Homemade yogurt is easy to make and only involves a few ingredients.

Yogurt Ingredient #1: Milk

The variety of milk available in most stores these days is staggering.  Whole, low fat and non-fat; homogenized and non homogenized; and in some places you can even choose between pasteurized or raw milk.  When making yogurt we recommend using the highest quality of milk possible.  Here are some factors to consider:

• Try to use the most local milk possible.  Milk which travels long distances is treated more harshly (higher temperature pasteurization, etc.) making it less desirable for as a yogurt ingredient.  If possible, check out your local farm for the freshest possible milk!
• Avoid ultra-pasteurized (aka UHT or ultra high temp) milk as a yogurt ingredient.  This milk is pasteurized as such a high temperature, there is very little (if anything) left alive in the milk to assist in the culturing process.
• Use the freshest possible milk.  If you are lucky, this may mean getting your milk from your own cow or goat but for most of us it means choosing the freshest milk at the store and using the milk to make yogurt soon after opening the container.  As milk ages, bacteria builds which competes with the yogurt culture making older milk less effective as a yogurt ingredient.
• Use whole milk if at all possible (adding cream is even better).  Natural yogurt (made without additives or stabilizers) is dependent on fat for a thick consistency.  If using low fat milk as a  yogurt ingredient, plan on very thin yogurt. 

Yogurt Ingredient #2: Yogurt Starter Culture

Several option are available when choosing a starter culture as a yogurt ingredient:

• A reusable starter culture is the traditional way to make yogurt.  A small amount of yogurt from each batch is used to make the next batch of yogurt.  Not only is this a very convenient way to make yogurt but it's also much more economical (no more buying multiple packets of yogurt starter).  Once you acquire a reusable yogurt starter, you only have to buy milk to make delicious homemade yogurt each week.  Click here for more information on buying a reusable yogurt starter cultures.  There are two types of reusable yogurt starter available:
  
  • Thermophilic (aka heat loving) yogurt starters include Greek yogurt and Bulgarian yogurt varieties.  These cultures work well as a yogurt ingredient in a yogurt making appliance or any other appliance which can be kept at 110 degrees during the culturing process (a low temperature oven, food dehydrator and crock pot are all potential options).
    
  • Mesophilic (aka low temperature, counter-top, room temperature) yogurt starters include Viili, Filmjolk, Matsoni and Piima varieties.  These cultures do not require a yogurt maker but rather culture at room temperature (72-78 degrees) so they can simply be set on the counter for 12-18 hours until the yogurt forms.  While much easier to use than yogurt starter which require a yogurt maker, mesophilic yogurt starters do tend to produce slightly thinner yogurt (but you can strain the yogurt to achieve a thicker consistency or it is perfect for making smoothies)
    
• One-time use yogurt starter culture can often be found at grocery stores and health food stores and used as a yogurt ingredient.  This culture is added to the milk and then incubated for several hours using a yogurt maker (similar to the thermophilic starter culture discussed above but these cultures are not reusable).  Besides being inconvenient, one-time use yogurt starter cultures aren't really economical as they have to be purchased repeatedly.
  
• Commercial yogurt available in the grocery store can also be used as the starter culture yogurt ingredient.  A small amount of plain yogurt from your favorite brand can be added to milk and incubated using a yogurt maker.  Typically this method is a one-time use method and you will need some commercial yogurt each time you make homemade yogurt.
  

Yogurt Ingredient #3: Flavoring

Once you have made homemade yogurt, you can flavor your yogurt.  This is by far the most fun yogurt ingredient and where you can be most creative!  Here are some ideas for flavoring your homemade yogurt:

• Fresh fruit:  You can just dice up fruit and add it to the yogurt or you can cook it down to make a sauce)
  
• All fruit (aka sugar free) jam
  
• Honey:  Raw honey in particular makes a wonderful sweetener for yogurt
  
• Flavor extracts:  Perhaps the most well known is vanilla extract but you can also experiment with others including orange and lemon
  

Please note: If you are using a reusable starter culture, be sure to reserve a small amount of plain yogurt before adding flavorings to use as the starter culture for your next batch of homemade  yogurt.