Homemade Yogurt

On one of my discussion boards, someone was talking about going on the Fruit and Yogurt Diet. Then, there are 12 posts saying how unhealthy it is. It isn't. It is commonly what is used, with some additions, for someone with their jaw wired shut. One thing you do need though is yogurt. Lots of it. It is SO easy to make yourself that the only problem is having the room in the fridge to keep it cool once it is done. I prefer vanilla yogurt (plain, no fruit). But I also adore smoothies with a variety of fruits and flavors!

Making Homemade Yogurt by the Gallon

Equipment:
Thermometer
8 quart stainless steel stock pot (thin wall is better)
Heating pad
1 gallon whole milk
Either yogurt starter or small container of any yogurt at grocery store.
Cutting Board

Pour the gallon of milk into the stock pot. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until temperature reaches 120 F. Turn it off. Let it cool until temperature is between 108 to 112 F. Add the container of yogurt (you can take a little out for a snack). Stir well. Place a cutting board on counter. This will protect your counter from heat damage. Place heating pad on top. Place stock pot on top of that. Turn on low and cover. Monitor. Is it maintaining the temperature between 108 and 112? If not, turn to medium. Cover and leave overnight. It needs a good 12-18 hours of incubating. Once done, you have yogurt. Not the firm stuff you have at the store (they use stabilizers), but absolutely perfect for smoothies! Sweeten to taste using whatever you want. If you would like something firmer, put several layers of cheesecloth into a colander set into a bowl. Add as much yogurt as will fit. Let it sit for a few hours to drain. It does not have to be refrigerated during this process.

You can save out 1 cup amounts of yogurt and freeze it flat in a 1 quart Ziploc to make later batches. Unthaw the yogurt prior to heating your milk.

The reason why you heat the milk and then cool it is to kill off any bacteria that may compete with the yogurt culture. You don't need a double boiler. Just keep the heat low. Occasionally, you'll get a little milk burn in the center, but it doesn't affect flavor. If you just can't get your heat down far enough (my sister who has propane can't), then place a trivet on the bottom of a wider pan, add several inches of water and you have a double boiler. The advantage of using a thin walled stock pot is that the heat from the heating pad gets right through. I have not tried it with a Caphalon stock pot--the thickness may require the medium heat on your heating pad. You can use 2% or skim, but frankly, I didn't like the flavor or texture as much.

Oh, and if you are interested in doing a Fruit and Yogurt diet, make sure you use WHOLE MILK to have enough fat to prevent a blood sugar spike and add raw or pasteurized egg to your smoothie to increase the protein. I would also add a veggie salad: crisp veggies with salt and pepper, no dressing.

Now, Alton Brown (Good Eats) uses a slightly higher incubation temperature. Not sure what the advantage is, but I'm giving you the link because his Thousand Island Dressing using yogurt is pretty good too. He uses 2%.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_19495,00.html

If you want to know about the history of yogurt and some of it's uses, here's a great link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogurt