Making yogurt

I've always wanted to learn how to make yogurt. Last December I was at my sister's house in Winston-Salem, and she said it was her day to make yogurt, so I was excited to see how she did it. I thought it was going to be a complicated and tricky process, but it was so easy, I knew I was going to go home and make it myself from then on, and quit buying little cups of it for $1 per cup. Now I make four quarts of it every other week for about $4. My method is almost exactly what she did, but I will only describe my way, since that's what I do.

Equipment needed:
• a microwave oven
• a glass bowl large enough to hold a gallon of milk
• an instant read thermometer
• a good wire whisk
• five clean and sanitized quart jars and lids*
• (optional) maybe two extra half-pint jars and lids
• a half-cup measuring cup
• a liquid measuring cup, or other scooper
• (optional) a wide-mouth canning funnel
• a small picnic cooler**

Ingredients:
1  gallon whole milk
1  cup instant dry milk
1/2  cup plain regular (not Greek) yogurt
(optional) a little jam (4 T.) for "fruit on the bottom" jars

Pour the gallon of milk into the glass bowl. My bowl will hold a gallon (just barely), but since I have to stir in two more things, I usually hold back about a cup of the whole milk to leave some stirring room. Next, stir in the dry milk with the whisk. Be as thorough as you can with the stirring.

Place the whole bowl in the microwave and cook on high power for twenty minutes. Carefully remove the hot bowl and place it on the counter. Check the temperature with the thermometer. I usually balance it on the edge of the bowl so the measuring end is submerged in the milk, but not touching the side of the bowl. It should read 140 or so degrees Fahrenheit. Optimum range for growing yogurt is between 110 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, so we are going to attempt to keep our jars in that range for about 8 hours.

When the milk has cooled to about 130 degrees, stir in the plain yogurt. Again, be very thorough with the stirring. This should cool the mixture down to 120. Fill one of the quart jars with tap water and  put it in the microwave to cook on high power for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, take the lid off one of the quart jars and run it under hot water from the tap for ten seconds until the glass is warm to the touch. I do this because it helps maintain the temperature I want. Use the liquid measuring cup and funnel to fill the jar, then screw on the lid and place the jar in the cooler. Repeat with the other three quart jars. Place the milk-filled jars around the edge, leaving room for the water-filled one in the middle.

Sometimes I still have some left, so I put a little jam (2 T. per jar) in the bottom of a half-pint jar and fill that up with the remaining milk. Sometimes it takes two jars. (I suppose if you really like this way, you could stack little jars on top of each other in the cooler and fill the whole cooler with little jars with jam on the bottom instead of the quart jars!)

Carefully take the very hot water-filled jar out of the microwave and put its lid on. Place it in the cooler in the middle of all the milk-filled jars. Close the lid of the cooler and let it sit for 8 hours. You could let it go longer, but eight hours should be enough. If you are lucky (and I have been, almost every time), when you tip one of the jars, you will see that the milk is now delicately solid. Well done! You have made yogurt.

*NOTE: It is important that your jars and their lids be clean and sanitized. Run them through the dishwasher. The reason is, you are going to be creating a perfect environment for bacteria to grow. You only want the particular kind you are looking for to be present and growing!

**NOTE: My sister had a small double walled beverage cooler that five jars fit perfectly into and it worked great. I didn't own one of those, and was not really interested in buying one right then, but I could afford a small styrofoam one for about $4. (disposable, I guess, but I use mine over and over again)