Yogurt Update

Has anyone been brave enough to try making yogurt? Well, just in case any of you muster up the courage, I thought I would let you know that I've been playing with my recipe a little bit. I had been stirring in some dry milk and a packet of Knox gelatin to help it thicken, but wondered if it would work without it. So all it has is:

• Milk
  
• Plain Yogurt

That's it! I think it's creamier without the gelatin. I also tried using more than 1/2 a gallon of milk, to see if I could make a bigger batch at a time (about 3/4 of a gallon fit in my crockpot), and I only let it sit for 9 hours. It still thickened just fine!

Here's the steps again, just in case you want to try it:

• Heat 1/2 gallon of milk on the stove for about 10 minutes, stirring almost constantly so it doesn't scald. You want it to reach 190 degrees, or just about boiling.
  
• Put the pot of milk into the sink filled with cool water and let cool for about 10 minutes. The temperature needs to get down to 105 degrees so it won't kill the yogurt you mix in.
• Mix in 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (this is your starter).
  
• Put in a warmed, UNPLUGGED crockpot, (or just leave it in your covered pot). Wrap it in thick towels and blankets to keep it warm and let it sit for 8 hours.

I've made it with 2% and 1% milk. I don't know if skim would thicken well or not. I also don't know about soy or lactose-free milk. If any of you have tried any of those, please let me know.
I really want to know if anyone's been brave enough to give this a shot. Please leave a comment! I've made it several times, and M, H, and I eat it frequently and no one has gotten sick. I've even given small amounts to baby F and she's been fine, too. We just mix in a couple tablespoons of honey to sweeten it up (no honey for the baby, though). You can also mix in fruit, jelly, or even flavored applesauce. You might still want a little honey for sweetener, so play around with it. Try it! You might like it!

Do you want more crockpot recipes? Check out the Crockpot Carnival!