try for a thicker consistency, you can keep the milk at this temperature for about 30 minutes to boil off some water. Then take the pot off the heat and let the milk cool down to 110 degrees F. This is a good temperature for yogurt bacteria to grow. Place the pot near a heater or on a heated pad. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of your yogurt. Then you just keep the pot covered and warm and wait for at least 7 hours. The longer you wait, the tangier and thicker the result. If you see any greenish stuff on the surface, it's okay. Just leave it alone and once it's done, stir to mix everything together evenly.

Once you're satisfied it's done, stir vigorously to mix everything, then pour into containers and leave in the fridge overnight. It will thicken a bit more once it's chilled. The yogurt will keep for about 2 to 3 weeks. Remember to save a few tablespoons of your yogurt for your next batch!