Homemade Yogurt by Sy

Home made yogurt is fun and easy to make, especially when made to your liking. That is, you can use regular milk, non-fat milk, goat milk... and/or add cream to taste. While traveling throughout the "Near East" I had a chance to taste many variations of yogurt, especially Turkish and Iranian yogurts. The recipe below is one with a rich creamy taste.

• Ready In: 12 hrs 45 mins
• Yields: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 4  cups milk
• 2  cups half-and-half
• 3 -4  tablespoons  cultured yogurt (I prefer using Erivan Acidophilus Yogurt with live yogurt cultures and unhomogenized whole milk.)

Directions

1. Place the milk and cream into a pot and bring to almost a boil. Making sure you don't burn the milk on the bottom of the pot (A non-stick pot if possible).
2. Turn off heat and let cool to 115 degrees.
3. As the milk is heating up and then cooling add 3-4 tablespoons of cultured yogurt in a cup.
4. Let sit at room temperature (about 70 degrees).
5. When the milk has cooled to the correct temperature, add some to the cup with the yogurt.
6. Next stir well and then add back into the pot of milk, stir.
7. Next take a clean glass jar/ovenproof bowl and pour the milk into it, stir well.
8. Cover the jar/bowl with plastic wrap and then a dish cloth.
9. Take a clip-on desk lamp (shade and with a 75 watt bulb) and point it toward the surface of the jar/bowl (about 6 inches away).
10. Let the jar/bowl with the milk and yogurt starter incubate under the heat lamp for about 8 to 12 hours. I prefer 12 hours, with the finished yogurt having a nice tangy taste and consistency!
11. Refrigerate!
12. NOTE: The longer you let the yogurt stay under the heat lamp, the more tangy the yogurt will taste.
13. The amount of yogurt starter used is another factor in the success of the finished yogurt; too much or too little is no good.
14. Also, the environment in which you place the jar/bowl can effect the finished yogurt as well.
15. For example, if you are placing the jar/bowl of milk in a 80-85 degree kitchen area you can reduce the time it sits under the lamp. Or in some cases no lamp is needed.
16. Further, you can use a conventional oven which has been heated to 200 degrees and then turned off. Then place the jar/bowl with the milk & yogurt starter inside the oven for about 2 to 4 plus hour.
17. (I have also used my microwave convection oven, but not the microwave feature).