Homemade Greek Yogurt

Who knew that making yogurt was so easy. Stop buying yogurt filled with chemicals and fillers, start making your own delicious Greek Yogurt. The directions are long, but really, really easy. Not sure why it took me so long to try this out.

-In a large pot, with a lid, pour in 1 gallon of milk (2% or whole milk)
-1/2 cup plain yogurt that says it contains Live Active Cultures, pull this out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while the milk is heating.
-Heat milk on medium(do not turn up the heat or milk may burn to the bottom of the pot), whisk and take the temperature of the milk frequently
-Put the lid on the pot between stirring, to help the milk heat up faster
-Heat until it reaches 180ºF/82ºC
-Turn off heat and let the milk come down to 115ºF/46ºC
-Stir and take the temperature of the milk frequently
-Once the milk has reached 115ºF/46ºC it is time to mix the yogurt and a bit of the milk in a bowl. Mix until it is very smooth.
-Pour the yogurt/milk mixture into the pot of milk and whisk making sure there are zero lumps
-Cover the pot, wrap in a towel and place inside a turned off oven for 6-10 hours. (7 hours is the taste I like personally) The longer it goes the more sour it will taste. (you can also put in your oven with the proof setting on or place in a dehydrator set at 110ºF for 7 hours)
-After the time has passed, get a large colander and place a thin tea towel or cheese cloth inside the colander. Pour the yogurt into the colander and drain away the whey for 10-15 minutes.
-Place the colander inside a large bowl and move the mixture to the refrigerator for a few hours to over night.
-Keep the whey in a container as it is filled with protein. Use it to thin out the yogurt if needed or use it to bake bread instead of water. Add it to smoothies.
-The process of heating and cooling the milk takes abut 1 - 1 1/4 hours so allow yourself enough time.
-1 gallon of milk makes the equivalent of 2 large containers of yogurt. Even using organic milk I am saving money and I know it is 100% healthy
-The next time you make yogurt, just use 1/2 cup of your homemade yogurt. You will never need to purchase yogurt at the store again.
-I love plain yogurt with honey and granola or in a smoothie with frozen fruit.

To recap:
Heat milk to 180ºF/82ºC
Cool milk to 115ºF/46ºC
Mix in 1/2 cup plain yogurt with live active cultures
Cover and place in a turned off oven for 6-10 hours
Drain off the whey
You now have Greek Yogurt