Okay, it is finally time to share this recipe. I grew up eating quite a bit of yogurt, and discovered Greek yogurt sometime in highschool. This recipe has forever spoiled me for store bought yogurt! Add a little bit of homemade jam or jelly, some fresh fruit, or granola, and it makes an excellent and healthy breakfast or snack.

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk

1 cup plain Greek yogurt with live cultures

Instructions:

Heat milk in a crockpot on high for 3 hours. Turn off the crockpot and let it sit for 3 hours. Whisk in the cup of yogurt and wrap the crockpot in a towel to keep it warm. Let it sit for approximately 8 hours. At this point, the yogurt is edible, but will be pretty liquidy. If desired, line a collander with a cheesecloth or floursack towel, place it in something to catch the liquid, and ladel the yogurt into the collander. Let it sit until enough whey has drained out that you like the consistency of the yogurt. Spoon finished yogurt into jars and store in the fridge. Recipe yields approximately 2.5-4 quarts of yogurt, depending on how much whey you drain off.

Tips:

When I make yogurt, I prefer to cut short the fermenting time to about 6 hours instead of 8 and then put the whole thing in the fridge until I can get to the next step. Cutting short the fermenting keeps the yogurt sweeter, rather than tart or bitter. It will still thicken up a bit, but the flavor will be milder.

When I’m ready to drain the yogurt, again depending on how pressed I am for time, I’ll let the yogurt drain in the fridge or on the counter. The longer it drains, the thicker the consistency. This batch, I let drain for about an hour on the counter.

I wish I could remember where I first got this recipe, to give them credit, but it is a recipe I have enjoyed for probably close to 7 years and I don’t remember where it came from. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do!