If you've tried Greek yogurt you probably love it. Everyone does. It is thick, creamy and rich. The only thing not to love is the price. You will be surprised how easy it is too make, even if you do not make homemade yogurt you can turn store-bought plain yogurt into Greek-style yogurt simply by straining it.

Greek-style yogurt is great for cooking. It won't separate or curdle the way plain yogurt sometimes does. It also makes extra creamy sauces and dips.

Best of all it can be used to make the most decadent desserts. I enjoy it with just fresh fruit or maple syrup. It can also be strained further to produce a creamy Mascarpone cheese.

I guarantee you'll find plenty of uses for it. Now, all you have to do is learn how to make it.

How to Make Greek Yogurt

There are a few different ways to make it:

• You can buy Greek yogurt starter culture to make Greek yogurt.
• You can make Greek yogurt using a good yogurt brand as a starter.
• Or you can strain plain yogurt to achieve a thick yogurt similar to Greek style yogurt.

Easy Greek Yogurt Recipe

Want to know an easy way to enjoy Greek-style yogurt. Simply buy a good store brand like Stonyfield or Strauss Creamery and strain it for a few hours. I have invested in a yogurt cheese strainer, which I love. If you don't have one, use cheesecloth or thin cotton fabric to line a strainer. Place over a bowl so the whey can drip off. This will taste very similar to Greek yogurt, but not quite as tangy.

Using a Greek Yogurt Starter

One pack of starter can be used to make a life time supply of delicious Greek yogurt. You will need to reserve a small amount of yogurt from each fresh batch of yogurt and save it for your next batch.

If you want yogurt that is identical to Fage, Oikos or other Greek style yogurts, this is probably your best bet. Traditional Greek-style yogurt is made with two particular strains of bacteria, L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus. These cultures are responsible for it's tangy flavor. You'll find it slightly more tart than "ordinary" plain yogurt.

A good online source for Greek yogurt starter is a website called Cultures for Health. They also have many other wonderful varieties of yogurt starters.

Their instructions for using this culture include using one part cream and three parts whole milk. You do not have to use cream to make Greek-style yogurt, if you do not it will be just a bit thinner (you can strain it to thicken it up a bit).

Using a Yogurt as a Starter

You can use a good quality store bought yogurt as a starter.

Using Fage yogurt (or other Greek Style yogurt) as a starter doesn't necessarily give you a Greek style homemade yogurt. In fact it turns out about the same as any homemade yogurt. To get a thick rich Greek yogurt you will need to strain it and possibly use cream to make it thick and rich. Also since Fage only has two strains of live cultures, L. Bulgaricus, it can take a long time to ferment.

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I like to use Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk yogurt. It has six different kinds of beneficial bacteria. This makes a Greek-style yogurt every bit as yummy as Fage, but with more probiotics.

This is actually the same way I make my homemade yogurt. So, basically all I am doing is straining my yogurt. There are a couple things I do differently. I usually let the yogurt ferment longer, up to 12 hours and sometimes I use some cream mixed into whole milk.

I've had other people tell me that this recipe also works great using 2% milk and no cream at all. So, play around with it a bit until you figure out what you like.

I don't know what is a priority to you. For me, I'm not so much concerned about a little extra fat, especially if it tastes extra yummy. My top priority is that my yogurt is high in probiotics. The nice thing about making your own yogurt, is that you have a lot of control over how you want it to turn out.

Here is a basic recipe you can modify to suit your needs. You can make it with any type of milk or add less or more cream to suit your desires.

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