Tangy Slow-Set 2% Yogurt with Banana Pecans

Steps

1. Wash a heavy pot, a whisk, a spoon, a thermometer and a lidded glass container in hot soapy water, rinse with very hot water and let them air-dry.
2. Pour the commercially pasteurized milk into the pot and heat over medium-low, stirring often so it doesn't scorch, until it reaches 180°F (82°C).
3. Hold the milk at 180–185°F (82–85°C) for 10 minutes, stirring now and then; this helps the yogurt set thick.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let the milk cool to 108–112°F (42–44°C), about 30 minutes, or set the pot in a sink of cold water to speed it up; lift off any skin.
5. Add the live starter: whisk the yogurt starter with a ladle of the warm milk until smooth, then stir this mixture back into the rest of the milk in the pot.
6. Pour the inoculated milk into the clean container, cover, and incubate at 108–112°F (42–44°C) for 8 hours, in an oven with only the light on or a yogurt maker, without stirring, until set and pleasantly tangy.
7. Refrigerate the yogurt immediately at 40°F (4°C) or below for at least 4 hours until cold.
8. While the yogurt chills, wash and dry the pot, then toast the pecans in the dry pot over medium-low heat, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant; tip them onto a plate to cool.
9. Stir the chilled yogurt briskly with the spoon until creamy and smooth; it makes about 1,000 g, roughly 4 cups, since no whey is drained.
10. Divide the yogurt among 4 bowls and top each with a quarter of the banana, a quarter of the toasted pecans and a quarter of the chia seeds. Keep leftover plain yogurt covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.