Homemade Yogurt 

After making 30-minute mozzarella last summer, I was sure that Ricki Carroll's Home Cheesemaking could lead me through any dairy magic I dared. All the hard cheeses still seem a bit too involved for my liking; but homemade yogurt was so obvious I couldn't ignore it.

At least once a week, I bring home a quart of non-fat plain yogurt, in a plastic quart container. These are very handy for storage; but now I have a life-time supply. Sure, they are recyclable; but do I have to keep generating more?

My first attempt at yogurt gave me enough anxiety that I consulted the book and bought a commercial starter (YoGourmet packets, from the grocery store). The instructions didn't match exactly, but were close enough to let me know where the wiggle room lies. In short:

1. Heat a quart of milk on the stove to 180 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Let it cool to between 105 - 115 degrees.
3. Mix in the starter.
4. Pour into a Pyrex quart measuring cup.
5. Keep warm (incubate at about 110 degrees), covered, for 4 - 6 hours.
6. Chill, covered, in the fridge.
   

Tips for Better Homemade Yogurt Results:

• You can use a couple tablespoons yogurt as your starter, instead of buying it.
• My milk thermometer is a little espresso temp stick; any thermometer for liquids will do.
• On my first batch, I incubated in the oven, which over-heated the yogurt. Tasted great - don't know if the heat killed the active cultures, though.
• On the second batch, I wrapped the container in towels and kept in an unheated microwave. Maintained about 100 degrees, and tasted great. Set up fine, not quite so firm.
• My whole milk batch was really rich, creamy and high-calorie.
• My 2% fat milk batch was tangier, and a little thinner.
• I used Pyrex for heat resistance and insulation. Other materials are probably fine, too.
  

* Good, fresh milk really helps. I use Clover Stornetta (local) in my homemade yogurt, because it is local to me and humane-certified.

Never, ever use ultra-high pasteurized milk - everything good has been cooked out.