I've always been excited by the prospect of making pantry staples from scratch.  I love exploring in the kitchen, but there are only so many meals and baked goods one family needs.  As yogurt is one of my favorite foods, and one I eat often, it was seemed natural to try it from scratch.  Thus my journey into yogurt making.

The process of yogurt making isn't hard, but does require some time in the kitchen watching the thermometer.  I usually try and do the dishes or clean the counters, nothing too involved that will get me distracted from checking temperatures.

For setting yogurt, there are many techniques.  I use a yogurt maker that keeps a consistent temperature.  I've read about other methods using the crock pot or the oven.

I really like my yogurt maker, though I wish I had chosen a different model.  I don't find myself using the individual containers and wishing I could making larger batches at once.  It still does a great job at keeping the yogurt at a consistent temperature.  I'm particularly interested in the Dash Greek Yogurt Maker, which claims it can produce 2 quarts of greek yogurt in one batch.  Maybe someday I'll trade up!

Homemade Yogurt

4 cups of milk (I use whole)
1/2 cup of store bought yogurt

Bring 4 cups of milk to 170 degrees slowly over medium heat.  Watch your thermometer carefully, you do not want the milk to come to a boil.

After milk comes to 170 degrees, take it off the heat and let cool to 108-112 degrees.  I usually place my milk in a small cool water bath to help it quicker get down to temperature.  Combine 1/2 cup of yogurt with a small portion of the milk.  You want the yogurt and milk to be a smooth consistency to mix back into your larger pot of milk.  Mix together milk and yogurt mixture

Place your milk into a preheated yogurt maker for 8 hours.

Strain yogurt in a cheesecloth, to produce greek yogurt, if desired.

Sources on yogurt making

• 101 Cookbooks
• Annie's Eats
• The Kitchn