Homemade Yogurt

I hope by now you have all become masters at the art of homemade granola and are ready to move on to the slightly more advanced skill of homemade yogurt making. While you can't really mess up granola, yogurt on the other hand has been a bit harder for Jon and I to master. You really have to make sure the temperatures are right and that you don't bump it or bother it while it is setting up. We used to make it on the stove and usually only about half of our attempts would set up. The others would end up as what is affectionately called "yogurt milk" at our house. It is actually still pretty good to eat on your granola-- it is just sugary flavored milk. And there is one infamous batch of yogurt which will be forever remembered as the "jello yogurt"... Jon tried putting Jello in instead of a packet of Gelatin-- it doesn't work very well just so you know. Anyway, I just discovered how to make yogurt in the crockpot and while it takes more time (it isn't labor intensive, you just have to let it sit longer) the yogurt has come out PERFECT every time and you don't have to add gelatin (which makes it cheaper). This yogurt is usually a little runnier than the type you get in the store --which is perfect for pouring over granola-- but if you want it to be more like the store types you can add gelatin.

Here is the link to the crockpot yogurt recipe I use. I usually add a cup of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla because I don't like plain yogurt. If you want to have fruity yogurt you just put the fruit on the bottom of the container that you store the yogurt in and then stir it up before you eat it. You can also mix jam or jelly into your yogurt to flavor it and that tastes really good. I did that every morning at breakfast when we were in Jordan and the Arabs thought I was really crazy, not to mention that I poured it over my corn flakes... I guess that isn't how you are suppose to eat Arabic yogurt :)

Also, here is a link to how to make it on the stove and in the oven, and here is how to make it in the microwave (I haven't tried that one yet, but our friend does it and he says it turns out fairly good). But these ways are a bit harder than the crockpot because you really have to keep track of the temperatures.

Making your own yogurt is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than buying it. I use about 3/4th of a gallon of milk (cost: abt $1.50) and the crockpot recipe fills 3 of the big 32 oz yogurt containers. I just save the containers from when I buy yogurt and then reuse them for my homemade yogurt. And since it doesn't cost as much you won't feel guilty eating this every morning for breakfast!

Ooh, yummy. Maybe I'll go have some right now.