So lately I’ve been trying to see what I can make from scratch, with the view that they’re

A) Healthier – I know exactly what’s in everything I make

B) Tastier – from scratch usually is better

C) Cheaper – often goes without saying

I’ve made quite a lot of jam, and may make some more as time goes along, though I missed the cherry season. Peach or Blackberry perhaps…
Anyhow, the latest is making my own Yoghurt and eventually Ice Cream (though I have to buy a maker before that will happen). I eat yoghurt almost every day — at work and for breakfast — and if I can make it myself that would go quite a long way to reducing my grocery costs.
So yesterday I decided to try making it, and it seems to be a success. It tastes like yoghurt and has the consistency of a soft yoghurt. I may strain it through cheesecloth or something to make it thicker, though I think letting it incubate longer would also help. But it’s definitely yoghurt. Has that tang, but itsn’t too tart (I lightly sweetened it since I am not planning on using this batch for anything savory). The next batch I make will probably be unsweetened.


HOMEMADE YOGHURT
8 cups Milk (I used 2cups skim and 6cups 2% because I happened to have it around)
1/3 cup Skim Milk Powder
1/4 cup honey (or I saw some recipes for maple syrup, but I didn’t have any around at the time)
1 TBSP Vanilla
1/2 cup starter yoghurt
I made the entire batch sweetened but I think I could also have split the batch and sweetened it after the cooking time so that part is plain.
Anyhow I mixed all the ingredients together, except the starter yoghurt and cooked it on low heat on the stove until it reached 180F.
When it reached that temperature I put the pot in cold water and stirred it rapidly until the temperature dropped to 110F
I removed it from the cold water at 110F and added the Starter Yoghurt, stirring rapidly until it was evenly mixed
I then incubated it for 10 hours at 110F.
After the incubation I refrigerated it overnight and tasted it in the morning.
Incubation:
The way I incubated my yoghurt culture is I set up a homemade incubator, essentially… I put an electric blanket into my cooler along with my oven thermometer. I’d previously tested it out and with the blanket on in the enclosed space the area heats to the right temperature.
Next on my list: Getting a sourdough starter going…