Making Yogurt is Soooooo Easy!

I just made my first batch of yogurt and it is sooooo easy to make, that I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner!  Very often people just don't understand why I make my own bread, build my own furniture, grow such a big garden and milk my own goats when it's so much easier to just buy it at the store.  Oftentimes, I do have to admit that it is much easier to just run to the store and get what you need, but I have my reasons for DIY (I'll save that discussion for another post).  But when it comes to making vs. buying yogurt, that argument just doesn't hold water!

I wanted to make raw milk yogurt to get the benefits of enzymatic and probiotic components of fresh raw milk and fermentation in one glorious, creamy, lovely food.  I also used my Excalibur Food Dehydrator to incubate the yogurt.

Ingredients

• 1 quart raw milk
• 2 tbsp starter OR 2 tbsp yogurt from a previous batch OR 2 tbsp plain, unsweetened, additive-free yogurt with live active cultures found at any grocery store

Instructions

1. Heat milk to 110° Fahrenheit. (Don't heat any higher or the food enzymes and naturally occurring beneficial bacteria will be killed.)
2. Remove from heat and whisk in starter culture or yogurt.
3. Pour the mixture of starter and raw milk into a 1-quart glass mason jar and put on a lid.
4. Place the mason jar into the food dehydrator, set the temperature to 110° Fahrenheit and allow it to culture for eight to twelve hours.
5. Once the culturing period is complete, place it in the refrigerator to chill and solidify.

Yep -- it's that easy, and delicious! 

Now, do me a favor and see if you can pronounce half the ingredients in your store bought yogurt. Didn't think so.  Now that you know how easy it is to make your own yogurt with ingredients you actually know and can pronouce, what are you waiting for?