Crock Pot Yogurt

It seems like there aren't a whole lot of people that really like plain yogurt. I don't think they realize that you can make it taste super yummy with just a few additions. You can add honey, vanilla, berries, granola, etc.  SO good! If you buy quite a bit of yogurt (or even sour cream), you will love this! 

There are many recipes to make yogurt, but most of the time it's a lot of steps. With this recipe you can make over a gallon of yogurt with little effort! I made this with my mom this weekend. We didn't know how long it would take to heat so we didn't get completely done until about 2am. You may want to start it a little earlier than 9:30pm. :)

Thoroughly mix your milk and dry milk. Pour the liquid into your crock pot, cover, and heat it on low until it reaches 180 degrees. 

(This crock pot was missing the knob so we weren't exactly sure how hot it was and we kept switching it. It took us about 3 1/2 hours to heat it to the right temperature, but it may be different once you know what setting it's on. I've also heard you can heat it on stove top if you're in a bigger hurry. Otherwise, it works very well to just throw it in the slow cooker, and do your own thing without worrying about scorching it.)

Once it reaches 180 degrees, turn it off and let it cool down to between 100-115 degrees. (Takes about  45 minutes to 1 hour.)  Then take out a small amount of the warm milk and mix it well with the yogurt. Slowly stir it back into the crock.

Carefully funnel the milk into clean jars. (Our batch filled 4 quart jars and one pint.) Place, uncovered, in the oven (no heat!) and turn on the oven light. Keep oven door closed and leave undisturbed for 10-12 hours.

After that time has passed, screw the lids on and carefully transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.

Once cooled, you can spoon it up! The texture is more like sour cream. (You could totally use this as sour cream, too!) It's runnier than Greek yogurt, but thicker than regular.

Mix it up with a little honey and berries! This would be great topped with a little granola, too!

This batch will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week and a half. If you don't use it up by then, you can supposedly freeze it, too. I can't imagine not using by then though since it's so versatile! You could use it as a substitute for oil, butter, mayo, heavy cream, and buttermilk when baking or cooking, use it as plain sour cream, or sweeten it up with berries as a yogurt parfait, or toss it in a fruit smoothie!! So many options!!!

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk

3 cups dry milk

1 (6 oz) Chobani yogurt, plain

Directions

Thoroughly mix your milk and dry milk. Pour the liquid into your crock pot, cover, and heat it on low until it reaches 180 degrees. 

Once it reaches 180 degrees, turn it off and let it cool down to between 100-115 degrees. 

Take out a small amount of the warm milk and mix it well with the yogurt. Slowly stir it back into the crock.

Carefully funnel the milk into clean jars. 

Place, uncovered, in the oven (no heat!) and turn on the oven light. Keep oven door closed and leave undisturbed for 10-12 hours.

After that time has passed, screw the lids on and carefully transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.

Enjoy!