Home Made Yogurt

There's one tablespoon of plain yogurt left so I am heating up some milk in a double boiler to 180 F. I cool it down to 110 F and add that tablespoon of plain live active yogurt as a starter. This heating and cooling process makes the milk protein "receptive" to the starter. I pour the inoculated milk into a glass canning jar and place it in a picnic cooler with a jar of hot water for sustained warmth. I stuff in a kitchen towel for extra insulation. The cultured milk will grow undisturbed over the next six to eight hours.

Please note: I use a candy thermometer for reading exact temperatures. Some milk processing plants use a fast flash pasteurization process that makes the milk unreceptive, and culturing the milk is impossible. Test your local milk supply by trying a 1/2 cup batch at first. I use Wright's Dairy Farm Milk in North Smithfield RI and it works every time.