Thursday, June 13, 2013

Extremely Easy Homemade Crock Pot Yogurt!!! Yes, you can!

I love yogurt--alot. But with rising grocery prices, the price of yogurt has also gone up.  Then thanks to Pinterest, I found several recipes to make your own yogurt.  I didn't even know you could.  Although most of the recipes weren't exactly difficult , they just didn't fit my needs.  I didn't want to buy special equipment like a yogurt maker or bring a  picnic cooler inside to set in my kitchen.  Just not convenient.  Then I found a recipe for making yogurt in my crock pot.  Bingo!! I have 3 crock pots because I do a lot of crock pot cooking.

Yesterday I tried out the recipe I found.  I was skeptical but hopeful.   Well I wasn't disappointed!  It not only works, it works quite well.  I may never buy store yogurt again.

I know from what I've read you can use any kind of milk you wish--raw, organic, or pasteurized. Whole milk is probably the best since it will create the creamiest yogurt but I suspect you can use 2%.  I just haven't tried it.


So here's the recipe:

Crock Pot Yogurt

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon whole milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt ( it has to be plain AND with active cultures--read the label)

Supplies needed:
1 crock pot
candy thermometer
beach towel
big spoon or ladle
2 quart size mason jars

Directions:

1.  Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into the crock pot, put on the lid,  and set it on high.  The milk must reach a temperature of 180 degrees F.  This took my crock pot about 2 hours.  Use the thermometer to check.

2.  Once the milk reaches 180 degrees, turn off the crock pot, take off the lid, and let the milk cool to 115 degrees F.  This took my crock pot about 4 hours (some may take longer it just depends on your house and climate).  Do NOT disturb the yogurt.

3.  Once it is cooled down to 115 degrees, I skimmed off the film that had formed and threw that away.  Then stir in the 1/2 cup of plain yogurt.  This is your culture.  Put the lid back on the crock pot and then wrap the crock pot in a beach towel.  You want the pot to remain warm in order for the yogurt to set. Leave the crock pot undisturbed for 12 hours.  Don't look at it or unwrap it.  That will result in runny yogurt.

4.  After twelve hours (I left mine overnight), put the whole crock (and the yogurt still undisturbed) into the refrigerator for 8 hours.

5.  After 8 hours, take the crock pot out, and scoop the yogurt into 2 quart mason jars.  Remember to keep out 1/2 cup of yogurt for another starter.

I added vanilla and sugar to my mason jars (no recipe--just to taste) because I love vanilla yogurt.  My yogurt was fairly firm when it was plain but did become a little runny once I added sugar.  I know some people have reported runny yogurt right from the get go but if that happens just run it through a cheesecloth to get the whey out.  I didn't have to do that but some people might.

Homemade yogurt is suppose to last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.  I haven't made it before so I will report later if this is true.

I gotta tell ya--the homemade yogurt was 10 times better than the store bought.  And cheaper!!  It basically costs you whatever a 1/2 gallon of whole milk costs.  And the cheapest I've ever found yogurt is $2 for a 32 ounce tub.  I paid $2.29 for the 1/2 gallon of whole milk and got 2 quarts of yogurt so that is still substantially cheaper. 

Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into your crock pot, set it to high, and heat the milk to 180°. My crock pot has a probe that will alert me when it reaches the set temp, but you can just check it occasionally with a candy thermometer. It takes approximately 2 hours. - See more at: http://realfoodenthusiast.com/easy-homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot/#sthash.Fn0JpICP.dpuf
 Happy Culturing!






Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 24 hours
Yield: 2 Quarts
Ingredients
  • ½ gallon whole milk
  • ½ cup plain yogurt with live and active cultures
  • Supplies:
  • Crock Pot
  • Candy Thermometer
  • Beach Towel
  • Ladle
  • Mason Jars
  • Colander (optional)
  • Cheesecloth (optional)
Directions
  1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into your crock pot, set it to high, and heat the milk to 180°. My crock pot has a probe that will alert me when it reaches the set temp, but you can just check it occasionally with a candy thermometer. It takes approximately 2 hours.
  2. Turn off crock pot, remove lid, and let the milk cool down to 115°. Do not disturb. This takes approximately 6 hours (varies widely depending on the temperature in your house).
  3. Once the yogurt has cooled down to 115°, stir in ½ cup of plain yogurt. The temperature cannot be above 120° or it will kill the cultures in the yogurt.
  4. Put the lid back on, make sure the crock pot is turned off and unplugged, and wrap the entire crock pot in a large beach towel. Leave out overnight, undisturbed.
  5. The next morning, remove the towel and transfer the crock pot to the refrigerator, do not disturb the yogurt. Chill for about 8 hours.
  6. Optional Step If your yogurt isn’t thick enough for your preference, strain off some of the whey. Line a colander with a cheesecloth and set in the sink or in a large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth, cover, and let it strain until it reaches your preferred consistency.
  7. Ladle the yogurt into mason jars and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Don’t forget to save ½ cup of the yogurt to use as your starter next time!
- See more at: http://realfoodenthusiast.com/easy-homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot/#sthash.Fn0JpICP.dpuf

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 24 hours
Yield: 2 Quarts
Ingredients
  • ½ gallon whole milk
  • ½ cup plain yogurt with live and active cultures
  • Supplies:
  • Crock Pot
  • Candy Thermometer
  • Beach Towel
  • Ladle
  • Mason Jars
  • Colander (optional)
  • Cheesecloth (optional)
Directions
  1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into your crock pot, set it to high, and heat the milk to 180°. My crock pot has a probe that will alert me when it reaches the set temp, but you can just check it occasionally with a candy thermometer. It takes approximately 2 hours.
  2. Turn off crock pot, remove lid, and let the milk cool down to 115°. Do not disturb. This takes approximately 6 hours (varies widely depending on the temperature in your house).
  3. Once the yogurt has cooled down to 115°, stir in ½ cup of plain yogurt. The temperature cannot be above 120° or it will kill the cultures in the yogurt.
  4. Put the lid back on, make sure the crock pot is turned off and unplugged, and wrap the entire crock pot in a large beach towel. Leave out overnight, undisturbed.
  5. The next morning, remove the towel and transfer the crock pot to the refrigerator, do not disturb the yogurt. Chill for about 8 hours.
  6. Optional Step If your yogurt isn’t thick enough for your preference, strain off some of the whey. Line a colander with a cheesecloth and set in the sink or in a large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth, cover, and let it strain until it reaches your preferred consistency.
  7. Ladle the yogurt into mason jars and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Don’t forget to save ½ cup of the yogurt to use as your starter next time!
- See more at: http://realfoodenthusiast.com/easy-homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot/#sthash.Fn0JpICP.dpuf






















Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 24 hours
Yield: 2 Quarts
Ingredients
  • ½ gallon whole milk
  • ½ cup plain yogurt with live and active cultures
  • Supplies:
  • Crock Pot
  • Candy Thermometer
  • Beach Towel
  • Ladle
  • Mason Jars
  • Colander (optional)
  • Cheesecloth (optional)
Directions
  1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into your crock pot, set it to high, and heat the milk to 180°. My crock pot has a probe that will alert me when it reaches the set temp, but you can just check it occasionally with a candy thermometer. It takes approximately 2 hours.
  2. Turn off crock pot, remove lid, and let the milk cool down to 115°. Do not disturb. This takes approximately 6 hours (varies widely depending on the temperature in your house).
  3. Once the yogurt has cooled down to 115°, stir in ½ cup of plain yogurt. The temperature cannot be above 120° or it will kill the cultures in the yogurt.
  4. Put the lid back on, make sure the crock pot is turned off and unplugged, and wrap the entire crock pot in a large beach towel. Leave out overnight, undisturbed.
  5. The next morning, remove the towel and transfer the crock pot to the refrigerator, do not disturb the yogurt. Chill for about 8 hours.
  6. Optional Step If your yogurt isn’t thick enough for your preference, strain off some of the whey. Line a colander with a cheesecloth and set in the sink or in a large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth, cover, and let it strain until it reaches your preferred consistency.
  7. Ladle the yogurt into mason jars and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Don’t forget to save ½ cup of the yogurt to use as your starter next time!
- See more at: http://realfoodenthusiast.com/easy-homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot/#sthash.Fn0JpICP.dpuf


Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 24 hours
Yield: 2 Quarts
Ingredients
  • ½ gallon whole milk
  • ½ cup plain yogurt with live and active cultures
  • Supplies:
  • Crock Pot
  • Candy Thermometer
  • Beach Towel
  • Ladle
  • Mason Jars
  • Colander (optional)
  • Cheesecloth (optional)
Directions
  1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into your crock pot, set it to high, and heat the milk to 180°. My crock pot has a probe that will alert me when it reaches the set temp, but you can just check it occasionally with a candy thermometer. It takes approximately 2 hours.
  2. Turn off crock pot, remove lid, and let the milk cool down to 115°. Do not disturb. This takes approximately 6 hours (varies widely depending on the temperature in your house).
  3. Once the yogurt has cooled down to 115°, stir in ½ cup of plain yogurt. The temperature cannot be above 120° or it will kill the cultures in the yogurt.
  4. Put the lid back on, make sure the crock pot is turned off and unplugged, and wrap the entire crock pot in a large beach towel. Leave out overnight, undisturbed.
  5. The next morning, remove the towel and transfer the crock pot to the refrigerator, do not disturb the yogurt. Chill for about 8 hours.
  6. Optional Step If your yogurt isn’t thick enough for your preference, strain off some of the whey. Line a colander with a cheesecloth and set in the sink or in a large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth, cover, and let it strain until it reaches your preferred consistency.
  7. Ladle the yogurt into mason jars and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Don’t forget to save ½ cup of the yogurt to use as your starter next time!
- See more at: http://realfoodenthusiast.com/easy-homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot/#sthash.Fn0JpICP.dpuf