Yogurt Made in the Slow Cooker

It took me two years to try this recipe and it was one of the easiest things I've ever made.  I have no idea why making yogurt in the slow cooker seemed so intimidating to me.  Maybe I was afraid to waste 8 cups of milk if it didn't turn out?  What I've come to find, is that it's difficult to mess this recipe up.  It's only 7 steps!

This has worked so well that I'll be making yogurt in the slow cooker forever now. We love to try mixing in new things to flavour the yogurt. Our son loves it with honey, daughter a dash a vanilla, hubby loves it mixed with apple butter, I love it plain with granola on top, a mashed banana in it tastes delicious, your options are endless!

I used regular whole milk to make my yogurt and mixed it with Nancy's Plain Whole Yogurt which has pro-biotic cultures.  Do not use milk that's be Ultra- High Paturized such as most Organic milks :(  According to the comments on Shannon's blog, for lower fat yogurt, you could use fat-free half and half then strain it in a cheese cloth prior to putting it in containers to remove the extra whey.  I will be doing this sometime, as I'd like to make yogurt for my mother-in-law who's on a perscribed low-fat diet and will have a fit if I feed her fats.

The basic steps are ~

1) pour 8 cups milk into slow cooker,

2) heat on low for 2.5 hours (u want it to reach 180 degrees)

3) turn off slow cooker and cool for 3 hours with lid on,

4) take out 2 cups warm"ish" (or 110 degree) milk and mix with 1/2 cup yogurt,

5) pour milk/yogurt mix back into slow cooker and mix well

6) cover with towels and leave for 8-12 hours

7) refrigerate for 8 hours

CROCKPOT YOGURT recipe is from Nourishing Days  Be sure to read the comments and recipe notes from her blog for more tips.

I also recommend to pop over to the Cleaner Plate Club's website and read Ali's hilarious post on yogurt making.

Happily submitted to Frugal Fridays over at Life As Mom and Family Friendly Fridays over at Mommie Cooks!

Enjoy!

from the "Girl Scout Handbook"

by Catharine C. Reiley,

illustrations by Eleanor Dart and Alison Cummings

1955, Girl Scouts of the United States of America

Mad Hungry: Flaky Buttery Biscuits

This is my first year making sucessful biscuits and now I wonder what took me so long to figure it out?  Biscuits are so easy because they don't require alot of fussing.  Just throw them together, mix only until combined, plop them onto a baking sheet, put them in the oven and there you have it.  Perfection.  My failure at previous attempts was handling the dough way too much.

This has become our families favourite biscuit recipe.  It is so easy to whip up a batch of these to have with our meals.  The outside crust is flaky, yet firm, while the inside is so soft it melts in your mouth.  Use any leftovers to make sandwiches the next day for lunch.  I simply love these biscuits.

FLAKY BUTTERY BISCUITS
from the book Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys
Makes 12 small biscuits

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1-1/2 cups spelt flour, 1/4 cup wheat germ)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter cut into small pieces
3/4 cup milk (see headnote)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Butter or line a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork or 2 table knives, combine the butter and flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Slowly add the milk, stirring with a fork, to the desired consistency.

For softer biscuits, drop 2 tablespoons of the dough onto the lined baking sheet. For firmer biscuits, turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and gently knead just to bring the dough together. Carefully roll out the dough about 3/4 inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or sturdy glass, cut about 12 biscuits, rerolling any scraps. Place on the lined baking sheet.

(The biscuits can be frozen at this point. Freeze on the baking sheet, then remove to a resealable container or plastic bag for easier storage.)  Bake the biscuits for 13 to 15 minutes (add 3 to 4 additional minutes for frozen ones), until golden brown. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Printable Recipe

Happily submitted to Family Friendly Fridays over at Mommie Cooks! (today she shares how she made animal crackers from scratch!)

Enjoy!


Speaking of boys, this is one of our 4 year old son's favourite activities while Mum bakes.  Place a scoop or two of flour on a baking sheet and let him run his cars through it.  I keep a bag of cheap flour in the cupboard just for this activity.  When he has a friend over, I give them each their own cookie sheet full of flour.