Yogurt Update

I had taken a break from making yogurt, but recently I discovered that I can buy a decent Greek style yogurt locally to use as a base culture. Walmart started carrying Oikos brand yogurt, which really is thick, creamy and delicious. I've used it to make yogurt twice so far, and I'm quite pleased with the results.

The Oikos brand lists 5 active cultures: S. Thermophilus; L. Bulgaricus; L. Acidophilus; Bifidus and L. Casei. Dannon only lists L. Acidophilus.

Previously, I've linked to the crockpot yogurt recipe I use. Here's my basic method:

At about 2:30 in the afternoon, I fill my 2 qt. crockpot with milk. I turn it on high, and let it go until 5:30, which is about the time I serve supper. So, I'll unplug the crockpot then. When Dave goes upstairs to tuck the kids in, around 8:30, I'll put a couple ladles of the milk in a bowl, and add about 1/4 c. of yogurt. I'll mix it well, and then add it to the rest of the yogurt in the crockpot. I put the cover back on and a heavy towel around the entire crockpot. It sits overnight, and in the morning I have 2 quarts of yogurt.

I've been putting some honey and vanilla in about half of it for sweetened yogurt, and I leave the rest plain. I haven't started substituting it for sour cream, but I think I could.

I usually write "Yogurt - 5:30, 8:30" on my kitchen whiteboard, to help me remember the times I need to take action. I also freeze the base yogurt in ice cube trays and then put them in freezer bags. On days when I'm making yogurt, I'll take out 2 cubes at 2:30 and let them thaw for when I need them at 8:30. I know you can just save out some of the homemade yogurt for the next batch, but I don't like to do that because I think the final product is too tart.

This Week's Compromise

I just haven't felt like making anything special for breakfast for the last few days. I made a batch of yogurt Tuesday night (using this method, except I don't recommend adding the fruit at the end - it gets too runny). So for the past couple of days, we've had yogurt for breakfast. Grace and I like it with a little cereal on top (my current favorite is the Aldi brand of crunchy granola raisin bran). Henry's had his with raisins. Madeline bypasses the yogurt.

So, it's not perfect, but it's a good compromise.