No-Frills Homemade Yogurt

This recipe is titled "no-frills" because

no special equipment is needed.

Yogurt has so many beneficial elements

and truly keeps a body balanced.

Some of the brands advertised are so full of junk,

you may as well be eating sugar out of the bag.

As always, we aim to be as self-reliant as possible,

and when this video was found online,

I knew it was something I just had to try.
It appealed to me mostly because we enjoy 
using what we already have on hand to fill our needs,
so no yogurt maker is needed.

Although store-bought yogurt is needed the first time,

you'll never need to buy yogurt again.

Fill any empty beverage container

(we used a gallon-sized water jug and a lemonade bottle)

halfway with room temperature water and top off with boiling water.

Set inside a large cooler and close lid.

This will be your incubator.

Clean 2 quart-sized jars and one smaller jar.

Set aside to dry.

Fill a pot with whole milk and place on high heat.

Be sure that the temperature reaches 185 degrees.

Stir pretty regularly for 20-30 minutes.

Shut the burner off and cool the milk to 110 degrees.

This can be accomplished either by being very patient and simply waiting,

or using an ice water bath under the pot.

We didn't have any ice, so we just used cold tap water.

As the water in the bowl warmed,

we just dumped it and added more cold water,

until the milk temp got to 110 degrees.

Add 1/2 C yogurt (either from a previous batch or store bought)

to the milk and stir thoroughly.

Add the milk mixture to your smaller container

(this will house the starter for your next batch),

and then into your quart-sized jars.

Place the jars in the cooler and close the lid tight.

Leave overnight.

By morning, you'll have your own homemade yogurt.
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before using.

I've been adding it to everything from homemade cereal
to baked potatoes to muffins.
I'm thrilled with the texture,
as it is similar to the firmer store-bought yogurt.
The taste can't be beat,
and the best part is that I know exactly what's in it.
Simple, intentional food.
That's the way we like it around here.
Let me know if you try it!

A Bowl Full of Lemons