HOW TO MAKE GREEK STYLE YOGURT - No yogurt maker needed, use crock pot, stove & fridge.

What you will need/ingredients:

• Crock pot/slow cooker

• Soup pot & strainer

• Cheese cloth or paper towel

• Bowls, spoons, whisk & spatula

• Thermometer

• 2L carton of whole milk - not ultrapasturized

• 3/4-1 cup leftover yogurt from previous batch or plain whole milk yogurt

Basic Yogurt Recipe

1. Turn on your empty slow cooker to low heat. Allow this to heat for 15 minutes (during your yogurt-making process), and then turn it OFF. The walls should feel warm but not hot, or you will burn/kill your yogurt culture.

2. Bring your leftover yogurt starter out of the fridge and leave it on the counter.

3. Heat whole milk on the stove on medium/low heat, stirring every so often with a whisk to heat evenly.

4. Bring the milk to 180°F, then remove from heat.

5. Fill the bottom of the sink with cool water and plug the drain. Water bath your hot pot of milk—place the pot of milk in the filled sink and stir with a whisk to cool the milk evenly. Refill with cool water if needed to continue the cooling at a steady pace.

6. Reduce the heat of the milk to 115°F and remove it from the sink.

7. Pour some of the milk into the yogurt culture and the rest into the crock pot.

8. Stir the yogurt culture with a whisk to create a uniform consistency. Add this into your crock pot filled with milk.

9. Cover the crock pot with a lid and cloth/light blanket to keep the warmth in. Leave overnight—at least 10 hours. During this time, yogurt is being made!

10. Once yogurt is made, transfer to an airtight container for the fridge to set, or continue below to thicken into Greek yogurt style.

To thicken the yogurt

1. Once the time has passed and you have yogurt in your crock pot, set up your straining situation—I connect a strainer to a wide-mouth bowl. I line the strainer with two layers of paper towel (because my cheesecloth is not big enough).

2. Next, pour/scoop your yogurt onto the strainer. Cover with a lid and place it into the fridge for the day/overnight (about 4-6 hours at least).

3. During this time, the water will drip through the strainer and thicken the yogurt. Scoop this yogurt into a clean container for storage in the fridge.

4. Leftover yogurt water can be poured into your garden.

Tips:

• Organize everything before you start the recipe so you can keep the process moving along swiftly.

• Keep your yogurt for 1-2 weeks in an airtight container, and always use a clean utensil when serving to avoid spoilage.

• Keep some of your yogurt for the next batch.

• When your milk supply begins to dwindle, keep an eye on grocery stores for 50% off milk deals! Making yogurt is an excellent way to quickly use up milk and take advantage of the discount.

Thanks for reading,

Samantha.