You Can Make Yogurt in Your CrockPot!
From Stephanie O’Dea, New York Times author and blogger Stephanie O’Dea’s website or more direct link at Crockpot365 Blog
(Summarized here since blog post above is too hard to read and follow while in your kitchen! But her posting does have pictures for those of you who need them. And I thank Stephanie O’Dea tremendously – I love this simple way to make yogurt and have used it many times!! I recommend using organic milk and organic yogurt starter though. Note: I have never added fruit as noted here – I add fruit later when I eat it instead (save plain yogurt for starter though, for sure.) —Sheryl Sanchez, L.Ac.)
The Ingredients.
–8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk–pasteurized and homogenized is
fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. (Debbie recommends starting with
whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt-making)
–1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you
need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as
a starter)
–frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring
–thick bath towel
–slow cooker
The Directions.
This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.
I used a 4 quart crockpot. This is so exciting. My fingers are shaking!
Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.
When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.
Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.
Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.
In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened—it’s not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.
Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. I did mango, strawberry, and blueberry. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren’t a big deal, and will settle eventually.
Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.