Homemade Greek Yogurt

I love greek yogurt. It took some time and few different brands but I finally found a couple that I really liked.  My dr suggested I eat one for breakfast each day and my Tinker Bell and Hubby started eating them almost daily too. At .80 to over a dollar each it was starting to add up in our grocery bill.

Then I got brave.

I decided to make my own.

I've had some really great batches and some bad batches that I was able to turn into desserts....yum cannoli!

I've used cheese cloth to strain it and have had to pull the fibers out of my spoon before, despite that, I've gone back to cheesecloth.

Hubby got me one of those expensive chinois strainers. That ended up going back and I'm hoping the refund will go towards a bread proofer for my upcoming birthday. (a hint for my honey, when he reads this!)

The yogurt leaked through the strainer and my whey (the liquid that drains from the yogurt to make it greek yogurt) was ruined by the runoff of yogurt through the strainer.

I like to use the whey in my bread, soups, to cook pasta in, to mix the chickens' food with, mix in smoothies or for just about any recipe that calls for water or milk. So the fact that I was no longer getting that "liquid gold" was very upsetting to me. Back to Amazon the fancy strainer went and I'm using good old cheesecloth again. I am more gentle now when scraping the yogurt our of the cheesecloth so I don't get fibers anymore.

I've used the oven, heating pad and the electric oven to keep it a consistent heat while it's incubating. The oven so far is my favored method. But, I do hope to use the proofer if I get it for my birthday (ok, so one last shameless hint and here's a link too, honey).

I have used both the crockpot and stove top for heating the milk.  I prefer the stovetop, I always end up with a creamer, thicker yogurt but I use the crockpot when I'm just too tired to stir for 45+ minutes.

My method, that I have taken and adapted from research and experience:

• Pour 1/2 gallon of milk (you can use whatever % you'd like, I like whole milk) into sauce pan, or crockpot. 
• Heat to 180 degrees. If using stovetop, heat very slowly and stir constantly to avoid scorching the milk. The addition of a thermometer with a temperature alarm what a huge help too! 
• Allow the milk to cool to around 105-110 degrees.
• Add in 2-3 teaspoons of plain yogurt (either from a previous batch or from the store)
• Mix it in well.
• Cover and allow to incubate. 
• It should incubate at 100 degrees. I preheat my oven, with a thick towel inside for about 2 minutes, just enough to make it warm inside. (I have an electric oven, wouldn't suggest putting a towel in a gas oven) 
• Then I wrap my yogurt in the warmed towel and put in the oven, with the light on, overnight. 8-10 hours.
• I strain mine through a cheesecloth lined strainer for about an hour, so it'sn really thick. 
• Then I place it in a big bowl and using my whisk, beat it for a couple minutes to make it smooth. You can skip this step and either put in right in the fridge or place into individual containers. I use the 4 oz Mason Jars for individual servings. 

I actually love homemade yogurt plain but have used raw honey, granola, organic jelly, smashed up banana and pineapple to flavor it at different times.

Do you make your yogurt? What types of flavorings do you like? I'd love to get some new suggestions for our kitchen!