I learned to make my own yogurt from my good friend Annie (who is planning a revolutionary journey to spread the yogurt gospel far and wide – which you should support!). But I first fell in love with the process thanks to a superb German-made yogurt maker given to me by Camino-travel-comrade Kate, whose birthday is today. In honor of Kate and Annie…herein I beg you all, try to make your own yogurt! It’ll change your life!

Slightly Sweet Homemade Yogurt

Yields 1 cup of yogurt

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
2-3 tablespoons plain yogurt of your choice
1-2 tablespoons honey

Place the milk in a heavy pot and add the honey; place on medium-high heat. You want the milk to boil, but slowly, so it bubbles and rises. Remove from heat as soon as it starts to foam.

Wait until the milk has cooled down a bit – enough to stick your finger in for just a few seconds. If you can just barely count to three before it’s too hot, you’re good to go.

Mix about a cup of the warm milk with the yogurt in a separate bowl, using a whisk to make sure it’s thoroughly blended. Then combine this with the rest of the warm milk in a heavy pot or (preferably) a ceramic bowl with a lid.

Wrap this in a few dishtowels and place it in the oven with only the pilot light on, and let it sit for at least 10 hours.

For a thicker, Greek-style yogurt, you can line a mesh strainer with a cheesecloth or a thin dish towel and place your yogurt inside for 10 minutes or so, allowing a bit more liquid to drain from it.

Check out http://yogurtpedaler.com for more yogurt-y goodness…