Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Homemade Yogurt in Crock Pot

After one of our batches of yogurt failed we've updated our recipe for no failure.  Please click on over to our post on Homemade Yogurt to get the updates!
Homemade yogurt in crock pot,  Homemade yogurt in slow cooker.      
Homemade yogurt in crock pot,  Homemade yogurt in slow cooker.
Homemade yogurt in crock pot,  Homemade yogurt in slow cooker.
Ingredients 
4 cups of Milk~  for thicker yogurt use whole milk 
1/2 cup dry (powdered milk but I used 3/4 cup) 
1/4 cup plain yogurt with live yogurt cultures as a starter.  I used Greek Yogurt

Step One~  Place milk in pot and heat up till milk is almost boiling which is 180 degrees.  You don't neccesarily need a thermometer for this but I like to be sure.  When the milk is just starting to boil in the middle of the pot then it's at the right temperature.  Cover.  

Step Two~  Let sit for approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Here's where using a thermometer is handy.  Your milk should be at 110 degrees.    

Step Three~  Remove 2 cups of the yogurt and put in seperate bowl..  Whisk in 1/2 cup powdered milk and 1/4 cup yogurt.  Whisk well.  Place back in crock pot and whisk again.  Cover crockpot with a towel or a blanket to hold in heat and let sit for 8 hours. It's important to keep your pot in a draft free place.  On my second batch we left the kitchen door open and my yogurt was a failure.  The BEST place to keep your yogurt is wrapped up in towels and place it in your oven after you have removed the racks so it can fit.  

After 8 hours you should have yogurt.  You can put the yogurt in jars or tupperware and refrigerate.  If there is any seperation of yogurt and whey you can take off the whey and throw it away or use it in bread recipes in place of water.  Whey will stay good in the refrigerator in a glass jar for a few months.

This is unsweetened yogurt so I've added a bit  lot of honey.
Homemade yogurt in crock pot,  Homemade yogurt in slow cooker.
And some chopped pecans.  I like texture!  I should have added fruit~ next time!
Homemade yogurt in crock pot,  Homemade yogurt in slow cooker.
Homemade yogurt in crock pot,  Homemade yogurt in slow cooker.
Save 1/4 cup of your culture for your next batch.  You can even freeze the yogurt since the good bacteria is not killed by the cold temperatures.  

The one struggle I had to get over about eating homemade yogurt was that I knew exactly how long a milk product sat unrefrigerated.  11 hours!  I'm paranoid about food going bad coupled with food poisoning so it was a big hurdle for me honestly.  I've been eating this yogurt for 2 days now and I can't wait to try it with fruit smoothies.  

9 comments:

  1. Looks so good. The kids and I love yogurt so I may have to give this atry. Thanks for sharing and I know how good yogurt is for a person. Enjoy.

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  2. I really want to try this! I will probably wait until my summer break though so I can be home all day to do it. It looks so yummy with the honey and nuts!

    Blessings, Vicky
    Life On Willie Mae Lane

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    Replies
    1. It does take a bit of time to whip up! I hope you like it too! It's definitely cheaper and healthy too!

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  3. This is a new one to me!

    Big Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

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  4. That looks great! Thanks for sharing this on The HomeAcre Hop! See you Thursday on the next hop!
    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/04/the-homeacre-hop-13.html

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  5. Hello,
    Thanks for posting,I wonder why your recipe calls for adding Powdered milk?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not a neccesary ingredient but I've read that it makes for a thicker yogurt.

      thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

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