· Heat milk in a saucepan over a low flame until it reaches about 110° Fahrenheit / 43º Celsius to 180°F for thicker yogurt.

· Bring temperature back down to 110°.

· Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons thermophilic starter culture such as Bulgarian or Greek starter (you can buy these at the River Cottage Farm Shop or online at http://glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/ ), or use two tablespoons yogurt from a previous batch to inoculate the raw milk.

· If you are using a powdered culture sprinkle on top of your warm milk and allow to rehydrate for about two minutes and give it a good mixing with a whisk.

· If you are using starter from a previous batch or store bought yogurt pour a small amount of warm milk into the yogurt and mix well. Add the rest of the milk and stir well.

· If you’re using a yogurt maker, simply pour the mixture of fresh milk and starter into the yogurt maker and culture it according to the manufacturer’s instructions for about eight to twelve hours.

· If you’re using a slow cooker or a cooler, first pour the mixture of starter and raw milk into a 1-quart glass mason jar and cover it with a lid.

· Place the mason jar full of milk and starter in the center of your slow cooker or cooler and pour warm water (approximately 110° Fahrenheit, 43º Celsius) into your the ceramic insert or until it reaches just below the lid of your mason jar. Cover with a warm towel for added insulation and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen to culture for eight to twelve hours.

· Once the culturing period of eight to twelve hours is complete, remove your still warm raw milk yogurt from the yogurt maker, slow cooker or cooler and place it in the refrigerator to chill and solidify for four to six hours shaking a jostling as little as possible on the way to the fridge.

Once you really get into making this yogurt you will want to purchase some PH strips and use them to let you know exactly when the yogurt is ready according to your taste. My family likes the yogurt at a PH of 4.6 and that usually takes about 6 hours of incubating at around 100°. The incubation time really depends on how tart, thick and smooth you like your yogurt. Each strain of bacteria do something different to the milk so they all have their own likes and dislikes.