I make yogurt by heating the milk to 190F, holding it there for a minute or two, then taking it off the heat. The 190F helps break down the proteins (casein if

I make yogurt by heating the milk to 190F, holding it there for a minute or two, then taking it off the heat. The 190F helps break down the proteins (casein if I remember correctly) to help the yogurt setup. If your milk hasn't been pasteurized, this also pasteurizes. I let the milk cool naturally to 115F, then I mix a tablespoonful of the warm milk with two tablespoons of my starter yogurt (for a gallon of milk). I continue to mix a tablespoon of milk into the starter until the starter is pourable. It then gets added to the pot of milk and stirred. If I'm making skyr, the rennet goes in at this stage. The pot is usually at 112F-114F and get wrapped in towels and thrown into a warm oven, I usually heat the oven to it's lowest setting (200F) while the milk is warming, then turn the oven off while the milk is cooling. The milk sits in the oven overnight. The 105F-115F range is the "ideal" temperature for the bacteria. In the morning, the curds get sliced, strained, and jarred. Once you get used to it, making yogurt once a week takes an active 30 minutes of my time.