Few things inspire me to sing God’s praises more than watching him create new life. Whether it’s a tiny heartbeat on the screen of my ultrasound machine or a new batch of yogurt (made from live cultures) coming out of my kitchen, they are both an amazing work of God. In both cases, we humans get to initiate the action by creating the right environment.

You’ll have to figure out the heartbeat formula on your own but I have a new video to help you with the yogurt–specifically, Greek yogurt.  Hopefully, you will be inspired to give it a try.

If you still have questions, check out my older posts below.

P.S. If you make it to the end of the video, we included a blooper just for fun. Extra points if you can tell me the color of my neighbor’s car. And one other thing: I really do have more than one shirt in my closet. Those of you who watched my other videos on making salad in a jar and/or making perfectly round dinner rolls may be wondering. Lesson learned for the next time we shoot more than one video in a day.

Greek Yogurt 101

How to Make Healthy Homemade Greek Yogurt (Fat-Free)

Don’t Fear the Homemade Yogurt

How to Strain Yogurt the Easy Way

Answers to Your Questions About Making Homemade Yogurt

More Than Six Ways to Incubate Yogurt Without a Yogurt Maker

A Discussion About Protein in Greek Yogurt

18 Ways to Use Whey–a By-Product of Greek Yogurt

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To my readers not interested in making yogurt, don’t miss the Cookies and Cream Brownies I posted on Facebook last weekend. They’re kinda evil.

Whole milk Greek yogurt made with raw milk

These instructions are for making regular yogurt and Greek yogurt. Disregard the final step of straining for regular yogurt.

I feel like I’m entering rather treacherous territory, but I’ve had several inquiries about making Greek yogurt with raw milk (unpasteurized milk) on my Homemade Greek Yogurt post, so I decided to try it just so I can say I did.

I don’t have a cow in the backyard or the back forty. Raw milk is not available commercially in my town, but my son and daughter-in-law are in love with it, so they encouraged me to try it. By the way, thanks to Amanda for helping me photograph this post.

Please note:  As a home economist, I’m not advocating adding raw milk to your diet. It’s a controversial practice not advised by the USDA. I encourage you to do your own research.

Back to the process.  I have read that some people don’t heat their raw milk to 175 degrees in the beginning either because they want to save time or because they don’t want to kill certain bacteria. After doing side by side experiments, I have concluded that whether raw or pasteurized, milk which has not been heated to 175 degrees results in a rather thin yogurt. (Please see this recent interview with my daughter-in-law for her experience making yogurt without first heating the milk.) High heat helps to unravel the proteins which seems to aid the yogurt-making bacteria.  Since I don’t like to drink my yogurt, and I’m not comfortable letting unheated raw milk sit at 100 degrees for 12 hours, I stick with the method that calls for high heat, then a cool-down before adding yogurt starter.

As it turns out, making Greek yogurt with raw milk is exactly the same process as pasteurized milk. What follows is a condensed tutorial. If you still have questions, check out my original post on making yogurt for more details.

Use a clean, microwave-safe bowl like this 2-qt Pyrex dish.

Heat in microwave until temperature reaches 175 degrees F.

Allow milk to cool on the counter or speed the process by setting in ice.

Cool milk down to below 120 degrees and above 100 degrees.

Add 1 teaspoon starter (unflavored commercial yogurt with live cultures such as Fage or yogurt, no more than one week old, from previously made homemade yogurt) per quart of milk.

Whisk well, cover loosely, and set in warm place. (100-110 degrees)

Once you prepare your yogurt by heating it, cooling it and adding starter, find a place in your house to incubate your yogurt.  See this post for more ideas. Now go away!  DO NOT DISTURB!!!!!!

If you peek, you will let some of the heat escape.  If you move or stir, you will most likely end the incubation process and no more thickening will occur.

After 10-12 hours, go to the next step. If you are not available at that time, it is OK to let it incubate up to 24 hours based on my own experience.  In general, the longer you incubate, the tangier the yogurt.

See the pictures below for an example of what your yogurt should look like when it has finished incubating.  We made three batches using different milk in each.  The pasteurized skim milk was the thickest followed by the raw skim milk. The thinnest yogurt was the raw whole milk. 

Pasteurized nonfat milk was the thickest.

Raw skim milk was thinner.

The raw whole milk was the softest.

You could eat your yogurt at this point– once it has been chilled, but if you prefer Greek yogurt like I do, proceed.

We needed cheesecloth or an old t-shirt to strain the raw milk yogurt. Chilling the yogurt might have allowed us to use the strainer only, like I do with pasteurized milk.

Whey drained from yogurt

After you have drained the whey, whip it vigorously with a whisk for a smooth silky texture.

See how smooth and shiny our yogurt turned out. It will be even thicker when chilled.

If you chill the yogurt before straining, it’s possible you won’t need to use a cloth to line your strainer if your strainer is fine enough.  After 1-3 hours (your choice, depending on the yogurt itself and how thick you like it),  set the drained whey aside for other purposes and whip the remaining yogurt with a whisk.  Use some muscle behind that whisk, and you will be rewarded with creamy yogurt.

Add flavorings before or after chilling.  Enjoy!

If you run into difficulty, leave your question in the comment section.

Other posts you might find interesting pertaining to making your own yogurt….

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Amanda, my daughter-in-law, with her yogurt-loving husband, Brett

Are you intimidated by the idea of making your own yogurt? If so, you aren’t alone.  Perhaps you recognize some of these “reasons” for not trying it.

• Too much trouble
• Too much work
• Skeptical about the taste compared to commercial yogurt with additives and sugar or sweetener
• Nervous about working with live cultures
• Worried about the possibility of failure and wasted milk (it happens sometimes on the road to success)

My daughter-in-law,  Amanda, was also hesitant despite watching me make and eat my own yogurt for several years. When she decided she wanted to try making it herself with her favorite milk, I offered to help if she would let me document the process.  I’ll share the results of our little adventure as soon as I finish up the details.

Meanwhile, I think you’ll find her thoughts on the subject interesting and encouraging. After her first attempt, she was hooked and was so excited, she wanted to tell you about it in her own words.

The thought of making your own Greek yogurt can be just as intimidating.

Q: Why did you decide to make your own Greek yogurt?

A: It saves money. It’s fresher and healthier, and it’s better for the environment,

Initially, I was a little intimidated by the whole process.  It seemed to be a long, complicated process that would require advanced cooking skills.  Frankly, I wasn’t sure I could “flavor” the yogurt to be as tasty as the store bought organic Greek that I had become so accustomed to eating.

My husband and I are always looking for convenient, healthy, unprocessed, whole foods. Non-fat Greek yogurt is high on my list because it has a high ratio of protein to carbohydrates (even higher than a glass of milk), which is excellent for weight loss and non-milk drinkers like me.  One cup of the yogurt in the morning keeps my husband full until lunch.  We also love the way the homemade yogurt tastes when made with the raw milk (unless the cow’s been in an onion patch – kidding, of course).

Another one of the biggest reasons I decided to make my own Greek yogurt was to save money.  For example, we had been spending $1.99 per serving on organic Greek yogurt from the store, and when we make our own, we spend approx. $.58 per serving (and that’s using raw milk, which is quite a bit more expensive than pasteurized!)  This savings really adds up when you eat as much yogurt as we do (at least one a day).  Also, I reuse glass jars for our yogurt instead of the throw-away containers so it is definitely more “green.” (The jars fit easily into my lunch bag that I take to work).

Q: How long does it take you to make yogurt?

A: One thing I realized is there’s very little hands-on time involved when making yogurt. Although it takes a while to get to the finished product, I do not spend more than 10 minutes of my time making yogurt.  After I made my first batch I was kicking myself for not making it sooner.  If you follow Paula’s instructions it really is so easy!

Q: What are some things you have learned about the process since you started making yogurt?

A. I have only been making yogurt a few weeks but these are some things I’ve discovered for myself.

•  I tried only heating the milk to 100 degrees in the microwave, just to see how it would turn out.  The flavor was good, but the texture was extremely gritty.  So, that was a bust in my opinion.  I always heat to the 175-degree temperature now.
•  I started out using an old (but clean) T-Shirt on top of a strainer while straining my yogurt but I quickly became tired of the extra clean up.  So, I now only use a strainer and I actually like the creamier result I get.
•  One of my biggest concerns was how to flavor the yogurt.  Once I whisk the final product, I add in milk to the whole batch.  How much depends on the batch.  Then, I place the individual servings into jars and put them into the fridge.  Once the yogurt cools, it thickens up even more.  So, when we take a jar out, we add a little more milk to make it creamy.  I am not a big fan of artificial sweeteners, so we like to use jelly and fresh fruit, or about ¼ teaspoon sugar and vanilla bean paste and homemade granola (which I keep in the freezer).  I am telling you, these two options are ten times better than the expensive store-bought yogurt, plus I feel like Martha Stewart (kitchen Martha…not prison Martha)!

Now it's time to try making yogurt yourself. With any luck, it will turn out great!

Other posts you might find interesting:

Healthy Homemade Greek Yogurt (Fat-Free)

How to Strain Yogurt the Easy Way

Answers to Your Questions About Making Homemade Yogurt

More Than Six Ways to Incubate Yogurt Without a Yogurt Maker

A Discussion About Protein in Greek Yogurt

18 Ways to Use Whey–a By-Product of Greek Yogurt

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Glass canning jars make good storage containers for whey.

Recently, I made some punch for a party resulting in leftover lemonade. I offered my husband a glass which he gladly accepted. A few hours later, he went looking in the fridge for more lemonade. He spotted some yellowish liquid in a quart-size mason jar and poured himself a big glass– over ice for maximum enjoyment.

You guessed it. He was mortified when the liquid hit his tongue and he could barely get to the sink fast enough to spit it out. It was actually whey from some homemade yogurt I had recently drained. He claimed it was the most vile stuff he had ever tasted. I promptly informed him it was supposed to be healthy but he was unimpressed.

Whey is the by-product produced when straining yogurt to make Greek yogurt.

Up until now, I felt the same way about the yellow liquid called whey. I threw it away, just like the majority of you who participated in my survey on Facebook. (If you aren’t a fan yet, click the button in the right sidebar so you can see all the latest happenings in my kitchen and/or participate in the occasional survey.) But after a little research and experimentation, I won’t be doing that any more.

In preparation for writing this article, I browsed through the comment section of my post about making Greek yogurt at home and collected all your great ideas. Except for the last two, I’m not endorsing or recommending any of these ideas . . . just putting them out there because one of you said it worked.

Flaky Honey Butter Biscuits made with whey-- recipe coming soon

1. Substitute for other liquids when baking — gives breads and pancakes a nice sourdough-ish taste.
2. Add to protein shakes.
3. Lacto-fermented veggies and fruits
4. Use for soaking whole wheat flours.
5. Keep feta cheese fresh by submerging it in whey like they often do in Greek delis.
6. Makes great sauerkraut, fermented bean dip, beets, etc and the whey helps the fermentation along with some salt.
7. Use whey for boiling noodles or cooking rice.
8. Feed it to outdoor plants, tomatoes particularly need and benefit from the extra calcium.
9. Mix it half and half with iced tea — sort of an “Arnold Palmer without the lemon-aid.”
10. Grab some whey any time a recipe calls for chicken broth, or even as a replacement for wine in some cases. (I’m not recommending this one for all soup. I tried it with potato soup. BLECH! We had egg sandwiches for dinner that night.)
11. Use it to thin out a batch of homemade hummus or pesto.
12. Use it to cook quinoa.
13. Boil your oatmeal in whey. Top with dried Montmorency cherries reconstituted in (you guessed it!) whey.
14. You can use it as the liquid in pizza dough, and it adds a wonderful flavor to the crust.
15. You can use some of the whey to make lacto-fermented pickles. The cookbook Nourishing Traditions explains how to use whey along with a brine.
16. Some have mentioned using it in skin care products. Sorry, I have no idea how to do that!!
17. Someone suggested thinking of whey as clear buttermilk. This idea resonated with me so I started envisioning how I could substitute whey for buttermilk. I marinated chicken breasts in whey, drained and then rolled them in seasoned flour for fabulous fried chicken.
18. Based on the principle in #17, I made the flakiest, lightest and most tender biscuits to ever come out of my kitchen last week. Very soon, I’ll share the recipe for the biscuits you see here and a variation for Flaky Cinnamon Biscuits substituting whey for buttermilk so be sure to save the whey from your next batch of yogurt.

In case you landed on this post from Mars and don’t know much about Greek yogurt, you can see the process from beginning to end here.

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Straining is the process that converts regular yogurt to thick, rich and creamy Greek yogurt.

Because I’m addicted to the dreamy, creamy white elixir called Greek yogurt, I learned to make it myself and along the way discovered how to streamline the straining process making it even easier. No problem if you don’t make your own yogurt at home. The same method will work with store-bought regular yogurt.

In the beginning of my yogurt-making career, everything I read suggested cheesecloth or coffee filters as part of the straining process to remove the whey (seen below). A coffee filter was much too small so I purchased cheesecloth to use in conjunction with the cheap strainer already bouncing around in my plastic container drawer.

Whey--the clear, slightly yellowish liquid that can be drained out of yogurt.

The cheesecloth worked all right but I didn’t like it.  Too messy. Although the thickened yogurt peeled off easily for the most part, some of it stuck and I had to use a spatula to scrape it clean. Then I had to rinse the cloth, squeeze it out, find a place to hang it to avoid mildew, wash it the following weekend (because I refuse to do laundry more than once a week), dry it, fold it and then iron it. Of course, I still had to clean the strainer.

(I was kidding about the ironing.)

Then I got the idea to look for a strainer with mesh so fine no cheesecloth would be required.  The end of my search was a bouillon strainer. The investment was well worth it in my book. I know some people claim using cheesecloth is not that much trouble but I prefer to skip it in favor of a good strainer that goes straight to the dishwasher. Talk about easy cleanup!

Compare the mesh of my favorite strainer on the left to the coarse mesh of the grocery store strainer on the right.

A cheaper strainer but it will work.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A STRAINER:

1. A very fine mesh is essential.  Bouillon strainers like the heavy-duty model pictured above left can be pricey but they lose fewer solids and are easier to handle, especially when full of yogurt. Purchase at a restaurant supply store or online.  I recently spotted a perfectly functional strainer at Tuesday Morning for $12  (also available at Costco online for more) seen in the picture to the right.  I’ve been told the fine mesh Oxo strainer also works although I haven’t tried it myself.
2. Consider the configuration of the strainer as it can affect strain-time.  The conical shape of my favorite strainer seems to work faster than the shallow-bowl-shape of the cheaper strainers because of the larger surface area. Not a big deal I guess, but one more reason to pay a little more if you’re a serious Greek yogurt fan.
3. Consider your volume requirements. The bigger the better. Straining in batches is a hassle. I make more than a gallon of yogurt a week so you can imagine how laborious it would be to strain 1 or 2 cups at a time. My favorite strainer will hold 2 quarts– a perfect match for the 2-quart batter bowl I use to incubate my yogurt.

THREE IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS regarding the straining process:

1. The temperature of the yogurt will affect the time required to strain.The colder the yogurt the longer it will take to drain the whey.  My yogurt will reduce to half in about an hour when strained straight out of the incubation process.
2. Use my special technique to avoid losing too many solids. See pictures below.
3. Avoid stirring yogurt in the strainer even if you see whey collecting on top. Tip it slightly to allow liquid to run to the sides. If you can’t help yourself, stir gently.

The strained yogurt will look something like ricotta cheese or even thicker depending on how much whey is drained. Whisk it well. If too thick, add some whey or milk back in until the consistency is perfect for you.

If you have made the yogurt yourself and it runs through your strainer, it didn’t set up right. Check out this post about troubleshooting yogurt or consider one of the following solutions:

• Add more fresh starter and try re-incubation. No guarantees on this. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
• Use cheesecloth or paper towels to reinforce the strainer. (I do this only when desperate.)
• Abandon the whole idea and drink your thin yogurt.
• Use it in place of buttermilk in your baking.

Wondering what to do with the whey? I plan to write a post addressing that issue soon. Meanwhile, you can get several ideas by reading through the comments on my original post about making Greek yogurt. If you haven’t seen my video about making Greek yogurt, you can check it out here.

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It's easy to incubate and "hatch" yogurt at home.

It was a nervous moment just before the sonographer put the probe on my daughter-in-law’s still-flat belly. Our imaginations were pulsing with prayers, hopes and dreams. Was there really a baby in there like the test said?

As the probe began to dance around in search of new life, we spotted something doing the jitterbug. It was a flicker with rhythm. YES! We were witnessing a tiny heartbeat that only a powerful God in heaven could create.

This may sound crazy but I get shades of the same feeling when incubating a batch of yogurt. The mysterious process that transforms a gallon of milk to a gallon of yogurt by adding a couple teaspoons of starter is mind-boggling to me. It’s a miracle I tell ya!

Making yogurt is easy but sometimes it doesn’t always happen as hoped. One major variable is the incubation technique. Similar to hens sitting on eggs, you must find a way to keep your yogurt babies warm and cozy for an extended period of time. Temperatures between 100-113 degrees F are ideal and stimulate the bacteria to reproduce faster than mosquitoes in my wooded backyard. Too hot and they die. Too cold and they’ll act like bears and hibernate, leaving you disappointed.

In the last two years since I published my method for making healthy Greek yogurt, my readers have left some great comments regarding their creative methods of incubation. I compiled several here in the hopes you might be inspired by their stories.

But first, a word about yogurt makers sold at department stores and kitchen shops. They work great because they maintain the perfect environment, holding temperatures steady with a thermostat. However, the amount they make is much too small to satisfy my yogurt addiction. Furthermore, it would be a pain to make Greek yogurt since you would have to remove the yogurt from all the little jars, strain it and then return it to the jar or another container for storage. Frequent sightings at garage sales may not be a good sign–although I suppose you could say the same about bread machines, one of my favorite appliances of all times so forget that last comment.

I’ll start with the obvious and easiest way to incubate yogurt. My way, of course.

1. A conventional oven

Set oven to 100 degrees F if possible. No need to wrap with towels. (Yikes! Please ignore the dirty oven.)

I heat and cool nonfat milk in a Pyrex, 2-quart batter bowl. It’s the perfect size and holds heat better than plastic or metal.

I’m blessed to have an oven with a bread proofing cycle. I set it to 100 degrees F and go to bed. No towels needed. No babysitting needed. Perfect yogurt in the morning!

My previous oven could not be set that low so I would turn it on briefly to heat it to 100 degrees and then shut it off. I produced numerous successful batches in that oven with the light on and the covered milk container wrapped in towels as illustrated in my original post.

N2ition commented about her own oven that also can’t be set on a low temperature. “Robert, I just saw your post and wanted to let you know that I make about 3 gallons a week. My oven is about the same age as yours and has the same problem (only goes to 200). I always preheat the oven about 1 minute and then turn it off and put the yogurt in. Yesterday’s batch took nearly 13 hours to set up…and at hour 11 it still looked like milk. Next time you try it, make it at night and just pop it in the oven over night. (I have good luck making it about dinner time or right after I put my kids to bed and it’s perfect by the next morning).

Preheating and then leaving the door closed usually will maintain the temp for 12-15 hours but if I am really impatient and open the oven a lot to check I have had to turn it back on for about 30 seconds to get the temp back up enough to keep the yogurt around 110. Good luck!”

2. A crockpot

Try a crockpot with a Warm setting.

I tried this for myself last night and it worked. After heating the crock-pot long enough to bring the temperature of the milk to 115 degrees, I unplugged it. Then I wrapped the milk container inside the crock-pot with a towel and wrapped the covered crock-pot with a couple of big bath towels

Others have similar experiences. Whitney said, “Just tried your recipe today! After a few tries of finding a place where the temp stayed the most consistent my crock-pot won out. On warm with a water bath surrounding a smaller bowl (I only tried a half batch to see if I would like it or not) it stayed a consistent 103ish.”

Stephanie had beginner’s luck. “Success on the very first try! But I want to try to find a better way of incubating, as the process is long and ties up the oven. Think I will find a crock-pot with a “warm” setting and donate my old one to my parish kitchen (we always seem to need them for nachos, puzzle, etc.).”

3. A heating pad and towels

A lot of people like to use a heating pad. Be sure to place a towel between the bowl and the pad--unlike what you see here.

I’ve tried this too but it takes a little experimenting. The Errant Cook writes, “Hi! I’ve made yogurt 4 or 5 times now thanks to your instructions, and it’s fantastic. I set the covered bowl on top of a heating pad on low, check it frequently with an infrared thermometer (a lovely gadget from my husband), and after about 11 hours, it’s ready to go.”

Nancy shared a word of caution. “We used a heating pad on the first round which had an automatic shutoff (something we didn’t realize before starting the process)–the yogurt did not get thick overnight! We added more starter (from a small container of nonfat Fage plain Greek yogurt) and found another pad in the house (lucky!) which didn’t shut off at all. We have had a great experience with this yogurt and will make it often!”

Julie likes the heating pad too, ” I have a glass casserole bowl with a cover that holds about 3/4 of a gal. I heat the milk in the microwave to 160 -180 degrees ( about 20 min in my microwave) then let it cool to 110 -115 degrees. Stir in about 2 tsp of my starter yogurt and put the lid on. I set it on a heating pad (mine is not adjustable it only has off and on) with 2 layers of a bath towel under it and I cover the rest of the bowl with the remaining towel. It keeps it at 105 – 110 degrees. I make it before going to bed, I check on it if I wake up for some reason, but in the morning before work I have a nice big batch of yogurt”

4. A microwave oven

Towels help even out and preserve heat.

From Tamara, a self-professed Greek yogurt addict, “A couple of tips that have worked for me — I’ve put foil over the top of the bowl to help retain heat and then double wrapped in dish towels. I incubate mine in the microwave, because it’s smaller than the oven. I also heat up a microwavable hot pad that will stay warm for hours. That provides the right amount of heat in the small space. I usually put it to bed about 11pm and it’s ready by 7am.”

Tony from Australia shared this idea,” ….Next, how to keep warm! Saw another reader’s microwave and pad idea. No pads, so used wheat bags we regularly use for muscle strain/pain. Heated the bags and wrapped around the bowl which was covered in foil. Then covered in two small towels making sure door side of microwave was well insulated with toweling. 8.5 hours later the microwave was still nice and warm and lo and behold I had lovely yogurt with no strong tang. Just very yummy.”

5. A camping cooler or ice chest

A camping cooler or ice chest reportedly makes a good incubator.

I have not personally tried this one but several have.

Yogurt man wrote, “I set up a regular camping cooler, and I put one plastic container in it which I fill with 2 kettle fulls of boiling water, then seal container/cooler right away. When yogurt is ready I put all the containers inside the cooler (where the boiling water makes it the perfect sauna and maintains the temperature you need) and let it sit for 7-8 hours and then it’s ready. ”

From Lynette, “This was so fun!! It is so easy. My gas oven did not stay hot enough with the pilot light on. I got our cooler out of the garage and put a heating pad in the bottom. I set it at medium heat. Wrapped the bowl in a beach towel, and set it in the cooler with the lid on. Next morning (12 hours) I have the most yummy stuff ever.”

Deanna said, “LOVE the tips here. I love making yogurt and used a yogurt maker with about 8 oz cups until now. A friend of ours makes his yogurt in quart jars and wraps the warm jar in towels and then puts it in an ice chest. Using commercial starter this method only takes about 4 to 5 hours.”

6. Miscellaneous ideas

Lenore uses a dehydrator and reports, ” I’ve got yogurt!! Straining now! Woo hoo! I followed the temperature instructions to a tee, but may have put too much yogurt in as a starter. I popped in a dehydrator at 100 degrees overnight and in the morning I had warm milk and a skin. Hmmm…pulled off the skin, added some probiotics and popped it back in the dehydrator again for the day. Got home late and..yes! I have yogurt.”

Janet wrote, “Hello there! I just want to say that both me and my wallet thank you- I have made two batches- both successful and I incubated the bowl in front of a long burning pellet stove!”

I have just one question for Janet. What is a long burning pellet stove?

Tim S. got really creative. “I use a sous-vide water bath to incubate yogurt at 113 degrees – worked great overnight….. Truth is, this ‘sous vide’ water bath is one I made using a bucket heater from Tractor Supply and an old Igloo water cooler, and sits under the dining room table in our trailer in the hills of Appalachia. Still, I am able to fix wonderful steaks and hamburgers for my wife (from our own farm), and the yogurt I did a couple of days ago came out perfectly.”

I highly recommend a quick-read digital thermometer to ensure correct temperatures.

I’m impressed with Brooke‘s ingenuity. ” I’m so glad I found your website. This yogurt is an instant hit. For the incubation I put the lid on my Pyrex container and wrapped it in a towel. Then I put it on top of my computer router, put a 40-watt bulb in a desk lamp and put that about 6 inches from the top of the towel-covered Pyrex. I put an oven thermometer on top of the towel so I could monitor the temp. It read just under 100 degrees. I left it overnight–about 12 hours or so, and it was of perfect consistency!”

So, my beloved yogurt makers (sorta feels like a secret society, doesn’t it?), think about warm places in your house. Is there an old-fashioned radiator? Maybe a small closet housing a water heater where you could set a towel-wrapped bowl of warm milk? Or maybe you have a lamp like Brooke you could shine on your bowl.

I hope this has helped some of you who may have had trouble with the incubation process or even inspired others who haven’t worked up the courage to try it yet. If you have a completely different method, please share in the comments. This is also a good place to ask questions so don’t hesitate to speak up.

p.s. In case you haven’t seen my video on making Greek yogurt…

Other posts of interest about making homemade yogurt, Greek or otherwise.

Healthy Homemade Greek Yogurt (fat-free)

A Discussion About Protein in Greek Yogurt

Answers to Your Questions About Making Homemade Yogurt

Alternate Methods of Incubation for Yogurt

Making Yogurt at Home

How to Incubate Yogurt

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