Yogurt

I make yogurt about once a week. 

I usually make it at night before I go to bed.

Then, when I wake up in the morning, I  am greeted by the most

perfect, smooth, not tart, creamy, yogurt known to humankind. 

Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration.

Well, not really.

The first bowl of homemade yogurt, fresh from the oven
is like nothing else you've ever had.

I like to eat mine with sliced banana and a few slivers of almonds.

Need I say more?

Okay, I will.

Heaven.

Here's how to make it yourself.

Utensils

Large ceramic (or glass bowl)

Wire whisk or fork

Heavy bottomed sauce pan (I use my 2 quart)

Oven 

(gas oven is preferred but if you have an electric oven no worries, there is a way)

Lidded glass container for storage
(A ball jar or recycled glass jar works nicely)

Ingredients

1-2 quarts milk 

(can be lowfat or whole milk) 

I usually use organic milk but any milk will do.

1 small 6 ounce brown cow plain yogurt
(I tried this with other yogurts as a starter and though they worked, 
the brown cow starter produces a milder yogurt, which I, personally, prefer.

(The brown cow is only necessary the for the first batch of yogurt as a starter.  

After you make your first batch of yogurt you will use 

some of the yogurt from your last batch as your starter for your next batch and so on)

Process

Pour milk into sauce pan and heat until a 

frothy foam forms on the top of the milk.  

Don't let it boil.  You want frothy foam.  It's very recognizable. Don't worry you'll 

know it when you see it.Transfer the heated milk to a glass or ceramic bowl 

and let it cool until warm.  Like perfect baby bottle warm. Not hot and not very warm.

But softly warm.This is very important because if the milk is too hot it will result in a curdled lumpy mess. Don't make the same mistake as me.  It's not necessary. Plop (it plops out of the container, you'll see) your plain brown cow yogurt in a small bowl and take a cup or so of the softly warm milk and whisk it together with the yogurt until it is completely combined. Then add the milk and yogurt mixture to the rest of the milk and do a final quick whisk to move all those active cultures around so they can have a party in warm milk.

Then

  *Place the bowl in your oven (don't turn it on) and close the door.

Go to bed.

When you wake up in the morning remove the bowl from the oven and dip a spoon the perfect creamy mixture. 

Go on taste it!

You will be so proud of yourself for creating such perfection.

I promise.

 A few added notes

I've found if I turn my oven on and let it warm up then turn it off and open the door to let it cool and place the yogurt mixture in a slightly warmer than pilot light warm oven it produces a firmer yogurt.

Also, I once boiled the milk in my sauce pan right after had cooked ginger and cardamon pods for chai. The cardamon and ginger residue from the pan, ever so slightly, infused itself into my yogurt. The result was wonderful.  I think this could be mimicked by adding one or two cardamon pods to the milk while you heat it then removing them before you place your yogurt mixture in the oven.

*If you do not have a gas oven simply warm your oven up as I've describe above and then let the oven to cool until just warm, put your yogurt in the slightly warmed oven and close the door. But NO peeking. You need to keep the heat in if you don't have a pilot lighted oven.

P.S. If you would like some handmade bowls to eat your yogurt from, you can find them here.

P.S.S. Thank you, Amisha for sharing your recipe with me and for bringing this perfect thing into my life.

I have been changed forever because of it.