I first got the crockpot yogurt recipe here, because I just didn't know if the whole oven light thing would work, I am a little nervous about all the stuff that goes into store bought stuff, the store bought stuff costs twice the price(or more) of this stuff, the store bought stuff has a ton of sweeteners...and heck, I love the crockpot.
I shared the recipe with many friends through facebook and just recently received an updated version back from Jody. I tried these new suggestions this week and it is AMAZING!!!
ALSO: EDIT as of 8/27/09....I've tried a bunch of different flavors but recently I've been using GREEK YOGURT as my starter and it has been wonderful. A much thicker yogurt and no need for the gelatin!! Jody also says that the new YoPlus yogurt works the same as Greek. Try it and save a little money by not buying the gelatin!!
ALSO: EDIT...as of 1/15/2010 The recipe is still going strong at our house and I recently came across a great Good Eats episode all about yogurt and the great things you can do with it to make it more versatile. Alton Brown makes his yogurt with a heating blanket and that's a great idea too. We have tried the recipe for the yogurt cheese and LOVE it as a substitute for cream cheese or to make chip dip. Haven't tried the yogurt cheese ice cream yet... Is that enough of a teaser??? check out the show on YouTube here Part 1, Part 2
So...now you can try it too.
1. Put 8 cups (or half a gallon) of milk in the crockpot. This time I used Horizons organic whole milk (yeah for coupons and sales!).
2. Turn the crockpot on low for 2 1/2 hours. (set the a timer so you don't even have to watch the clock!)
3. Turn off and unplug the crockpot.
4. Add 3/4 to 1 cup of sweetener. I used honey, Jody used sugar. Both worked great.
5. Add 1 Tbsp of vanilla.
6. Let the crockpot sit and cool covered for 3 hours.(set that timer!)
7. Take a cup or so of warm milk out of the crockpot.
8. Add one small container(or 1/2 cup) of store bought yogurt. I used plain, Jody used flavored. Again both worked great.
9. Add one envelope of Knox unflavored gelatin. EDIT: Or use Greek or YoPlus yogurt and NO gelatin.
10. Mix well and add this starter solution back into the crockpot.
11. Recover and wrap your crockpot with a nice warm blanket. (REALLY, I use a polar fleece or wool one.)
12. Let the yogurt incubate (sit undisturbed) for the next 8-10 hours.
13. Unwrap your crockpot and ENJOY!!
This recipe will fill 2 of the large yogurt containers full with a small dish extra (to eat immediately).
--as a bonus--
What I do with my yogurt:
With one of the large containers, I make drinkable yogurt for my son. I blend a few bananas with a cup or two of milk then add the entire large container of yogurt. I then pour the mixture into those little screw top containers that chugs come in. (I bought some once just for this purpose and reuse the little containers.) My son loves it and will drink as much as I let him everyday. To be really sneaky, I've actually added spinach or kale to the mix sometimes and he loves it just as much!!
With the other container, I make yogurt parfaits and green smoothies for myself and husband. Plain yogurt with fresh fruit drizzled with honey for the parfait. For the smoothie I just blend any kind of fruit from the crisper, add in 3-4 stalks of greens (mostly kale - with tough rib removed), and a cup of yogurt. Delicious and nutrition.
Now that I'm talked out of yogurt.....go try it and be amazed!!
