Home made yogurt?

17 years ago

Several people on the CF have mentioned making home made yogurt- so I did a search. There are tons of recipes out there using various ingredients. Some use water and powdered milk, others use 1/2 and 1/2, regular milk, raw milk etc.

Anyone have a good recipe and basic instuctions to get me started? Would you recommend purchasing a yogurt maker? I don't think I've ever seen one!

We eat alot of yogurt the flavored kind with active culture, but it also has alot of ingredients in it that I can't spell or pronounce!

I would like to make a good healthy and tasty product myself.

Thanks,

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (34)

suzyqtexas
17 years ago
I've been using my Salton Yogurt maker for 36 years! All it does is keep the yogurt at a constant temperature. I heat 1 quart milk (fat fre, 1%, 2% or whole) for 6 minutes in the microwave. Let cool to 110 to 115 degrees. Then add 1 tablespoon plain yogurt (be sure it doesn't have geletin in it, just plain yogurt with an active culture). Wisk well pour into jars (jars need to have a plastic lid or seran wrap with a rubber band covering them) and keep at constant temperature for 8-10 hours. That's It!
dgkritch
17 years ago
I make mine the same way, except no yogurt maker.
Heat milk (you choose what you want to use from powdered, non-fat, whole, 1/2 n 1/2) to 180 (stove or micro), cool to 110-115,mix in some store-bought plain yogurt with active culture. Pour into jars, cover and keep warm for 8-10 hours. I keep mine warm by placing the jars in a stock pot and filling it with warm/hot water up the neck of the jar. Pop it in the oven with just the light on overnight.

After you make the first batch, you can use the last little bit of your own to start the next batch instead of buying from the store. The only time I buy any now is when somebody else in the house finishes up the last jar and doesn't save a Tbl. or so!!

Have fun! It's easy!
Deanna (who likes anything that "makes itself" while I sleep)
Related Discussions
Home made yogurt, culture source and taste?
Q
Comments (20)
Hi all! Although I am new to this forum, I see an awful lot of references to boiling milk when making yogurt and I just want to comment. I live on a farm and am fortunate enough to have access to raw milk. I will never drink pasteurized milk. For those of you who have been brainwashed since birth as I was before my farming venture, you may think this is crazy. But Raw Milk is the good stuff. Pasteurized is the bad stuff. Raw milk goes sour and sour milk is great in cooking and baking. Pasteurized milk goes BAD. Pasteurization comes from boiling the milk, or at least heating it above 150 degrees. This kills bacteria in the milk. ALL of it. Including the good bacteria. That's why pasteurized milk goes BAD instead of sour. All the good bacteria that eats the bad bacteria has been killed off! I don't heat my raw milk before adding the culture. Like someone in the forum said somewhere, just add the culture and set it in a warm place overnight. If I had to used pasteurised milk, then I would say you would have to boil it first. Pasteurized milk breeds a ton of nasty bacteria when warm. So boiliing it first to kill that off and then culturing with store bought yogurt and keeping it refrigerated makes more sense to me. Not that I would ever want to do it that way.
...See More
yogurt question
Q
Comments (16)
I also make my own yogurt. I used to put quart jars into a cooler filled with hot water, then my brain kicked into gear and I started using my old food dehydrator. I always have a couple of quarts in the refrigerator. My first batch started with just plain old Dannon, vanilla flavored because my small town independent grocery didn't have any plain! It gets more "sour" as it gets older. I always use low fat milk, like Rachelellen, and have good results. I use yogurt as a sub for sour cream, in a pinch instead of buttermilk for pancakes and biscuits, and I often sub part of the mayo in salads with yogurt. Ashley doesn't like it in dips, but I do. I think the only way to find out if you like it is to try it. Annie
...See More
Yogurt recipe anyone?
Q
Comments (8)
Oh yes, I make yogurt regularly with my food dehydrator, although I started by using a cooler filled with hot water. I use the directions from Fiasco Farms, and I just use some of my last batch of yogurt as my starter for the new batch. It gets more sour as batches go on, and the first batch I made I started with just plain vanilla Dannon because that's all I could get here. The unflavored Greek type yogurt works best, I understand. Anyway, the directions, copied from the Fiasco Farms website: Easy "Traditional" Yogurt: This is one of the simplest. You can "double" this recipe. You can use a microwave*, but there is no reason you can't do it on top of the stove. Just be careful not to scorch the milk. 1) Start with 3 1/2 C. of milk in a microwave safe bowl, a 4 C. Pyrex measuring cup is perfect for this. *Note: I have had a couple people comment that they do not approve of using the microwave for food preparation, especially with milk. If you don't like using the microwave, you can heat the milk on the stove. 2) Add some powdered milk* : Stir in 1/2-1 C. powdered milk (cow, goat or soy) if you're using goat milk or soymilk (*please see the note below about making soy milk yogurt), and 1/4-1/2 C. if you're using cow milk. Why do you add powdered milk? Do you have to add it? Adding powdered milk will help make the yogurt thick, like the way it is from the store. In Europe, yogurt tends to be "runny", but in the USA we seem to prefer it thicker, so do add the powdered milk it you want it not to be runny. I do not add any powdered milk; I have found that the "ABY-2C" yogurt culture from Dairy Connection produced a thick enough curd for my liking. *Note: Another person did not approve of adding powdered milk because it supplied oxidized cholesterol. If you are worried about this and don't want to add powdered milk, then don't add it, but you will probably want to purchase a culture that produces a thicker curd as opposed to just using purchased yogurt (such as Dannon) to make your yogurt. 3) Heat the milk: Place the milk in the microwave (or on the stove) and bring it to a boil. In my microwave this takes about 8-10 minutes depending on if it's right out of the goat or out of the fridge. Stir the milk occasionally and keep an eye on it, but just before it begins to boil, do not stir it, or it will boil over (as I well know). Remove the milk carefully from the microwave. Let it cool some before you place a thermometer in it, or it will still boil over (as, again, I well know). Heating the milk is done for a few reasons: To sterilize/pasteurize the milk so that the yogurt bacteria/culture as a hospitable place to grow in. It is not desirable to also incubate possible "bad" or contaminating bacteria that might be present in the unsterilized milk. Boiling the milk helps to a smooth thick yogurt. Boiling the milk also helps stop the whey from separating out quite as much. (The "water" you sometimes find on the top of your yogurt is whey.) 4) Let the milk cool to about 118 - 115Â°. 5) Add the culture.: Place a couple of heaping Tbs. of plain "live culture" yogurt from the grocery store (i.e., Dannon, or read the carton's label to see if it's "live culture") other starter culture, in a quart mason jar and stir it until it is smooth. Remove any "skin" from the warm milk (one will have formed as it cooled) and feed it to the dog or chickens. Pour a little of the warm milk into the jar, screw the lid on tight and shake well. Now add the rest of the warm milk, replace the lid and shake well. OR I use a DVI yogurt culture with Acidophilus (ABY-2C) that I get from the Dairy Connection. When I use this, I use 1/16 tsp. per 1/2 gallon of milk (2 quarts). Remove any "skin" from the warm milk (one will have formed as it cooled) and feed it to the dog or chickens. Pour the warm milk into the jar, added the DVI culture and shake well. 6) Now it is time to incubate. This is not as complicated as it sounds, and can be done many ways. The key is to hold the milk at 110Â°-115Â° undisturbed for 6-8 hours (depending on the culture used). See below for various incubation methods. If your yogurt isn't thick enough in 10 hours, it isn't going to get any thicker; it's just going to get sourer. If it didn't get thick at all something happened to the starter, either it wasn't live to begin with, or somehow it got killed. Don't be discouraged- try again another day. Even if your yogurt didn't "yo" (or "gurt") you can still use the milk in cooking. Various methods of incubation: 1) Use a commercial yogurt maker. 2) I have heard some put the yogurt in their oven with the light on (the light helps keep the correct temp). I cannot have the light on in my oven without keeping the door open (which lets the heat out), so this method does not work for me. 2) Cooler/water method: Use a small cooler with the lid removed, a larger cooler that will hold a quart jar, or a large pot (6 qt.). Place the cooler or pot in a place where it will be undisturbed. Place the jar with the yogurt milk in the cooler. Now fill the cooler with water that is 120Â°. Place a couple of fluffy towels over the cooler or pot and leave it undisturbed for about 6-8 hours. To check and see if the yogurt is done, tip the jar slightly and see if the milk flows or stays put. Remember that the yogurt will thicken even more as it cools in the fridge. If you see clear whey when you tilt the jar, the yogurt is as done as it's going to get, but you don't necessarily have to see the whey for the yogurt to be done. (have I confused you yet?) 3) Cooler/heating pad method (I figured this out one day and it works really well): Use a larger cooler. Place the cooler in a place where it will be undisturbed. Place the jar with the yogurt milk in the cooler. Place a heating pad over the jar (loosely). Set the pad on high (my pad needs to be set on high, yours may differ) and place the lid on the cooler. Leave it undisturbed for about 6-8 hours. Please note, that since all heating pads are different, yours may not be best set on high. The first time you use this method, put a thermometer in the cooler to see what the pad is heating the inside of the cooler up to. You want it to be at least 110 degrees and not more than 120 degrees. You may need to turn your pad to medium. 4) Food dehydrator. THis is the method I use. I have a large Excalibur Food Dehydrator and is the "Cadillac" of food dehydrators. It is very large and is perfect for incubating yogurt. I can easily incubate 3-4 2 quart jars at one time in my dehydrator. Good luck, I really like my homemade stuff with some fresh berries, a sprinkle of granola and a drizzle of honey. Annie
...See More
The food in India (Warning: long post)
Q
Comments (15)
RB, I am sure the recipe you made was the real thing. I called it bastardised because, as the story was told to me, an Indian or Bangladeshi chef based in Britain had a customer demand sauce with his chicken tikka (which is chicken that has been marinated and then grilled and is traditionally served without sauce), and made up a creamy sauce to serve it in, creating a dish that has traditional Indian ingredients but has been adapted to British palates. It took several years before it actually reached India, so while it is similar to traditional Indian curries it is really an Anglo-Indian dish based on the traditional chicken tikka.
...See More
lisazone6_ma
17 years ago
Has anyone had success making the thicker "Greek" style yogurts? I'm going broke buying Fegah or is it Fageh? Anyway, it's fantastic! It's the reason I was able to stick to Weight Watchers and lose 20 pounds - I had a bowl of it every night with a little honey squeezed on and I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything! I've tried to eat plain yogurt in the past and it's just too wangy. The flavored stuff is too sweet. This Greek style is the best I've ever had and I really cannot believe the 0% fat free doesn't have fat. It's just too rich and creamy. The 2% feels like you're eating cheesecake!! Well, that might be a stretch, but it's good!!

Anyway, I'd love to be able to make that myself!! Is it just a matter of straining the wateryness and thickening it? Thanks, and sorry for jumping in on your thread diinohio!

Lisa
althetrainer
17 years ago
I make my own yogurt as well. I have a yogurt maker but I don't use it because there are only 5 cups and I need a lot more to last for one week. I make mine using a heating pad and a large glass jar. So easy that you wouldn't believe. If you want to see how I make mine go to visit my blog:

alsfitness@blogspot.com

You can make thicker yogurt by putting powdered milk into your skim milk. I do that all the time and my yogurt always comes out nice. I add a bit of my homemade strawberry jam in it, my son can't even tell it's not store bought stuff. I never have to strain out the whey from yogurt. But if that's what you like, by all mean, I make yogurt cheese that way.
diinohio
Original Author
17 years ago
I think I can do this-thanks for the input suzy and dgk. I will experiment this week end. I will try it without the powdered milk at first and see if I like the results. Hopefully it's as easy as you all make it seem!

And Al thanks for the link, I'm the visual type so your link helped, very informative and answered my thoughts about sterilization.

Lisa, I've never had Greek style- other than being thicker what's the difference?

dI
teresa_nc7
17 years ago
Oh, that Fage (fay' yuh) Greek yogurt is good - almost worth moving to Greece for if they have this stuff everywhere! But really expensive for a small amount.

I make yogurt cheese often using a small cheap plastic yogurt strainer I got years ago. The longer you let it drain, the thicker the resulting yogurt cheese will be - we're talking days here, not hours. It will NOT be "just like cream cheese!" It will be somewhat the consistency of cream cheese and you can make "cheesecake" with it, lots of spreads and snacks with it. You can spread it on bagels and English muffins, too. And of course, it's really healthy and good for you. If you use low fat milk to make your yogurt, you will have low fat yogurt cheese, whole milk makes a creamier tasty yogurt cheese with more calories - you decide.

Going to buy yogurt tomorrow to make my own and yogurt cheese. Remember, buy only plain yogurt with natural yogurt cultures - no thickeners or gelatin. Organic yogurt like Stonyfield Farm is even better. (JMO)
Teresa
homepro01
17 years ago
I have been making my own greek yogurt using the method below for about two years. I strain for about 2hours and it is always smooth and fantastic. I singlehandedly supported Fage at my local market for three years. I could not afford the $6 a day habit anymore. I had yogurt everytime I was hungry. I started my yogurt with a tablespoon of fage and now just use a tablespoon of the last batch I made. I just made a batch tonight. When I wake up in morning I strain the yogurt. I use a thermos flask and it is still warm in the morning when I get up.
Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Method for Greek Yogurt
Terrapots
17 years ago
Di, if you're short of time, why not purchase reglar whole milk yogurt and strain the yogurt for a couple of hours. However, I think Greek yogurt has a higher fat content than our whole milk. I note our whole milk is only 3.5% fat and I remember from a couple of centuries back (well the last century anyway), whole milk had 4% milkfat, still not as high as some other countries' milks. Let us know how yours turns out.

I use the dry milk method and add some cream, and let it set in the oven with the light on, or a small ice chest with a heating pad on low, in a quart jar until it is solid, about 12 hours. DD loved it so much this way, she uses it for dessert with a little jam or fruit added. And, she really doesn't eat plain yogurt.
ziporion
17 years ago
I've had good success using a yogurt maker called Yogourmet, sold out of Montreal Canada. Using the same process as other posters, heating the milk to 180F, then cooling it to between 110-115F (kit includes thermometer) then gradually mixing the cooled milk with some yogurt. It goes into a container which sits in a bath of warm water. It's an electric yogurt maker, keeps heat constant, and in about 4-5 hours you have yogurt. This yogurt maker allows you to make up to 2 litres of yogurt.

I've tried other overnight methods, but like the electic maker as it's pretty hands off.

Catherine
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
17 years ago
I make yogurt cheese and thick yogurt by lining a strainer with a coffee filter and setting it over a bowl. A smallish strainer and a pyrex measuring pitcher work great.
Even a couple hours makes it a lot better.
annie1992
17 years ago
I make my own yogurt, I found really good directions at http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/yogurt. I put it into my dehydrator in quart jars, it works great, but before that I put the jars into a cooler full of hot water and wrapped the cooler in a heavy towel and that worked fine too.

I always use skim milk to make my yogurt and I use non fat powdered milk. I use some of the last batch to make the current batch but my first batch I started with plain old Dannon.

Each batch gets a bit thicker and more flavorful and my stuff is really thick, much like the Greek style yogurt. It's easy and cheap, I always have a couple of quarts jars in my fridge and have it for breakfast over fresh fruit with just a drizzle of local honey.

Annie
lisazone6_ma
17 years ago
I made two batches already this past weekend! I can't believe how easy it was! Thank you all so much - I never would have known I could make something like that myself!!

To those who make it and seem to end up with a thick product, annie for instance - you don't strain yours at all? The end product is naturally thick? Does adding the powdered milk give it a different taste? I really hated drinking powdered milk as a kid. How much powdered milk would you add to a quart of skim milk?

Mine seemed to "separate" out a little - kind of like when I made home made cheese one time. The solids were sitting beneath a layer of what I'm assuming is called "whey" - slightly yellow tinged water. I poured off what I could, then dumped the rest in a strainer lined with coffee filters and let the rest drain out. Mine isn't exactly smooth, but it tasted nice and creamy and is delicious. It's not as "tangy" as the store bought either, but I'm assuming as I go along mine will get a bit more tangy. The second batch seemed tangier than the first.

Di - the Greek yogurt is simply thicker - much thicker than any other type of yogurt I've ever had. It comes in 0%, 2% or 5% fat. There's one called "Total" as well, and I'm assuming that's even higher in fat than the 5% but since my main reason for eating it was to use it as part of a low fat diet, I stick with the 0% and it is so creamy you almost don't believe it's fat free. When they don't have any 0% I buy the 2% and that's like eating cheesecake - almost!

I would like to get something I can leave overnight and not worry about it, so if I can find a yogurt maker that makes roughly a quart of yogurt at a time I would definitely get one.

My oven light only comes on when the oven door is open, so that method didn't work for me. I have a stove that has one high output burner and one low output burner so I turned the low burner as low as it could go and put the pot of water with the container of milk inside on that. I had to turn off the burner every now and then as the temp rose to 120, however it worked fine - as long as I'm home all day to watch it!! I'd love to have something I can leave all day or use overnight.

I'm very excited about this! I still can't believe I made yogurt and how simple it was! Why doesn't everyone make their own???

Lisa
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
17 years ago
Is it cheaper to make than buying it? I usually eat about 1 quart, maybe more, of plain dannon in a week. I can't remember what it costs. Milk is about 2.60 a gallon.
annie1992
17 years ago
bumblebeez, it's way cheaper to make it, at least it is for me. If the grandkids want it flavored, I mix in some homemade jam, but I can make a gallon of yogurt from that gallon of milk.

Lisa, the picture I posted was straight out of the jar, not strained. It's gotten thicker and has a more "tangy" flavor with each batch. I do not usually strain it, although I do occasionally for specific purposes, that's why I posted the picture, that's how thick it is right out of the jar.

I always get some "separation". I pour the liquid off, I used to give it to the dog but I'm still struggling to find a use for it.

Annie
annie1992
17 years ago
Oh, and I forgot to add, the dry milk doesn't give it any flavor that I can discern, it just makes a thicker product. I used it because I make mine with skim milk and thought maybe it would be a bit thin.

Annie
suzyqtexas
17 years ago
you can find alot on ebay, I've bought 3 like the one below

SALTON THERMOSTAT CONTROLLED 5 CUP YOGURT MAKER~MINT! 4 Bids $12.50 1d 11h 45m
trudy_gw
17 years ago
Bought the yogurt today, but pick up Vanilla Stonyfield Farm instead of the plain. Will the vanilla flavored work to make the home made yogurt?
annie1992
17 years ago
trudy, it's funny you should ask that. My very first batch was made with Dannon vanilla, because that's all I could get in my little local grocery.

The first couple of batches were a little sweeter than I wanted, but since I use the last of my current batch to make my next batch, after about the second batch, I couldn't tell a difference in flavor.

Annie
lisazone6_ma
17 years ago
I just bought an electric yogurt maker online- I went with a "Salton YM9 1-Quart Yogurt Maker". I didn't want to deal with many small containers and I wanted one that made at least a quart. This way I don't have to worry about checking every few hours to keep the temp regulated. I'm going grocery shopping after work today and plan on getting some powdered skim milk - how much do you guys add to make a quart? If I can get that thickness without straining, that would be great, but I also want the richness so maybe letting it drain will be something I have to do no matter what. If I could find something large enough to line the strainer with insted of having to piece together 4-5 coffee filters, that would be fantastic as well! I'm hooked now. I love that yogurt and love that I can make it myself. I'm very sad on weeks they only have the full fat available - or none at all!! I go into the DTs without my yogurt every day! Now I'm not at the mercy of the grocery store!

Lisa
annie1992
17 years ago
Lisa, I'd use probably 1/4 cup for a quart of yogurt, maybe a bit less.

As for lining the strainer, how about several layers of cheesecloth or a piece of an old sheet/pillowcase? I use an old pillowcase to strain juice for jelly and to strain cider when I press it.

Annie
trudy_gw
17 years ago
Thanks Annie for your reply.

I think it vanilla was the only kind at the store also.
Forgot the powdered milk, so wont be making till I get back.

After doing some reading on the yogurt maker, that is sounding like it would be easier.
carrie2
17 years ago
I think I've put my homemade yogurt recipe here before, but I'll post it again.

Yogurt

Gently simmer whole, 1% or 2% milk in a large, stainless steel pot for 30 minutes. (Be careful not to let it boil over.) Let cool a bit. Remove and discard skin. Put small container of nonfat yogurt into a large bowl and stir milk into it. Ladle through a fine strainer into clean containers. (Be careful not to touch the inside of the containers.) Heat oven to 170 degrees. Turn oven off (do not try to reheat oven with yogurt inside). Put yogurt into oven and leave for about 8-10 hours (overnight). (I put the yogurt on two half sheets to avoid spilling. I used to just slide the containers onto the racks, but that can get messy.) Remove from oven, cover and refrigerate.

IÂve made it with 1%, 2%, whole milk and whole milk with an extra cup of heavy cream, but my favorite is whole milk. The extra cup of cream makes it really rich if that's what you want. To drain the water from the yogurt, put it in a strainer over a bowl (no need for cheesecloth), cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

The yogurt keeps in the fridge for at least 6 weeks.
lindac
17 years ago
Why "cook" the milk?
Iv'e make a lot of yogurt and only ever brought it to the scalding point to kill any undesirable bacteria.
Don't you run the risk of it separtaing and turning to cheese?
Linda C
carrie2
17 years ago
I don't know why the milk is cooked. Maybe it makes a richer tasting yogurt. I think I got my recipe from a newspaper article written by an Indian woman. She simmered the milk for 30 minutes, but maybe American milk doesn't need to be cooked that long. I've always done it, though, and it makes very good yogurt.
lisazone6_ma
17 years ago
Well I didn't get the powdered milk - the only thing they had available was a huge package that had 10 quart sized packs in it for $7.50. I guess that with the amount I'm planning on making, I will use it up, but it just seemed like a huge amount of powdered milk to have to buy! I was looking for a small package.

Anyway, got an e-mail from Amazon that my package has shipped! So hopefully, I'll be making yogurt before the end of the week! And good thing too - my daughter ate the last of what I made when I got home yesterday! I put everyone on warning - do NOT finish off all the yogurt anymore because I need a little bit to start a new batch!!

That's a great idea Annie!! I never thought of using a pillow case!! I do have cheesecloth, but the mesh seemed too big to strain the yogurt and just from my experience with the amount that "stuck" to the coffee filters, I pictured half my yogurt being trapped in the mesh of the cheese cloth and wasting it!!

Lisa
teresa_nc7
17 years ago
Lisa,
You can use several layers of the cheesecloth laid in a strainer, dampen it with water, then put in the yogurt to drain. Plain cotton muslin fabric works fine too; just wash it first in hot soapy water and rinse well to remove any fabric finishing chemicals. The muslin you can rinse and reuse many times; it can also be used as a jelly bag when straining cooked fruit to make jelly or cut a square, lay your herbs and spices on it, tie it up in a bundle and toss into your soup, stew, or sauce. Remove before serving, of course.

Teresa
lyndaluu2
17 years ago
You all have inspired me!!
I just went over to Ebay and bid on a 1 qt yogurt maker.
I think I'll get one for my DD too!!
She makes a lot of things from scratch including laundry soap.

Linda
lyndaluu2
17 years ago
Here's a recipe to do in your crock pot...

8 Cups of Milk (any kind you use..whole, 2% or skim.)
1/2 cup of plain yogurt (like Dannon with cultures)
Start by putting milk in crock pot and turning on low for 2 1/2 hours. Turn off the crock pot and let it sit for 3 more hours. Take out 2 cups of warm milk and add yogurt, mix well.
Put back into the crock pot and cover the crock pot with a beach towel and let sit over night. In the morning you will have yogurt...add your favorite fruit and/or honey.
From the 365 days of crock pot cooking.

Linda
annie1992
17 years ago
LindaC, the first time I made yogurt I used the (very detailed) instructions from Fias Co. Farms. That website tells me:

Heating the milk is done for a few reasons:

1. To sterilize/pasteurize the milk so that the yogurt bacteria/culture as a hospitable place to grow in. It is not desirable to also incubate possible "bad" or contaminating bacteria that might be present in the unsterilized milk.

2. Boiling the milk helps to a smooth thick yogurt.

3. Boiling the milk also helps stop the whey from separating out quite as much. (The "water" you sometimes find on the top of your yogurt is whey.)

So, I heat the milk to make yogurt and it works very well for me.

Lisa, the dry milk isn't necessary, it just helps make a thicker yogurt, so go for it without it. I use the old pillow case because that's what I had on hand, Grandma always drained fruit for jelly by putting the fruit into a pillowcase and tying the top with a piece of clothesline rope, then hanging it from a nail driven into the beam of the basement so it dripped into a bucket placed below the pillowcase. I just tie it to the back of a chair. Anyway, I keep my old thin pillowcases for jelly and for straining cider so I always have those on hand when I might not have a square of cloth or some cheesecloth.

Annie
althetrainer
17 years ago
I believe dry milk help to thicken the yogurt. If you use skim or 1%, adding some powdered milk will help. But if you use 2% or whole milk, powdered milk is not necessary. Also, I don't notice any difference in taste when I used powdered milk. I use only 1/3 C in every 4 C of milk so I don't think it's strong enough to affect the taste of the finish product.
teresa_nc7
17 years ago
I'm glad the crock pot method works for you, lyndaluu2, but I would advise newbies to check the temp of the milk with an instant read thermometer as the temp of the milk is crucial - too warm and you can kill the culture, too cool and it won't set up.

I might try simmering the milk for a bit to reduce it and see if that does indeed give me a thicker yogurt.

Teresa
diinohio
Original Author
17 years ago
I got busy last weekend so didn't get a chance to make the yogurt til yesterday. I used 3 1/2 C. skim milk, 1/4 C. non fat powdered milk, and 2 Tbs. Dannon plain yogurt. It turned out great! I used an incubation method posted by Fias Co (thank you Annie), placed it in a quart jar, put it in a cooler, added water at 120 degrees, closed the cooler, wrapped it in a towel and 8 hours later it was done.

Who knew it'd be so easy? I will have to start making bigger batches, and maybe try the oven light over night method. You guys know everything! Thanks.

Di
annie1992
17 years ago
Di, I'm so glad it worked for you. I used those directions because they were so detailed that I figured I couldn't screw it up, LOL, and apparently I didn't because I still make yogurt successfully.

I use skim milk and some non-fat dry milk and so I get pretty much fat free yogurt.

Annie
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
17 years ago
I apprecaite all this info - I'm going to make some soon.

Home made yogurt?

Comments (34)

Related Discussions

diinohioOriginal Author

diinohioOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

diinohio
Original Author

diinohio
Original Author