Plain Yogurt

-Gallon of whole milk (do not use lower fat)
-1 container store bought plain yogurt (for your starter)
-Thermometer
-Heating pad
-Towels
-Gallon container

Pour milk in large pot and heat slowly. I turn up the heat in 3-4 minute increments. Stir constantly once milk reaches 90 degrees to avoid burnt milk forming on the bottom of your pot. Bring milk to 180 degrees, stirring constantly..

Take off heat and dump your ice cube bin from your freezer in your sink and set pot on top. Every 5 minutes or so stir the milk releasing any heat and cooling it a little quicker.  Bring milk down to 100 degrees. This will ensure you don’t kill all of the cultures in your yogurt starter, the store bought yogurt you bought. Pour into clean container, add your starter and stir gently mixing thoroughly.

Put container on heating pad and completely cover it with towels letting no light in. My heating pad has a 1 hour shutoff so I do this during the day.  After 6 hours leave alone covered overnight for the little protein thingies to do their thing. In the morning, put container in the fridge and chill all day. I do this before work. When you come home, gently stir and you have yogurt!!

If you want Greek style yogurt, I line a strainer with coffee filters and pour in my yogurt and let sit in the sink over the drain. The whey will drain away leaving behind Greek yogurt.

Note: your yogurt will look curdled and a tinge of green slightly before you stir it. That’s OK! It just means it worked.

drum roll please…….

wait for it…….

VOILA!!!!