Bacteria are my friends

Inspired by the New York Times food section this week, I made yogurt. I was surprised at how easy it was. A few months ago, I tried to make mozzarella cheese and I failed so miserably that it never made it onto the blog. But yogurt is apparently difficult to mess up.

I started with a half gallon of whole milk*. (You can use lower-fat milk, too, but then you have to add powered milk and I thought the simplest recipe would be the one most likely to succeed.) I used my candy thermometer to make sure I didn't heat it above 190F.
After it cooled to the correct temperature, I stirred in four tablespoons of store-bought yogurt. The last step is keeping it at the right temperature while the bacteria do their work for four to ten hours. I had intended to put the yogurt in my oven with a candle, but I needed to bake other things. So I just wrapped the pot in several bath towels. After four hours I had yogurt soup, so I stuck a hot water bottle next to the pan and left it swaddled overnight. This morning I had yogurt.
(I tipped the pan so you'd really believe that it's a solid mass. I meant to take a picture of the finished product, which I topped with maple syrup and cinnamon, but it was so good I forgot until the bowl was nearly empty.
The homemade yogurt was less tangy than the store-bought stuff, but it was smoother and creamier. I'll be making it again, probably regularly.


*Note: The milk can be pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized. I learned this the hard way.