Homemade Greek-Style Yogurt and Whey in a Crockpot Recipe Description: Thick, delicious, Greek-style yogurt made at home. By-product, whey. Prep Time: 1 Hours and 30 MinutesCook Time: 10 Hours Servings: Yogurt will yield 1/2 gallon, greek yogurt and whey will yield 1/2 gallon total Difficulty: Moderate Recipe Ingredients: 1/2 gallon raw or organic milk 1/4 cup organic yogurt w/ at least 4 live cultures Raw honey (optional) Pure vanilla extract (optional) Equipment: candy thermometer crock pot cheese cloth strainer bowl Recipe Instructions: Fill sink with cold water to the point where water will not get into pot when placing it in water. The water will be used to cool milk. Turn crock pot on to warm setting. The crock pot will be used to incubate the milk while it turns into yogurt. On a stove, heat 1/2 gallon of milk in a pot, stirring constantly, until it reaches 185 degrees. Place pot in the sink with cold water (make sure no water gets in pot) and let cool to 100-110 degrees. This is really important. If milk is too hot it will kill the live cultures and you will not get yogurt. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of milk into a separate container and add 1/4 cup yogurt (also known as starter). This step is to temper the yogurt. Add milk/yogurt mixture back into pot. Mix well. Unplug crock pot. I made sure my crock pot was not hot, just warm. Pour milk into crock pot, put lid on, and wrap crock pot with a towel. Let sit for 8-12 hours. After 8-12 hours has passed, unwrap crock pot and you should have yogurt! At this point I place it in the fridge to set better. This is not a necessary step. I find timing the yogurt to be done incubating before bed best, that way yogurt can sit in fridge over night. Store 1/4 cup yogurt in a separate container to use as the starter for the next time you make yogurt. (Be sure to use it within 6-8 days) If you just want yogurt you can stop at this point and add whatever ingredients to flavor the yogurt to your preference. However, if you like Greek-style yogurt then follow these steps: Place cheesecloth in strainer. I use enough cheese cloth to have multiple layers. Place strainer in a bowl. Put yogurt in strainer with cheese cloth. Let sit for 1 hour. Yogurt will be thicker and creamier. As a result, there will be whey in the bowl you set your strainer in! Separate yogurt from cheese cloth into a mason jar or container to store in fridge. I added raw agave nectar and pure vanilla extract to taste and then berries when I sit down to eat it. The whey I put into a glass mason jar. It can keep for six months in the fridge, however, be sure to make sure it hasn't gone bad when using. A foul odor is a good indicator. I found this to be really easy, but I am putting it at a moderate difficulty level due to all of the temperature changes. Yogurt will yield as much milk as you started with, in this recipe yogurt will yield 1/2 gallon. Strained yogurt will yield less since the whey is being separated from the yogurt, but the strained yogurt and whey should yield 1/2 gallon total.