{Easy} Homemade Greek Yogurt

I'll admit it is much easier to buy a quart of Greek yogurt at the market than it is to make your own.

But, if you have the slightest inkling of making your own...it couldn't be easier than the method I learned from my friend from Everything Home with Carol.

Many years ago I made yogurt with a little set of thermos-type, smallish containers that sat in a row inside an electric warmer. It was a great little gadget, but it was long gone. When I asked my friend Carol how she makes yogurt, she showed me how to do it in my crock pot. Her article (link above) is full of great information that I won't go into here.

Instead, I will just show you my process.

First, I buy some organic whole milk. (Apparently raw milk is even healthier, but it is very hard to obtain unless you have your own cow or own a "share" of a cow from a local farm.)  You can use low fat, or non-fat if you like; I prefer full fat yogurt. This 96 ounce bottle cost me $2.99.

I set my large crock pot on high and add the milk.

Please excuse the fuzzy photo. It was taken by my 4 year old granddaughter. Right after the milk was poured, she and I went to the park and then the pet shop. Somewhere around lunchtime, I checked the temperature of my brew. I was looking for 180 degrees, and as soon as it achieved that temp, I turned off the crock and let it cool down to 110 degrees.

Once in awhile, I get impatient and fill the sink with cool water and set the crock inside. It is smarter NOT to do this, because the temperature variations could crack the crock. 

Next, I whisk about 3/4 cup of my last batch of yogurt into the milk, and cover the crock with a bath towel, which I also top with a decorative kitchen towel. These towels serve to keep the mixture nice and cozy, so the healthy bacteria can grow and develop the milk into yogurt.

I always double-check to be sure the crock is turned off and unplugged. So far, this process has taken only a few minutes of my time. Several hours will pass before I am needed again.

Twelve hours after the process began, the yogurt is ready to strain. I gather a large bowl, a strainer that sits inside the bowl, a piece of muslin, and a ladle. 

The muslin will allow the whey to drain into the bowl, thereby, thickening the yogurt.  The plastic strainer is merely for support.  Note: I tried using cheesecloth for this process and found it messy and disappointing. Some people use a consume' strainer, but they are very expensive and this little square of muslin only cost me a few quarters. It is washable and can be used over and over.

Now all I do is wait for the whey to drain.  It doesn't take long, but I usually cover the bowl, put it in the fridge and go to bed.

Sometimes I have a little taste first.

In the morning, about the time some of you are reading this post, I will scoop the thickened yogurt into a container, and pour the whey into another. It will be 24 hours after I began the process, with only 15 minutes hands-on time spent.

Finished.  And so easy!

Follow this link if you are interested in reading more about why yogurt is a healthy food:

10 Reasons Why Yogurt is a Top Health Food   

Thank you Carol, for this superb and easy method!

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here: Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.