Vanilla Yogurt - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 gallon whole milk
1/2 cup yogurt, plain or 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean

Preparation

Place 4 pint glass canning jars (lids & rings, too) into your canning pot with about an inch of water. Cover and boil for 10 minutes. Turn heat off & leave to sit until you are ready to use jars.
Pour 1/2 gallon of milk into heavy bottomed stock pot & heat to 185\u00b0-190\u00b0F.
Measure out sugar & scrape vanilla bean into it. Stir well.
Remove milk from heat & place entire pot into sink of cold water. Add sugar/vanilla bean/vanilla extract & stir. Cool to 120\u00b0F.
Add 1/2 cup starter yogurt & stir thoroughly so there are no little clumps of yogurt.
Remove jars from canner & add milk.
Add lids & rings to jars and place back into canner.
Fill with 1 gallon of the hottest tap water you can get and place back on stove at the warm setting. Let sit for 3 hours.
Place yogurt into refrigerator for 3 hours.
Enjoy or place strainer & cheesecloth over an empty bowl & allow yogurt to strain for 1-2 hours in refrigerator & place yogurt back into jar for thicker Greek style yogurt.