Homemade Yogurt

I purchased a yogurt maker a couple of months ago and have been enjoying making my own yogurt. It is easy to do and the yogurt tastes so good!! Yogurt makers are hard to find in stores so I searched the web and ordered one online. The one I got is called Tribest YoLife and I found it on goorganics.com I chose this one because it has the versatility of making either a small or large batch. It came with 7 small glass jars and 2 covers for the top of the yogurt maker. The small cover is for the small jars and the tall cover is for larger jars such as pint or quart size canning jars for larger batches. Yogurt makers are basically incubators that keep your milk at an even temperature for about 8 hours. All you do is buy some plain (live cultures) yogurt to use as starter. Measure out the amount of milk you would need to fill the jars you will be using. I use 1 or 2% milk. Heat the milk on the stove to 180 degrees (use a candy thermometer) stirring it the whole time. Then let it cool to 120 degrees, add the plain yogurt to it (approx. 4 oz - 6 0z)
Mix it in well with a whisk and pour it into the jars that are placed in the incubator. Put the lid on, plug in and let sit for about 8 hours. If you are making a larger batch it may take a little longer. If you want thicker yogurt add some instant dry milk powder to the milk while you are heating it. I usually add about 1/3 cup for a small batch and 2/3 cup for a large batch.
When your yogurt is done, cover your jars and place in refrigerator. You can add whatever flavorings/fruit you want. I use fresh yogurt in fruit smoothies(my breakfast everyday) and in place of sour cream. Remember to save some of your yogurt to use as your starter for your next batch.
Gary has discovered that he can not tolerate sugar. The flavored yogurt you buy all have sugar. This yogurt is so much better for you and I believe the taste is far superior to what you can buy. You may need to experiment a little as my first couple of batches didn't turn out as well. Making your own also saves $$$ The yogurt makers are about $35.