Yogurt Part II

So I tried the yogurt yesterday. It was fun to make, pretty easy, and overall pretty cost effective. The recipe from the link I posted yesterday makes half a gallon of yogurt, so it comes out pretty cheap per oz.
Instead of using the store-bought yogurt for cultures, I instead used a purchased culture mix from the health food store. It worked great! I used about 10 grams of culture and it came out just right. I also mixed in some gelatin to give it more firmness, since the mix itself is pretty much the consistency of a yogurt smoothie (which could be cool, also). I put in 6 packets of knox gelatine (the kind that come 4 to a box), but it was WAY too much. I recommend putting in about half of that- 2 or 3 packets. 4 at the most.
For sweetener I put in about half a cup of fructose, and I added about 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract for just a little punch of flavor. It was perfect. It doesn't need much sweetener because the vit. D milk I used was pretty sweet already. It balanced out perfect with the berry compote I had left over from the party this weekend, which I had used to top it.
Despite the fact that mine set up pretty hard, it is quite delicious. It has that rich, creamy flavor that you can only get from real, live culture yogurts. Since I got hooked on this style of yogurt in Mexico some years back I've gone crazy looking for it here in the states to no avail, so I'm ecstatic to finally know how to make it on my own. I'm also thrilled that I can cross "Yogurt Maker" off of my wish list, since it came out fine in the crock pot.
I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who likes the tart taste of real yogurt. In fact, I read that if you strain it through a cheese cloth the solids left over are pretty much exactly the same as Greek-style Yogurt, which is one of the principal ingredients in a lot of my favorite recipes.
So in case you missed it before, here it is again:
Recipe for Crock Pot Yogurt
--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. The higher the fat content, the thicker the yogurt will be. I mixed in some heavy cream with mine (like 2 cups) and it was FANTASTIC
--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) OR 10 g. freeze-dried yogurt culture
--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring
--THICK bath towel
The Directions.This takes a while. Start it early in the morning or 5-6 hours before going to bed. The best time to make your yogurt is on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.I used a 4 quart crockpot. 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 and stir gently to make sure there are no clumps on the bottom. 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 and 1-3 packets of unflavored gelatin (optional). 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. 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. If you added gelatin, this is when your yogurt will finally start thickening up. You can skip this step if you like and just leave your yogurt plain. For vanilla yogurt, mix in 1/2 c. sugar or sweetener and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. I prefer mine this way served with preserves on the side.
Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch, or add some more live cultures to your next batch (can be purchased at most health food stores).
-taken from www.crockpot365.blogspot.com, courtesy of Stephanie O'Dea. Visit her blog for more tips on how to make Yogurt in your crock pot and for lots of other yummy slow cooker recipes.
Happy eating!