Yes, another post about yogurt.

Alright! As promised to the one interested party (thanks, Jen!), here is how I made my own yogurt at home. I easily doubled this recipe with good results. One quart of milk yields one quart of yogurt, so the math on this is pretty easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart whole milk (I used organic)
• 2-3 Tbsps plain yogurt with live, active cultures (I used Fage Greek yogurt--actually found one made of whole milk at Earth Fare and used that)

Other stuff:

• a pan to cook in and a heat-proof spatula to stir
• thermometer
• a sink with some ice water
• large bowl
• plastic wrap
• towel

On my first attempt, I followed the recipe in my book French Women Don't Get Fat with okay results. I used 2% milk and didn't have a thermometer to verify the temperatures, and while the result was definitely yogurt, it was too thin for my liking.

For my second attempt, I followed the cooking instructions found at the Bon Appetit website here, but stuck with my method of incubating the yogurt from my book since it was easy enough. I also used whole milk and yogurt made from whole milk, and bought a thermometer to check my temperatures. The results were awesome. Tangy, thick, creamy, homemade yogurt.

For what it's worth, we have been buying organic yogurt for a while. Some very simple math showed me that my homemade yogurt costs me about half that of the same amount of store-bought, and I have greater control over the ingredients. Patrick uses it in smoothies. I eat it with just some honey drizzled on, or I thaw out some frozen mixed fruit and put a pile of yogurt (and a drizzle of honey) and eat it that way.

But if you like yogurt enough to attempt to make your own, you probably don't need me to tell you how to eat it.

SO! The recipe. I find it easiest to do this after dinner so the yogurt can hang out in the oven overnight. I've copied the instructions from the Bon Appetit recipe I linked to above, with some added comments, but I'll add a first step: Turn your oven light on.

Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring and scraping bottom of pan often with a heatproof spatula (for a smooth yogurt, take care not to incorporate too much air), until thermometer registers 185°.

Reduce heat to low and cook milk, without stirring or letting it heat above 185°, for 20-25 minutes (it will be slightly thicker at the longer cook time).

Place pot in a large bowl filled with ice water. (Boring note: I just put some ice in my sink, ran a little water, and rested the pan there. Much easier than a separate bowl, I think.) Stir constantly until thermometer registers 110° (don't go below). Immediately and gently stir in yogurt. Pour mixture into a 32-ounce jar. Cover jar and place in a warm spot in kitchen. Let mixture sit for 10-12 hours (do not disturb jar). (My alternative Boring step: Since I have no glass jars, once I incorporated the yogurt, I poured the mixture into a large glass bowl, covered the bowl with plastic wrap, wrapped it in a towel and placed in the oven to sit overnight. Leave the oven light on all night; it should be sufficient to keep the yogurt at a warm enough temperature for the bacteria to do its thing. If you want to make extra sure the oven will be warm enough, let it preheat for maybe 5 minutes--then turn the oven back off!!!--before putting the bowl in, or add a pan of the hottest tap water you can run to the oven to help keep the temperature up a little. I've done both--preheated for a few minutes and added a pan of hot water next to the towel-wrapped bowl of yogurt.)

Taste yogurt. If you prefer a thicker, tangier yogurt, let it stand 5-8 hours longer. Refrigerate. (I spoon it into smaller containers, pop them in the fridge first thing in the morning and its ready to eat when I get home from work.) Remember to reserve 3 tablespoons for your next batch!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Now enjoy your yogurt. Revel in your new status as a domestic diva. Be on the lookout for spontaneous hugs of joy and showers of praise from your family and friends.

Or, just enjoy your yogurt in quiet because no one besides me may even care that you made it yourself. But if your lucky, you'll get the hugs.