Slow Cooker Yogourt

Note: For SCD/GAPS (or those with lactose intolerance), this 12-hour slow-cooker recipe is only recommended when using raw milk.

• For non-raw milk, it's ideal to maintain the temperature during fermentation at 43C for 24 hours (vs 12 hours in this recipe) to ensure all lactose has been broken down into monosugars.

Ingredients

• 2L milk (preferably organic raw, otherwise organic non-homogenized)
  • if you have problems with cow's milk, some report that goat's milk is easier to digest.
• Yogourt Culture, this can either be a powder starter, whey or organic yogourt with probiotics. Options:
  1. For GAPS/SCD, GI Pro Health has SCD-legal yogourt starter
  2. 1/2 cup plain organic yogurt with live active cultures (store-bought), or whey or 1/2 cup of yogurt from a previous batch)
• Fresh or frozen fruit (optional)
• honey (optional)
• Vanilla extract (optional)

Steps

1. Pour milk into slow cooker. Plug in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours (ideally until it reaches ~180F/83C).
2. Unplug the slow cooker and let it cool for 3 hrs. While the milk is cooling, take your starter yogurt out of the fridge and leave it on the counter so it can reach room temperature.
3. After the milk has cooled (ideally to ~100-110F/40-43C), scoop out 2 [cups of warm milk into a bowl and stir in the yogurt starter. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker milk and stir.
4. Cover the slow cooker and wrap the entire slow cooker, from top to bottom, in a couple of blankets to keep the heat in. Let it sit for 8 – 12 hrs (or let it sit overnight). In the morning, it will have thickened. You can try it, but it'll be warm & gross.
   • Note: For those with lactose-intolerance, using non-raw milk, it's ideal to let sit for 24 hours at 40-43C. Kat's Food Blog has some nice tips for how to achieve this goal.
5. Scoop into jars and put it in the fridge where it will continue to thicken.
6. After 8 hours in the fridge, give it a try. If it's too liquidy, strain with cheesecloth. The liquid remnants is whey.
7. Don't forget to save a 1/2 cup for your next batch!
8. (optional) Add fruit and/or honey, and vanilla extract to flavour the yogurt prior to eating.
9. 1 cup (250 ml) mason jars work great, filling the jars 1/2 way so there is room to add the fruit and flavourings. Sweeten each jar the night before or the morning when it'll be consumed.

Source: Theresa C, GAPS & more