I started making my own yogurt about 5 years ago when I was on a low
carb diet and wanted to control the sugar in my food. Once I got into
it, I really appreciated the fact that making our own food helps
reconnect us with lost traditions and reminds us where our food comes
from. Making your own yogurt is simple, saves money and allows you to
create your own custom flavor combinations…and it’s delicious.
To start, you’ll need milk. I’ve tried every type of milk from whole
to skim and recommend using at least 1% for making yogurt. Although I
usually prefer to drink skim, I’ve found that for making yogurt, it
doesn’t produce as good a texture as milk with some fat content.
You’ll also need a starter. This is a small container of yogurt you
can get from the grocery store. The starter can be from whole milk,
fat free or anything in between. Once you’ve started your first batch
of yogurt, you’ll be able to use the resulting yogurt as the starter
for the next batch and so on. For a half gallon of milk, use a small
contanier of unflavored yogurt (6-8 ounces).
Put the milk into a heavy saucepan or stock pot over low to medium
heat until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the milk into a
bowl, let it cool to between 120-110 degrees and add the starter, stirring to
combine. Place plastic wrap over the milk, punching several holes in
the top to vent. Wrap the bowl in a towel (I use a bath towel) and
set in a warm place. In 6 to 8 hours, you’ll have yogurt.
Once the milk has solidified, replace the perforated plastic wrap and
store it in the refrigerator. I usually chill the yogurt for several
hours before serving. It should keep at least a week to a week and a
half.
At this point, use your imagination for toppings. I love to sweeten
it with honey or maple syrup and mix in granola and/or fresh fruit. A
ripe southern peach sliced into fresh yogurt is excellent with a dash
of vanilla extract. Enjoy!
The Hungry Southerner 
I’ve made yogurt, too. I was doing it for the cost benefit. But, what I found out was that it really wasn’t too cost effective, especially with the rising cost of milk.
That’s interesting. I guess I figured a gallon of milk was still cheaper per ounce the packaged yogurt. Guess I’ll have to check labels. We have an awesome dairy interview coming up so maybe we will discuss it with them
I make 3 – 4 quarts of yogurt every couple of days for my wife and I – we eat a lot of yogurt.
We bought a Waring Pro Yogurt Maker and glad we did – makes yogurt making a cinch. Note: the yogurt maker will hold 4 wide mouth Mason or Ball jars – when you put the top on, just throw a towel over the top to close the opening between the top and the bottom of the unit caused by the taller jars.
Also, I just bought a gallon container which fits into the yogurt maker and that will make it even easier to make gallons of yogurt.
And I just made 2 quarts of Greek yogurt from an 8 oz container of Greek Oikos – paid 2 bucks for it at my local grocery store. At that price, a gallon of Oikos yogurt would cost $32 instead of the $4.00 I paid for the milk. Is that cost effective or what?
We are so excited about making yogurt that we started a website with lots of good stuff on it: http://mryogurt.info/
I suspect the reason most people give up on making yogurt is that they try to do it without a yogurt maker thinking the results will be the same. They rarely are. Using a combination of Activia and Bulgarian yogurt cultures, I regularly (no pun intended) have firm yogurt in under 2 hours with a personal time involvement of only 15 minutes.
Just sign me,
Bill –
Mr. Yogurt
i plunge the saucepan into an ice bath in the sink to speed the cooling, then i wrap it and place in the oven (off) for 8 hours so it can be at a constant, undisturbed temp. i make it before bedtime, so when i wake its ready to put in the fridge. enjoy!
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