I've been making my own yogurt lately and it's so good, and it's pretty darn easy (just time consuming. Set aside about 7 hours).
He is how I make it if you want to try making it yourself.
Hardware:
-Probe thermometer (digital with temp alarm is best).
-Large microwave safe bowl (that can hold as much yogurt as you want to make)
-Whisk, large stirring spoon, funnel.
-Mason jars, lids and rings.
-Optional: yogurt maker or sous vide thing
Software:
-Half gallon of
Whole milk (anything less would be uncivilized).
-1 cup (8 fl-oz) of your favorite plain yogurt with live active cultures. I've had best results with
Yoplait Oui. This stuff comes in 5oz jars but it has plenty of active cultures to make a half gallon of yogurt.
-1/2 cup dry powdered milk.
Heat the milk and powdered milk in the large bowl in the microwave in
3-5 minute intervals at 50% power and stir thoroughly and check temp each interval. Once it starts to get hot (165f or so) you will want to do shorter intervals like 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
Once you hit 180f hold the temp between 180 and 190 and stir frequently for 15 minutes. Holding the temp will ensure the texture is correct. Don't boil and don't skip on holding the temp for 15 minutes.
After holding the temp between in cooking zone (180-190) cool the yogurt by placing the bowl in a larger bowl filled with cold water and cool the milk to 110-120.
Once at 110-120 ad your starter yogurt and whisk in thoroughly. Do not allow it cool off much more and do not heat it over 130 (or you will kill the cultures and wont have yogurt).
(if using a yogurt maker put this mix in the machine and follow it's instructions (it will still take several hours of culturing, but wont need babysitting).
Pour mixture into mason jars and screw lids on tight.
(if using a sous vide stick, put it and the jars in a water bath with the sous vide temp at 110-115)
Place mason jars into a large pot of 110-120 water bath and put in oven.
Using the probe thermometer and oven (or sous vide stick thing) keep the water bath between 110-120 for about 6 hours. The water outside of the jars will act as a thermal mass and make it far easier to control the temp and hold the temp at the happy culture growing temp.
In a few hours the mix will start to solidify (you can take a jar out of the bath and tilt it to see) and after 5 hours it should no longer be runny at all and a couple more hours and you will end up with super thick yogurt.
When satisfied with consistency use cold running water to pre-chill the jars and place in fridge overnight before eating. Save about 8 oz of your finished yogurt for your next batch as the starter.
Notes: You will get some small pieces of milk film/skin which can kinda mess with the texture a little bit, you can strain those out when pouring into jars but it's totally unnecessary. They seem to dissolve after a few days in the fridge anyway. If you insist on heating the milk on the stove (over med heat) you will have a little more milk skin to deal with. Why add powdered milk? Powdered milk gives the active cultures more to feed off of and makes for a super thick and happy yogurt that doesn't need to be strained. The powdered milk is optional, but a $3 box of it will give you enough to make quite a few batches. Don't add more than 1/2 cup of powder.
I used this video for inspiration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMInAL7JRRo