homemade yogurt

a few years back i tried to make yogurt in a crockpot using some powdered yogurt starter (and milk i guess). it didn't make because the crockpot on low is still too hot and kills the bacteria that makes the yogurt. i figured i needed a yogurt maker but then an indian friend described how she makes yogurt just by, in the morning, boiling milk, cooling it, adding a little yogurt as a starter, and storing in the oven to insulate until the around dinner time. my first three attempts were utter failures and much too complicated but now the last three attempts, all simpler than i had thought was possible, all made.

ingredients:
4 c 2% milk
2 T yogurt (stoneyfield plain yogurt. i think the greek yogurt doesn't work)
1 T sugar

main accessories:
2 G cooler
2 Q cooking pot
1 Q tupperware
food thermometer
whisk

(1) prep the incubation area. fill the cooler with enough hot tap water to cover up most of the tupperware when filled with water. originally i used a thermometer to get this to 120 but now i don't measure because the tap water gets to about 110 which is fine. shut the cooler off to insulate.



(2) prep an ice bath. fill the sink with cold water and ice. the hot pot of milk will be placed in here later to rapidly cool it. the ice bath can be prepared just before it is needed.



(3) set out the yogurt in a small bowl to let get closer to room temp.



(4) on medium heat, bring the milk to 180-185. it gets frothy around there. stir occassionally, more so at the end. i keep a lid on slightly open so the thermometer can fit in. this should take about 20 minutes- don't draw this process out too long.



(5) take off heat. put pot in ice bath. stirring milk to cool, bring down to about 110.



(6) take out of ice bath. stir in sugar. stir in yogurt. whisk it in so not clumpy.



(7) pour into tupperware. close lid.



(8) put in cooler. leave for about 8 hours. it becomes more sour the longer it incubates (which is not always bad).



(9) take out of cooler. it should be thick yogurt now. stir and put in refri. (i had added 1/2 c fresh blackberries along with the sugar and yogurt before incubation).



(10) eat it after a few hours (maybe wait 8 hours or so).