Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor. (After the 3 hour mark, you can go to bed.) I like to start mine around 2 pm or 3pm
Plug in your crock pot and turn to low. Add the gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.(dont remove lid) SET TIMER
Unplug your crock pot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.(dont remove lid) SET TIMER
When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 6oz yogurt cup of store-bought live/active culture,Then dump the bowl contents back into the crock pot. Whisk to combine.
Put the lid back on your crock pot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crockpot for insulation.(Dont remove towel or lid.)
Go to bed or let it sit for 8 hours.- 12hrs (dont remove lid or towel)
In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened to the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.
Place Cheese cloth or paper towels, or coffee filters into a colander and ladle the yogurt into it, place the colander into a big bowl or in the sink.(I have pets and children, so I put a plate over top and a paper towels over the other smaller colander, I used 2 colanders and found that coffee filters was the best way.)
Let it sit for 1 hr until thick and creamy. (the longer you let it set the better.) you have to check on it, because if the colander is setting in liquid it wont drain, just dump it out.
How to make it Greek yogurt- I put mine in the refrigerator and checking it every 2 hrs, on it making sure the liquid wasnt touching the colander, if so just dump it out, can leave sit overnight for a thick Greek yogurt, thats what I did.) keep in mind you want to use a lot of yogurt.
Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days (this was the messy part, getting it all off the coffee filters)
Flavor to fit your taste, you can also use this in place of sour cream.
Notes- https://youtu.be/fqhP1u17Arw
Notes- https://youtu.be/Ul5qoEc1X2A
Iam not sure if I can put this on here. If you plan on making this on a regular basis to replace store yogurt, I recommend something like this, I seen this on YouTube.This would be so much easier and not going through so many coffee filters or cheese cloth. I think iam going to be getting one... mainly so its not so messy and I dont lose that much yogurt. Its not a maker it just drains the liquid off!
My starter yogurt, next time think I will use a flavored kind.
