I have always been intimidated by the notion of making my own yoghurt. Some of the recipes I found required a double boiler or candy thermometers - too complicated for this girl. Then I happened upon a tip in Mary Hunt's, Everyday Cheapskate's Greatest Tips and it was so simple I gave it a try. I modified it a smidge because it is winter right now and my home might be cooler than Mary anticipated.
Here are the directions: Boil two litres of milk. Allow to sit in a cool place until it is lukewarm. Add 1 Tbsp of Danone Plain Yoghurt (I added two). Stir. Cover. Let sit over night and it's ready the next day. I put the pot on a heating pad set on low overnight. The yoghurt was delicious!
I did the math to see what my savings were.
Commerically prepared yoghurt generally comes in 750 gram containers (3 cups) that can range in price from $2.50-$4.50. So, per cup, store-bought yoghurt costs $0.83-$1.50 per cup.
We can purchase gallon buckets of yoghurt for $9.00, which works out to 56 cents per cup. The only drawback is you might not be able to eat a full gallon of yoghurt before it spoils. And it takes up quite a bit of room in the fridge.
Now some good news! Here, milk costs range from $3.70-$4.99 per 4 litres (about a gallon). So, per cup, homemade yoghurt is a mere $0.23-$0.31 per cup. What a huge savings for very little work.
Plain yoghurt is great for baking, smoothies, tzitziki - lots of options. For breakfast, I like to eat it with museli. You can add different flavourings. One of my favourites is a little vanilla extract with a pinch of stevia for sweetening. My son likes it mixed with a little homemade strawberry jam.
It's nice to be able to control the quality of our foods - the amount of sugar, additives, thickeners, colourings. Give it a try, it's easier than you think!
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