How to make your own yogurt

Homemade yogurt is not only inexpensive to make, it's really good for you, and tastes so much better than commercial yogurt.You Need:

• 3 Cups of dry powdered nonfat milk

• 1 Can of evaporated milk

• 1/4 cup of your last batch of yogurt for a starter

• Large bowl

• Heating pad
• First Mix 3 cups of powdered milk with 6 cups of water in your large bowl.

Pour in the reserved starter from your last batch.  If this is your first time making yogurt, you'll need to purchase a small container of plain yogurt from the supermarket to get you started.  After your first batch, you won't need to purchase it anymore. Last, add the whole can of evaporated milk.  



Mix this well.  
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.



Place your heating pad inside a pie plate, or a larger bowl big enough to hold the bowl you mixed your yogurt in.  Nest your yogurt bowl inside this.  Turn the heating pad on low.




Cover this whole thing with a towel to keep more heat in.  Now let this incubate for about 5 or 6 hours. Don't disturb the yogurt when it's incubating.  It won't ruin it, but it will take a lot longer to set if you do. That's it!  After your yogurt is done, cool the bowl inside the refrigerator overnight if possible. It will thicken even more as it cools. You can eat it with fresh or frozen fruit, or add some vanilla.  You can also cook with it.  If a recipe calls for buttermilk you can replace that with your homemade yogurt.  



If you want to use fresh milk, you'll need to scald the milk before incubating your yogurt: 

Pour your milk into a sauce pan.  You can use any milk you like; whole, 2 percent, 1 percent or skim.  Heat milk until it starts to boil. Turn off the heat at this point and let the milk cool a bit.

When it has cooled down enough, ( I test the temp like one would test the temp in a baby bottle-on my wrist) stir in the commercial yogurt and mix well.

If you don't have a heating pad, you don't worry!  You can put the yogurt to incubate in your oven with the light on, or in a pan or warm water, or just on your counter if it's not too drafty in there.    It can take 12-24 hours for the yogurt to set.   Once you do this a few times, you'll wonder why you every bought yogurt in the first place.  :)