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Yogurt
May 5, 2015 2:11:05 GMT
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Post by themotherhen on May 5, 2015 2:11:05 GMT
Does anyone here make homemade yogurt? I read online that leftover frozen whey could be used to make a new batch of yogurt. I saved and froze my whey and tried it but it didn't work. I am not sure if it was maybe just user error, or that the frozen whey method doesn't work. Has anyone had success using that method? I don't want to waste another quart of milk! It did not totally go to waste, I gave it to a neighbor for her daughter's pig.
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Yogurt
May 5, 2015 4:04:12 GMT
Post by rick on May 5, 2015 4:04:12 GMT
Have you ever cultured kefir?
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Yogurt
May 6, 2015 2:57:38 GMT
Post by Awnry Abe on May 6, 2015 2:57:38 GMT
I make it only a couple of times a year using packets, I have a friend that always has a live culture arrived from batch-to-batch. She started with store-bought yogurt.
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Post by feather on May 6, 2015 3:11:31 GMT
Okay, bring the 1 quart milk to a boil, turn it off and let it cool to 110-115 degrees F, put in an insulated pan/bowl/container, mix in 1/4 cup of natural yogurt with live cultures, plain flavor. Whip it together, cover. Keep in a warm place for 12 or so hours.
Warm place: oven with a pilot light. Warm place: dehydrator set at 110 degrees F. Warm place: in a cooler with jugs of hot water next to it.
It will be okay if you see that it has thickened. It will not be as thick as store bought.
To make thick yogurt, some people add milk powder, some people add gelatin at the beginning. To make greek yogurt (thick), strain it through a thin cotton cloth hanging it over a sink or bowl for a few hours. If you want to make yogurt cheese (which is like a tangy cream cheese), hang for 12 hours, scrape the cloth to get the cheese off of it and then season with salt/herbs/spices, or you can make it sweet with sugar/cinnamon/other spices.
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Yogurt
May 7, 2015 19:19:06 GMT
Post by feather on May 7, 2015 19:19:06 GMT
I made a 1/2 gallon of yogurt yesterday. I heated it in the microwave, then after it cooled, mixed, I kept it in there, ,zapped it for a few minutes after 6 hours, again at 12 hours, left it a whole 24 hours. Today it's lovely. I put it in the refrigerator to cool.
I'll use it to replace buttermilk, to thin cream cheese/sour cream, to add to a fruit/granola parfait to add to fruit smoothies instead of milk. I'll probably strain 1/2 of it into a yogurt cheese (once it is cooled) and flavor it sweet and cinnamon for a change. Nice to spread on toast or crackers w/ or wo/ jam on top.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2015 1:53:58 GMT
I've used plain Dannon yogurt as a starter, but never just whey. The stuff we started with the powdered starter has turned out best, we just save half a cup or so from each batch to start the next batch.
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Post by themotherhen on May 9, 2015 7:11:25 GMT
Thanks, guess the frozen whey doesn't work. I will buy a starter cup of yogurt tomorrow.
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Yogurt
May 10, 2015 1:52:09 GMT
Post by trebello on May 10, 2015 1:52:09 GMT
I made another batch of yogurt today. First of the year with fresh Jersey milk from a local dairy. I did start it with some store-bought Fage, as my last batch was long gone. Since selling raw milk for any use other than pet food is illegal in GA, I, of course, made this lovely yogurt for my dogs.
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Post by themotherhen on May 10, 2015 6:04:59 GMT
Trubello, of course it is for your dogs. I never doubted that for a minute ;-)
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Yogurt
May 10, 2015 6:05:42 GMT
via mobile
Post by themotherhen on May 10, 2015 6:05:42 GMT
Sorry, it is trebello!
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Yogurt
Jul 25, 2015 23:20:31 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2015 23:20:31 GMT
I use plain yogurt from Aldi as a starter. Freeze it in 1/2 cup Glad containers and thaw prior to stirring in the warm milk. Have used it for several years with no issues. We go through 1-2 quarts of yogurt a week mainly in smoothies but also use it in pancakes and waffles in place of milk/buttermilk.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 14:33:49 GMT
My yogurt comes out very thick... Like thicker than sour cream!
I use either whole milk (thin), half and half (very thick), or a mixture of the two... I haven't gotten the ratio figured out - but it is all tasty. LOL!
I make the next batch from the dregs left in the previous container as Starter.
I have read that you can DEHYDRATE your yogurt, and that the cultures survive for quite some time... Have not tried that trick yet. Perhaps someone else has?
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Post by willowgirl on Aug 2, 2015 12:16:08 GMT
Numb made ***the best*** yogurt last year when we were milking our cow. I'm looking forward to having more shortly! I only know that he made it in the crock pot, using storebought yogurt as a starter. Now, ordinarily I'm not a huge fan of yogurt, but this stuff was GOOD! Even better with some chocolate syrup mixed in, heh. I'm not sure if he strained it, but it was really thick. And did I mention, delicious?
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Yogurt
Aug 5, 2015 4:37:55 GMT
Post by mollymckee on Aug 5, 2015 4:37:55 GMT
I found raw milk makes the best yogurt, especially when you don't skim the cream, you just shake it in!
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Yogurt
Aug 14, 2015 20:27:33 GMT
Post by feather on Aug 14, 2015 20:27:33 GMT
Today we are seeing 90's. If you make yogurt when the temperatures are in the 90's and 100's, you can ferment it on the counter. Hot days aren't good for much but they are good for fermenting yogurt.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2015 10:49:28 GMT
I use a blend of Half'n'Half with whole milk (store bought) and my start is now 9 months/generations old - and my yogurt comes out VERY thick. Like sour cream consistency. I use it interchangeably as sour cream in recipes. IF I use just whole milk, it comes out runny, like those yogurt drink things they sell to kids in the store.
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Post by comfortablynumb on Sept 30, 2015 17:31:09 GMT
I got some 80 micron nut milk bags on amazon, they drain out yogurt as thick as cream cheese.
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Yogurt
Oct 2, 2015 2:45:32 GMT
Post by trebello on Oct 2, 2015 2:45:32 GMT
For thicker whole milk (or even low-fat) yogurt, you have to heat the milk to about 180 degrees F, then let it cool slowly back to culturing temperature. Or use additives, like powdered milk or gelatin (the trick used in much commercial production), but I have never tried these. Heat alters the structure of the casein, and makes, in my opinion, a much thicker yogurt. Not like Greek-style, which is strained, but definitely less like a beverage. So, even though I buy raw milk (because it is Jersey and grass-fed, and local. And I really like to support the man who sells it), I am basically pasteurizing it. I heat store-bought milk as well, just to make sure I don't end up with thin yogurt.
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Post by comfortablynumb on Oct 26, 2015 0:39:54 GMT
The cultures also make a difference. Stonyfield's plain yogurt has six live cultures, most brands only have one or 2.
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Yogurt
Feb 8, 2016 22:25:37 GMT
Post by sss3 on Feb 8, 2016 22:25:37 GMT
Anyone made yogurt in CP? If so, how?
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Yogurt
Feb 9, 2016 0:41:39 GMT
Post by comfortablynumb on Feb 9, 2016 0:41:39 GMT
CP... crock pot? Yes thats how I do it. I set a timer so it comes on for 15 min every hour pon low, it keeps the gallon of mix at 115-120.
Cultures can be frozen and used later, but be aware, that some store bought yogurt actually dies off after a few generations. YOu can save it form the first batch and it work fine, but once you are up to a couple more generations of make it - save some you have useless cultures. You can buy cultures online that don't do that. So far the cultures in stonyfields yogurt doesnt seem to do that. Activa yogurts cultures are terrible.
Also using too much yogurt as a starter will mess it up. You're better off adding a little less than too much.
I add 1/2 cup of starter (frozen cubes from the last pot) to 1 gal of milk, and crock pot it for 7 hours at 115 +/-. 7hr yields mild yogurt, and I have left it as long as 18 hours, you'll just have really tart yogurt. Thickness doesn't improve... you still have to strain/drain off the whey and press it out in a bag or keep pouring off the whey as it collects on the container from setting in the fridge. I put the finished into a long square container, and pile the yogurt on one side. The whey slowly drains off and puddles onthe empty end, and ya pour it off. In about 2 days youll have no whey left and a pile of drywall compound.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2016 17:20:52 GMT
I had to laugh at the Drywall Compound reference... LOL! :-D Great analogy! I used the Oikos (or something like that) culture, and it's a year old now... (About a tablespoon of starter to a half gallon of milk, and just fresh and everything gels up well.)
Crock Pot: I put a few lug nuts under my crock to lift it off the bottom of the heating-base, filled it with water, and played around with the height of the nuts underneath until I could get a steady 115-125 temperature. It can be done, if you can get the temp low enough... My 30 year old crock pot has a hard time remaining a steady temp, AND that low. I wasn't pleased with the control and now exclusively used a heating pad.
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Post by comfortablynumb on Feb 10, 2016 2:16:17 GMT
I forgot this last batch in the kitchen with a 2 gal bucket of water on top of it pressing out the whey.
I made a block of cream cheese. LOL
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Yogurt
Apr 10, 2016 12:27:15 GMT
Post by mzgarden on Apr 10, 2016 12:27:15 GMT
ok, I need help. I've read this thread multiple times and have tried 4 batches of yogurt -- all come out like thick milk. The culture taste is fine but it's not even as thick as condensed milk. No way I could ever strain this to get thick yogurt, it's literally liquid. I'm starting with our goat milk. I've tried adding powdered milk and I've tried gelatin. I tried the crockpot and I've used the instapot on the yogurt setting - heating the milk first, cooling, adding the cultures. I have a thermometer - I let the milk cool to 115F and stir in the store bought plain organic yogurt (Stonyfield usually). I've tried 8 hours and 16 hours kept warm.
All I get is thick milk that smells like yogurt.
How can this be so hard? help?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2016 15:56:12 GMT
Hmmmm, I've gotten "pourable" yogurt a few times. You can reprocess it when you get a fail. Don't throw it out. Stick it in the fridge and try again the next day or so. Or cook with it, if you're reluctant to reprocess it.
Once, I was in a hurry and didn't scald it to about 180... Hit 180F and then let it drop to your 115-125 for culture growth.
Once I got carried away and figured that if a tablespoon of start was good, then a quarter cup oughtta be GREAT - it isn't. Less is better!
Once I used a half gallon of skim that I had accidentally bought... Ew.
I THINK those were the culprits. Usually, I can pinpoint ONE thing I did differently, so it gets blamed. LOL!
Full scald before you cool? Small starter?
I use nasty, store bought, pasteurized and homogenized cow milk. I'm not sure if goat milk performs the same.
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Yogurt
Apr 10, 2016 19:13:58 GMT
Post by mzgarden on Apr 10, 2016 19:13:58 GMT
@traciintexas, thanks. I'm using my yogurt milk to cook with and I can drink it. I'll try reprocessing it - gotta get more starter for culture. How much starter would you use for 1 gallon of milk?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2016 19:24:16 GMT
I make a half gallon at a time, and usually only use a generous tablespoon. I have great success with the Oiikos or whatever it's called. I get about a year of batches before I mess it up... I forgot my last batch in the back of the fridge and when I remembered it - it was a funky pinkish color that spooked me. I just started again this past week with a new starter. LOL!
Oikos is one of the few that comes in a full fat version, around here.
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Post by feather on Apr 10, 2016 21:17:27 GMT
I make a half gallon at a time, and usually only use a generous tablespoon. I have great success with the Oiikos or whatever it's called. I get about a year of batches before I mess it up... I forgot my last batch in the back of the fridge and when I remembered it - it was a funky pinkish color that spooked me. I just started again this past week with a new starter. LOL! Oikos is one of the few that comes in a full fat version, around here. I use Dannon, 'plain', and by plain I don't mean 'vanilla', vanilla is a flavor and sweetened. Just plain and there are other brands that are plain too. Full fat or Hellenized (Yes my spell checker brings this to me as a Christian wrong, gelletellized is hellenized), it doesn't matter as long as the bacteria is active. ha ha, I get that. I've had dairy products also become scary pink, that is probably not a good pink bacteria and I throw it away too. Glad to know I'm not alone in that.
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Post by comfortablynumb on Apr 11, 2016 3:29:25 GMT
I use 1/2 cup for a gallon. Not enough culture will do that. However too much will do it too.
Some yogurts do not have a live culture you have to check the label.
Goat milk might have something to do with it....
180F wont do, it has to be brought to a boil to produce thick yogurt. That may be part of it. I have made yogurt 100s of times and if the milk aint boiled, it produces.... liquid. I've tried every temp from 60F to boiling.
If its going to turn to proper yogurt, it'll be a solid mass in about 6 hours.
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Yogurt
May 26, 2016 20:14:46 GMT
Post by jangirl on May 26, 2016 20:14:46 GMT
Ok, I read this and thought 'I've got it, I can do this'. Well, once again, my yogurt was like thick milk. I put it in the fridge, then the next day added some powdered ranch dressing mix to flavor it and put it on pasta salad. Not as thick as dressing, but better than wasting it. I was going to use it to freeze and make ice cream. I'm about to give up on this yogurt making deal. Maybe it was the starter.
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