Homemade Organic Yogurt

I have been wanting to make my own organic yogurt for some time now since our family loves yogurt and organic yogurt is expensive. (Not to mention it's just another way to cut out the store varieties that are filled with high fructose corn syrup and lovely things like that.) Nothing artificial about this one! So, I attempted it this week and it turned out well! =0) I bought a yogurt machine which isn't as "from scratch" as some but since I was wanting to make it quite regularly I thought it might be the way to go instead of having an ice chest underfoot in my kitchen all the time. Remember, I like healthy and homemade but I'm also all about easy and convenient! =0) If you want to do it the hard way, click here.

Here's the recipe I used:

4 c milk (I used pasteurized organic whole milk-if it's not pasteurized you'll need to bring it to a boil first. Because I used whole milk it came out very thick and rich (similar to yoplait's custard brand)....but if you use low fat milk you may need to add some other things in which you might want to read this guide about making yogurt.)
1/4 c organic sugar (evaporated cane juice or rapadura but NOT refined sugar)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/2 c plain yogurt (I used organic plain yogurt- it must be plain or it won't work-this is your "starter" for bacteria-it must be as fresh as possible and you can make a lot of batches at once using most of the carton. I plan on using some of the rest of the carton for frozen yogurt...post to come)

Heat the milk, sugar, and vanilla to about 170 degrees on the stove (just before a boil). Let sit and cool to around 90-110 degrees. (You'll need a thermometer.) Mix 1/2 c yogurt into the milk and pour into glass jars. Plug in machine and let sit for 8 hours (all machines vary so follow directions of your machine). If you let it sit too long it will become tart. Remove from machine and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least an hour before consuming.

You can make it into frozen yogurt, you can serve it with berries, granola, sliced fruit, etc.

Tip: I start this process in the morning because although easy, it is time consuming. Heating the milk takes about 15 min. Letting it cool takes about an hour to an hour and a half. Plus the 7 hours for cooking...then cooling takes another hour. Then an hour to refrigerate...which I just leave it till morning and we have it at breakfast.

Oh, and where did I get my yogurt maker? I knew you were going to ask that.....beat you to it. Walmart.com. But I won't tell you anything more about it cause it's my Favorite Gadget Thingy of the month for September....so simmer down and have patience. =0)