Successful Homemade Slow Cooker Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Successful Homemade Slow Cooker

Fat Free Greek Yogurt

While this recipe can be time consuming, it is time well spent and the active "hands on time is minimal" You will need a live culture starter yogurt. ie: Fage, Chobani, Stoneyfield Farms. Make sure the ingredients labels shows Live Active Cultures

CULTURES: S. THERMOPHILUS, L. BULGARICUS, L. ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, AND L. CASEI.

Ingredients:

1 Gallon of Skim Milk
1 Cup starter Yogurt
1/2 Cup powdered Milk


To start make sure your slow cooker is clean and dry.  Pour the gallon of skim milk into the slow cooker and turn it to low heat.  Let the milk slowly heat up to 185°.  In my 6-Quart Oval Crock Pot brand slow cooker this normally takes 2.5 hours.  Set a timer and walk away.  Go exercise, clean the house, spend time with the family, whatever it is that gives you joy.  I would normally start my yogurt making when I start dinner.

When the milk has reached 185° turn the slow cooker off and let rest until the milk has cooled to 110°.  I remove the stoneware from the cooker and with the lid off this cool-down takes about 1-1.5 hours. But, my house in the winter months is on the cool side, yours may be different.  I use an inexpensive thermometer to check the temperature. 

Once the milk has cooled, remove 2 cups of the milk and stir in the 1/2 cup of powdered milk until dissolved, then stir in your live culture starter yogurt.  Slowly pour the 2 cups of milk and yogurt mixture back into your slow cooker and gently give it a stir. Replace the lid, and wrap your slow cooker in a heavy blanket, towel, or do as I do.  I place the crock in my oven wrapped in a flannel throw,  I turn the oven light on and go to bed.  My yogurt stays in the oven for about 8-10 hours.

Remove the crock from the oven and at this point you should have a stoneware crock filled with thick creamy yogurt and about a 1/4 gallon of liquid whey floating on top of the yogurt.  You can spoon the yogurt and whey into jars, plastic tubs, in whatever you choose to store it in the refrigerator.  But, if you enjoy your yogurt on the thicker side, then read on.

When my yogurt comes out of the oven I gently spoon it into a colander lined with a 100% lint-free absorbent cotton flour sack. Then I twist up the ends and suspend the sack over a large bowl and allow the whey to strain from the yogurt.  Depending on how thick you like your yogurt this can take anywhere from 1-3 hours.  (Some people prefer to use cheese cloth, I chose the flour sack because they are easy to hand wash and line dry for next time.)

You can strain the yogurt for a longer period of time and use it as cream cheese, add in herbs, extracts, or other flavorings.

Right from the Oven