I’m on this BIG kick to get healthy and cut out all processed foods…which means I need to figure out how to make most of the foods in our house (kind of daunting, but I’m just going one at a time…eventually they’ll all be homemade).
My kids (and my husband) eat a TON of yogurt…and if you look at the label on this stuff…it’s full of sugar! This seemed like the perfect place to start.
This stuff was sooooo easy and sooooo good…I’ll never buy yogurt again! And I hope I can convince you to make your own yogurt too!
Yogurt is a great way to start healing your gut (if you haven’t read Brain Maker, you NEED to).
I was diagnosed with IBS at age 19, so I’ve had a life long issue with my gut not working. After reading Brain Maker I realized that years of antibiotic use and the Standard American Diet have probably lead to my current health issues.
A few years ago I saw a nutritionist and she was concerned that I wasn’t absorbing my food properly…that’s probably been the case my whole life, so I’m going to really start focusing on pre- and probiotic foods to build up my gut again (seriously read the book).
My Yogurt Experiment
For this experiment I decided to compare making yogurt in my Excalibur Food Dehydrator and making it in my crock pot (since I figured most people reading this don’t have a dehydrator).
My results: They tasted exactly the same, but using the dehydrator makes the yogurt 5.5 hours faster than using the crock pot.
Dehydrator Yogurt
This yogurt is much runnier than regular store bought yogurt...which makes it perfect for smoothies. Add your favorite fruits or granola for the perfect "treat".
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk (organic is best but not necessary)
- 1/2 cup starter yogurt (the first time you can use store bought organic, plain yogurt, but after that you can just save 1/2 cup of your new yogurt and use that)
- food thermometer
- quart sized canning jar with lid
- cheesecloth
Instructions
- Place the milk into a saucepan and heat on low to medium heat for 5-10 minutes until it reaches 110 degrees Farenheit.
- Turn off heat and add your yogurt starter to the milk and mix.
- Pour milk into quart sized canning jar.
- Place cheesecloth over top of jar completely covering the opening then twist lid on over that.
- Place in your dehydrator on 110 degrees for 10 hours.
- Remove and mix together.
- Place in fridge and enjoy.
- Try to eat it all within 1 week...or use it to make more!
Crock Pot Yogurt
- 4 cups whole milk (organic is best)
- 1/2 cup organic, plain yogurt (or yogurt from a previous batch)
- towel
- 1 quart canning jar with lid
- Place the milk in your crock pot and turn to high for 2.5 hours.
- Turn off crock pot completely and let sit undisturbed for 3 more hours.
- Mix in your 1/2 cup yogurt.
- Replace crock pot lid and cover with a towel for 10 hours.
- Pour the yogurt into your canning jar, cover and put in the refrigerator.
- Try to eat within 1 week…be sure to save 1/2 cup for your next batch.
Have you ever made your own yogurt?
