Crockpot Yogurt

This recipe was a result of a mission. I was on a mission to create, in bulk, homemade organic yogurt for my family. We eat ALOT of it!

This is what I would buy. This organic 32 oz. container costs us $3.19 a pop. We were buying 2 of these a week, an average of $6.38 from our weekly grocery budget.

For this recipe all you need is a half gallon of organic milk (yeah for buying local!) @ $3.99, and 1 cup of plain organic yogurt @ $ .99. For $4.98 I can make 64 oz. of organic plain yogurt!

Pour the half gallon of milk into your crockpot, cover and turn on low for 2 1/2 hours. After two and a half hours have elapsed, turn off cooker, unplug from wall and allow to sit, covered, for three hours.

Three hours later, whisk in starter yogurt and re-cover. Cover/Wrap the entire crockpot with a large bath towel or blanket and leave on your counter for eight hours.

After eight hours have elapsed, the yogurt is done!

For convenience I decanted the yogurt into these 3 containers and stored them in the refridgerator. This makes a fantastic smooth yogurt with just the right hint of tang. It tastes better than anything I've ever bought.

I like it plain. The boys like it with a little bit of pure maple syrup or honey stirred in. We use it to make smoothies practically daily. If you like fruit in your yogurt just puree your favorite flavor and stir it in. We happen to have an abundance of blueberries so I'll often pull some from our freezer to use. One of our 7 year olds favorite breakfasts is to slice up a banana, put some of this yogurt on top and sprinkle with granola. Our family gives this yogurt a definate 5 spoons!

A couple of helpful tips:

Tip #1: Start this recipe early! This recipe takes 13 1/2 hrs. so timing is everything. I started ours around 6:00 a.m. and finished around 7:30 p.m. You could also start it around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. and it will be finished when you wake in the morning.

Tip #2: You can use your own organic yogurt (6 oz.) as the starter in the next batch instead of buying a cup at the store. This saves you a bit of money also.

Tip #3: Bake with it! If you have a recipe that calls for sour cream you can replace it with your homemade yogurt.