I used the Dannon brand as a starter when I haven't made yogurt in awhile and find it very good. I'm sure you have a recipe for what you did around here somewhere but I am still finding my way around. This is how I make mine:
A pot large enough to hold 1 gallon of milk
1 or 2 heaping tablespoons of plain yogurt (with active yogurt cultures – I use Dannon)
1/3 cup of carnation powdered milk
You can use any kind of milk 1%, 2% whole milk or skim. I prefer whole milk because it’s creamier but I often use 2% milk just to lower the cost.
If you are using skimmed milk and want it a little creamier you could add a pinch of Knox unflavored gelatin if you want or a bit more powdered milk. Stay away from Ultra pasteurized milk if you can.
1. Set the milk and the yogurt out at room temperature for about an hour to warm it up. This will make heating the milk go faster.
2. Take your pot and place it on the stove.
3. Pour in the milk I the pot and heat it on medium high
4. Add In the powdered milk and mix well
5. Heat the milk to 170°F to kill off any bacteria or germs that may be in there. Stir to keep the milk from burning on the bottom.
6. Let the milk cool to 100°F
7. Warm your oven at it lowest setting and turn it off leaving the light on.
8. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of plain yogurt in a small bowl.
9. Add some of the warm milk to the yogurt and mix well. This will make it thinner ad easier to add to the warm milk.
10. Add this mixture to the warm milk and mix well
11. Place the pot in your warm oven with the light on and leave it for 4 to 8 hours without disturbing. After about 4 hours it will be thickening. I leave it overnight and check it in the morning.
12. By morning you will have a pot of nice plain unflavored yogurt! Congratulations! Chill it for a few hours and it will be wonderfully tart yogurt you made all by yourself!
I like to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract - I find for naturally sweet fruits like mangoes you don't need any sugar if you add vanilla.
Webmaster Note: Split off Debi's excellent yogurt toppings into
new Topic here.