Homemade Yogurt

5 c milk (I used raw goat's milk, but you can use regular milk or almond milk)
6 ounces store - bought plain or vanilla yogurt (must be Dannon or a good greek yogurt,  NOT store brand or Yoplait)
High-sided sauce pan
Whisk
Ice water (2 trays of ice worth in the sink)
Glass measuring cup, like Pyrex
Pitcher
Electric yogurt maker with clean glass jars

Put milk in sauce pan & heat to boiling until it starts to climb the sides of the pan. Using whisk, stir to keep from sticking to the bottom & burning. Remove from heat & cool to 100 degrees, or the temperature of a baby bottle. Placing the pan in sink with ice water speeds up the process. Once milk has cooled, put into the pitcher. Put about a cup of the milk in the glass measuring cup with the 6 ounces store - bought yogurt. Stir until disolved, then add to the rest of the milk. Make sure it has all combined. Arrange glass jars in the yogurt maker, & pour milk mixture into the glass jars. Place clear plastic yogurt maker lid and turn on. This part takes about 8 hours. Total prep & cook time: 9 hours. Allow for more time if using 1% or skim milk. Lower fat content can make the necessary time in the maker up to 10 hours.

Note: for those concerned about sugar content, the bacteria eats the sugar in the 6 ounces of store - bought yogurt, so the final product is sugar-free. For extreme sensitivities to dairy, save 6 ounces of the first batch as the starter for your next batch. That next batch would be completely dairy-free.