Homemade Yogurt

A while back, I started to get concerned about one of our breakfast eating habits--yogurt. My kids looooove Go-Gurts and would eat them every morning as part of their breakfast. Now, I was glad they were eating yogurt because they certainly need the calcium (in that they aren't very good milk-drinkers), but I was concerned about the sugar and the food coloring. I had been working hard to get rid of the sugary cereals, but I realized the sugary, colored yogurts were basically as bad. So, I decided to go "old school" and buy a yogurt maker. I was totally intimiated at first, but thanks to this post by Heidi at 101 Cookbooks, and this video at Chezus.com, I was ready to enter the world of homemade yogurt. I used Heidi's recipe and it has turned out great every time. We add honey or jam and granola to make it sweet. Riley still misses her sugar-laden green goop, but the rest of us are loving the homemade stuff. Do you make your own yogurt? Any good recipes or ideas for flavorings?
Homemade Yogurt Recipe

4 cups of fresh, organic 2% milk
1/3 cup of powdered milk
1/2 cup organic yogurt (this will be your starter)

Making yogurt begins with milk. Readers of 101 Cookbooks will not be surprised with the advice to buy organic milk that is fresh as possible. Slowly heat the milk on the stove over low-medium heat.

At this point you can choose to add powdered milk. Powdered milk creates thicker yogurt that takes less time to ferment. It's optional if you are using whole milk or two percent. Some skim and one percent milk include added milk proteins which make the product taste less watery and will behave the same way as if you added powdered milk.

For your first batch we are going to go with two-percent milk plus 1/3 cup of powdered milk. This combination of milk with the powder will produce a delicious, basic yogurt.

The most tedious thing about making yogurt is watching the milk get hot. You need it to hit 170 degrees, but not have it boil. So you want to pay attention to the pot and have a thermometer at hand. Once you've hit the target temperature, remove from heat and then wait for the milk to cool. Unless you put the pot in the refrigerator it will take some time to cool to 108-112 degrees.

If you are using existing yogurt as a starter, have it handy in a cup. When the milk is cooled to the proper temperature, mix a small amount it in with the yogurt. This will break up the yogurt and makes blending it with the rest of the milk easier. Once you add the starter, the milk can be placed in the pre-heated yogurt maker for four to eight hours. Refrigerate before serving. Makes one quart.