Greek Yogurt

5 cups Skim Milk
2-3 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Almond Extract
1/2 cup Yogurt Starter (I either use yogurt saved from a previous batch,an all Natural Plain Yogurt or 1/4 package of dry Yogurt Starter)

Supplies to Make Life Easier
Yogurt Maker
Yogurt Strainer (it's a mess strainer designed to strain yogurt)

1)   Heat milk until scalding (usually greater than 180 degrees F).  Pour milk into a glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 5 minutes, stir then heat for an aditional 5 minutes.  Remove skin that might have formed on the surface of the milk.  Add in sugar and almond extract.

2)  Allow milk to cool to approximately 110-120 degrees F then stir in yogurt starter.

3)  I put yogurt in yogurt maker (the maker I purchased was a winner since it allowed use of a bowl rather than commiting to the jars that come with the yogurt maker.  Since Greek yogurt is strained, it works better as a larger batch rather than small 6-8 oz batches.  This method works like a slow cooker for keeping yogurt at the appropriate temperature without having to monitor the maching.  A crock pot and or oven work to maintain temperture of the yogurt but it takes more monitoring.  Temperature maintenance is somewhere between 122 degrees and 130 degrees F.

4)  Strain Yogurt in yogurt strainer until to desired thickness (about 30 minutes to an hour is enough for Greek yogurt).   If you don't have a strainer, use a mesh collandar lined with cheese cloth placed over a measuring cup.  I love the strainer because it has no waste and I make a lot of yogurt.

5)  This method results in about 3 cups of Greek yogurt.  At with prices of milk at $3.00 per gallon this gives you a the equivilent of 6 -4 oz containers for less than $1.00.