Made From Scratch: Yogurt

Last year I discovered how easy it is to make homemade yogurt!  You don't have to have a yogurt maker, but it makes the process a lot easier and more reliable.

Equipment
Double boiler OR a large pot and smaller pot or metal bowl that fits inside
Spoon, metal
Thermometer
Tongs (for removing items after sterilizing)
Yogurt maker, heating pad, oven with pilot light, or slow cooker.

Ingredients
Milk, (I use 2% milk from our local dairy, but skim, 1%, or whole milk work, too.  The fattier the milk, the thicker the yogurt). You need an equal amount to the amount of yogurt you want--for example, 1/2 gallon milk = 1/2 gallon yogurt.
2-3 T plain yogurt (for starter)
Powdered milk (optional, to thicken yogurt, 1/4 c per 1/2 gallon of milk)
Fruit (optional, for flavor)
Sweeteners, like honey, maple syrup, agave (optional, to sweeten)

How to...
1. Boil a large pot of water.
2. While you wait for the water to boil, make an ice bath in your sink.
3. Sterilize your equipment by dunking it in the boiling water.
4. Put the milk in the top of the double boiler and heat to 180-degrees F, stirring frequently.
5. Place milk pot into ice bath to cool the milk to 110-degrees F, stirring occasionally.  (This is a good time to add the powdered milk, if you're going to use it.)
6. Add yogurt to milk once it's cooled and stir until dissolved.
7. Put yogurt into yogurt maker and follow manufacturers directions.  Or put it in a warm place (with a heating pad, in the oven with a pilot light, or in the slow cooker) and let it sit undisturbed for 7 hours. The longer it sits, the thicker and tangier it will become.
8. Chill the yogurt in the refrigerator.
9. Add sweetener or flavor. I like to sweeten my yogurt by the bowl with honey and fruit and eat it with granola.
10. Enjoy!  But don't forget to save a few tablespoons of yogurt as starter for the next batch!