http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2009/11/for-the-love-of-the-slow-cooker-week-yogurt/
Steven actually made this last time and it turned out beautifully! I am not a big fan of yogurt (although it has many beneficial things about it), but it was smooth (previously it had been on the lumpy side). Steven says he has just been adding a bit of sugar and thinks it tastes great!
What did we do? Well, we can think of a couple things.
- Temperature (during the 8-hour period): I have been a WHIMP with the cold weather lately, so our house has been closer to 70 than 65 and we haven't been turning it down as much.
- Time: We left it in for 16 hours instead of 8.
- Stir: Steven didn't whisk so hard
- Starter: We used Tilamook yogurt as a starter instead of Albertsons or Dannon. Do they have a superior bacteria? (doubt it...but)
- Amount of Starter: Steven didn't quite measure it (rats....) but he knows he put more than 1/2 cup... He thinks possibly a full cup?
Here's my new recipe for it:
1/2 gallon Whole Milk (we use generic)
3/4 cup yogurt (active live cultures are a must..high fat content would be nice but we can never find it and possibly try Tilamook if generics or Dannon aren't working)
STERILE slow cooker, utensils (whisk, spoon, measuring cup)
Pour 1/2 gallon into the slow cooker. Turn to
LOW and let it sit for2 1/2 hours. After the time has passed, turn off and unplug from wall. Let it sit for 3 hours. Whisk in yogurt SLOWLY and GENTLY. Re-cover and wrap in heavy blanket or towel. Let sit for 8-longer. We like how ours turned out and we think it's because we left it for 16 hours. Up to you. We also place ours in front of our heater-our house has a draft.
To make more use yogurt from previous batch. If after a couple uses the yogurt becomes runny, buy new yogurt to start again. Yogurt will last about 2 weeks after the milk expiration date.
Just thought I'd through out some new knowledge we had. :)
