A half-gallon of yogurt is too much!

Peach yogurt made with plain yogurt and Amish preserves.

About a year ago, I happened upon a few intrepid bloggers who had successfully made yogurt at home...in the crock pot.  This idea appealed to me immediately because it meant I did not have to buy a specialized appliance. So, I tried it and it really worked!  The only problem is that a half-gallon of milk makes a half-gallon of yogurt, which is an awful lot to eat in 7-10 days.

Even though I strain half of it to make "yogurt cheese" (can be used as a sour cream substitute), I was still tossing a lot of it.  I'm all for making all-natural, preservative-free, HFCS-free food, but it pains me to throw away food.  It feels actively ungrateful.  So, since I loved the homemade yogurt, I had to make about half as much.

Finally, I bit the bullet and purchased a small, 1.5-quart crock pot to make a smaller batch.  Yes, I realize that I went out and bought an appliance *just* to make yogurt, but at least it can be used for other things.  Incidentally, while reading the reviews, I realized I could also use this to make oatmeal/hot cereals overnight, so if anyone has a wonderful oatmeal/quinoa breakfast, please let me know. 

With the smaller crock, I had to tweak the timing slightly because it heats differently, but basically the milk needs to heat up to 180 (without boiling) and then down to about 112. You can either use a freeze-dried starter or some yogurt with active cultures, either from a batch you've already made or just some Dannon or Stonyfield organic -- as long as it says "with active, live cultures" it will work.  I have used both, but keep some Yogourmet on hand in case we've eaten up all the yogurt.  There will be no further mention of yogurt being allowed to spoil!

Yogurt is easy.  Pour one quart of milk (that's four cups) into the small crock.  One of these days I'm going to start using liters and grams and see if anyone notices.  Turn it on Low for 3 hours, then unplug and turn off for 2 hours.  Remove about a half-cup of milk to mix with your starter.  The Yogourmet is premeasured for one quart.  If using yogurt, use about 1/4 cup.  Whisk those together well, then add back into the crock and whisk well.  Cover and let sit at least 4-5 hours, or overnight.  I did cover the crock with a towel, but I'm not sure it's necessary; I won't use it in the summer.  After it's thickened, refrigerate until cold, then pour off any whey.  If you like, you can further strain with a cheesecloth-lined sieve for a thicker yogurt.  You can also add some powdered milk when you add the starter for a thicker end product.  Experiment!

Line a mesh strainer with cheesecloth, add yogurt and fold remaining cloth gently over the top.  Let sit in fridge for a few hours or overnight and enjoy a thick, Greek-style yogurt that is hard to differentiate from sour cream.

I like to make this in the morning so I can put it into the fridge before bed.  If you're out of the house all day, you can certainly start it when you get home and add the starter before heading to bed...just remember to pop it into the fridge before you leave the next day.

I prefer low-sugar preserves to flavor/sweeten.  Trader Joe's has a great selection and Costco also offers an organic strawberry preserves with only 8g of sugar per tablespoon.  Vanilla is also a popular option.  If it's not sweet enough, I find that agave nectar mixes very easily with the yogurt.  Honey tends to solidify and sugar remains grainy.  

I haven't gone so far as to break down the "cost per portion," because Stephanie already did it! Making organic yogurt was $.02 per portion vs. $.27 per portion for YoBaby....that means YoBaby is almost 15 times more expensive than homemade and you can make it lactose, casein, dairy, soy, gluten, and any other allergen free.