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Homemade yogurt in single-serve jelly jar, fruit on the bottom. #TexasHomesteader

1/2-Gallon Homemade Yogurt - Stove Top Method

Commercial yogurt often has added gelatin & thickeners (often along with some chemical nasties I'm afraid.) The taste of the homemade yogurt can't be beat, is significantly cheaper and healthier for you. And no more plastic yogurt containers go to the landfill!

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword active culture, milk, Yogurt
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Incubation Time 4 hours
Author TexasHomesteader.com

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon milk (Whole or 2%)
  • 2 cups instant dry milk powder (optional for thicker yogurt)
  • 1 8-oz container unflavored yogurt with active cultures (such as Braum's or Dannon) After this first batch, save some of your own yogurt to use as starter

(If making sweetened yogurt you also need)

  • 1 cup sugar or your choice of sweetener
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla

Instructions

Directions

  1. Place milk in pot and add dry milk powder. Stir well to dissolve. Place candy or milk thermometer in milk & heat to 180 degrees, stirring often so the bottom doesn't burn. When 180 degrees has been reached, fill sink or large bowl with ice cold water. Then place the pot with milk in the ice water. (If making sweet yogurt, add sugar now and stir well.)
  2. Cool milk down to about 105 to 110 degrees. Add yogurt starter and stir well to incorporate smoothness. (if making sweet yogurt, add vanilla now).

    Fill glass containers of your choice and place lids on jars. Place jars on cookie sheet. Heat oven to 110-115 and turn off oven temp. Turn on oven light. Place yogurt in oven on rack and leave for about 4-6 hrs.

    Yogurt will be "done" in 4-6 hours but you can let it incubate for up to 12 depending on how tart you like it and how much beneficial cultures you wish it to have.

  3. Don't disturb the jars for at least 4 hrs. Then you can check to see if the yogurt is done by gently tilting one of the jars. If it's no longer liquid, it's ok to pull it and place in the refrigerator.

    It will firm a little more upon cooling, although it's a more silky yogurt than the ones in the store since they add gelatin & thickeners to the commercial stuff (often along with some chemical nasties I'm afraid.)

Recipe Notes

NOTE: You might want to keep some of your yogurt unsweetened to use in recipes, as a low-fat sour cream substitute or as your yogurt starter for your next batch of yogurt.