Yogurt: the end of store cereal, Part 2

Yogurt!!  Oh, love of my heart, yogurt.  I love this almost as much as homemade granola.  And this sealed the deal: the end of store cereal AND the end of store yogurt!!  What delight: stir in honey, fruit, granola, jam, cookies, or bliss plain.

So, I forget where the inspiration originated.  But this site is where I decided to go for it (it's just bonus that this girl is Azerbaijani)- and this is where I go when I forget the simple process (like when our power is out for a week and then we are on vacation for a week and I forget how to make yogurt, vacuum or do laundry).  Her method is fool-proof, mine is a little faster.  I do have trouble following instructions, I read for content and intent - I'm not hung-up on details ;)  SOO, I will trust that if you are a skeptic, you'll read her instructions.   The only thing tricky about yogurt is remembering it - if you leave it to get too hot or too cold, you just made cheese.  Which is also yummy.

Yogurt at home
1 gallon whole milk with no hormones added 
4 T plain yogurt (from store or last batch - greek or regular - just has to be alive - I've even scraped it from the top of a Dannon fruit-on-the-bottom) (hint: for scaredy-cats do 1/2 gal with 2 T)
whisk
candy thermometer

Choose your heaviest sauce pan - I like my big dutch oven that is heavy-bottomed and has a big heavy lid.  I want it to heat evenly and hold the heat.  Set your "starter" yogurt on the counter so it isn't so cold.  Pour gallon of milk into pan that is on your biggest stove-top burner.  Turn on heat as high as you can without scalding the milk at the bottom of the pan.  Stir with a whisk so it heats evenly.  Watch the temperature - turn it off and remove lid at 180 degrees.

If you are patient, turn on your stove's fan, whisk a bit and keep checking temp until it reaches 115.  If you are me, put some cold water and 2 trays of ice cubes into a plugged sink.  Set the open pan on top of the ice cubes and watch the temp fall!  Set it back on stove-top, or nearby (it's a heavy pot, be careful for sloshing) at 115 degrees.  Add some warm milk to your 4T starter to warm it up a bit.  Whisk that together then pour that into your full pan.  Whisk together side-to-side so the happy little cultures get to spread out and get busy.  Put your lid back (I store my hot lid in my little microwave so it stays warmer), drape a clean-ish kitchen towel over the top and either set it outside (because it's so very hot right now) or into your oven with the light on.  Your goal is cozy milk (as close to 110 as you can - so whisk that starter in quickly), for at least 6 hrs - 12 is lovely.

If you start this as you wash dinner-dishes, you'll have it done before you put the kids to bed.  Leave it in the oven until you are getting breakfast for the kids - it'll be ready!  My favorite is lifting the lid, seeing a nice big crack form in the yogurt as I jostle it to the counter.  I love scooping it into mason jars (or re-used spaghetti sauce jars) and watching the whey puddle up.  It will be firmer after it's cold in the frig.  You'll be amazed at the delicate sweetness as you lick your spoon.  I love to see the row of jars in the back of my frig - it is good for a month - only gets slightly more "plain" tasting as it ages.

My only "fail" was the time I tried it with raw milk.  Don't know what I did wrong, but I the morning unveiling revealed curds and whey?  I put it in my frig in cheese cloth, salted it, poured on a tiny bit of fresh cream and enjoyed the awesome old-fashioned cottage cheese.  Yum.  If it is too cold to culture properly, you'll need a gentle heating to 110 so you don't kill your yogurt cultures.  Or call them a helpful acid and make ricotta.  Yum again!

Questions?