Homemade Yogurt per Tightwad Gazette

The snow was suppose to fall during the wee hours of the morning, like 2am, but it actually didn't start until 9am. It hasn't stopped and it is amazing. The kids want to play in it but because it is 38 degrees outside it is more like white flaky rain than true snow. So we are all inside for the day until the 50 degree weather returns tomorrow.

I have been reading the Tightwad Gazette book and made her version of homemade yogurt last weekend. It turned out perfect, much better than my previous attempt. It wasn't tart, it wasn't runny, and it needed nothing to make it sweet. It turned out perfect and creamy. Since I have plenty of time today I am going to make another batch and will show you step by step how easy it is.

There are only 3 ingredients, milk, dry milk, and yogurt for a starter. Here are the specifics:

• 4 cups of milk and I used 2%
• 1/3 cup of dry milk, I spent way too much for this NON-instant, $6.46, and next time I am going to just use regular instant dry milk.
• 2 tablespoons of starter. Last week I used plain Greek yogurt but this week I am using some of my own yogurt.

Pour in the milk and strongly whisk, until dissolved, the powdered milk. Heat on medium heat until 180 degrees.

I don't own a candy thermometer so I just use this cheap one and make sure it doesn't touch the bottom of the pan. Once the milk reaches 180, about 6-8 minutes on medium-low, turn off and let cool until the milk is 115 degrees. This takes about 45 to 60 minutes, this is actually the most painful part of making homemade yogurt, so that should tell you how easy it is.

Once the milk is 115 degrees, take out 1 cup of the warm milk and stir in your 2 tablespoons of yogurt starter until there are no lumps. Add the milk with the starter back into the remaining warm milk, and whisk all together. Pour into a container, I used three canning jars.

Now this is THE TRICK, place your container(s) of warm milk on a heating pad turned on low. Yes, a heating pad, on low. Then cover your container(s) with a bath towel and grab a soup pot.

Place the soup pot over the towel, which is covering the yogurt, which is sitting on a heating pad turned on its lowest setting. Walk away. Walk away for eight, yes, eight hours. Told you it was easy. The key is a consistent temperature for the eight hours of incubation, hence the heating pad.

After the strenuous eight hours of laboriously making your yogurt, place in the fridge to completely cool. This yogurt is great plain. I don't even like plain yogurt and this is really delicious. But since I can never leave well enough alone, I put a couple of spoonfuls of peach jelly on top.

Seriously, so delicious and totally inexpensive, which is why I tried this in the first place but now I think my yogurt is so much better than any yogurt I have bought in a store. I rock!