I use to think making yogurt is a complicated process and it needed a hi-tech machine to make one until my middle eastern co-worker brought us homemade yogurt.
She taught us how to make our own yogurt by using only 2 main ingredients, milk and the yogurt she gave us as a starter. No machine needed, all you need is a thermometer, pot and sterilized jars.
Ingredients:
Fresh milk (depends on how much you want to make) I used 1/2 gallon of milk
1/4 cup yogurt starter (you can buy a plain yogurt as your starter)
1. Slowly heat the milk on a stove on medium heat until it reaches 180 degree F. This is the crucial part of the process, you have to make sure that the milk will not boil over.
2. Let the milk cool down to 108 degrees F, then slowly add your starter.
3. Put the yogurt into a clean covered jars.
4. From here , i've tried 2 different ways to do this step, the incubation process.
A. During winter time - Cover the jars w/ towel and place them by the heater vent for about 6 hours or until the yogurt starts to congeal.
B. Place your jars in a big container. Pour warm water around the jar until half of the jars are covered. Cover the entire container w/ towel and set them near your oven/stove or any place that's warm for at least 6-8 hours or unil the yogurt has congealed.
5. After 6-8 hours, transfer your yogurt into the refrigerator and it's ready.
