Made Yogurt in my crockpot today....

I just put it in the fridge and it smells good at a fraction of the cost....

2L of milk $2.25
1/2 cup yogurt $0.50

Yeild... 4 large containers of yogurt that would retail at about $4.00ea so a savings of $13.25 in my pocket... I will let you know how it tastes tomorrow morning but so far so good. (The savings on the yogurt doesn't include how much my little ones yogurt is to buy.)

Here is the recipe I used.... Crockpot Yogurt with a couple of modifications...

Recipe is here:

The Ingredients.

--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. (Debbie recommends starting with whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt-making)

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)

--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring

--thick bath towel

The Directions.

This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.

I used a 4 quart crockpot. This is so exciting. My fingers are shaking!

Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.


Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. I did mango, strawberry, and blueberry. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

MODIFICATIONS:
I added 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons honey... I love vanilla yogurt.... oh I also added 1/2c. powdered milk to thicken it just before I was going to put it in the containers is when I added it to the crockpot.

I will also add I tried my hand at making hamburger buns... they are priced outrageous here... usually $2.99 for 8 of them... I made 16 of them for $0.55 today... for a total savings I figure of.. $5.43... quite the savings today in my favour.... Friday I am making bagels... I can't wait. I will post my hamburger bun recipe here shortly... probably tomorrow.... but it is a keeper.

*** Update... I tasted the yogurt this morning... it is good... I put a teaspoon of preserves in it and oh yummy is all I can say to describe it. Very yummy! Next time I will put a little more vanilla in it. ***