I can buy a gallon of milk for about 2.75-3.00
I use half a gallon at a time so about 1.45 worth of skim milk makes two quarts of yogurt. Drained for 2-3 hours, I have about 1 quart of Greek yogurt.
Try and buy a quart of Greek yogurt for 1.45.

I do add 1/2 cup of dry milk to the half gallon before bringing to a boil. I have never noticed the taste. How much are you using?

These are some things I've taught in my yogurt-making class and they may help you out...

1. There are three temperatures you want to consider with making yogurt:

-Temperature for heating the milk - 190-210°F (or just under boiling). Heating the milk helps prepare it for rapid fermentation.

-Temperature for cooling - 110°-115°F. This is the optimum temperature for adding the yogurt starter. The cooler side of this temperature window the starter is added, the more mild the yogurt. The higher the temperature, the yogurt will be more tart. Length of incubating will also help determine tartness.

-Temperature for incubating - 105°-120°F. Below 105° the bacteria be less active and it will take longer to ferment. Temperatures over 120°F will destroy the bacteria. Aim for around 110°F.

Since you use your oven with the light on, be sure to take the temperature in several areas of the oven. It will be much hotter the closer to the light than away from the light, so choose an area that is "just right", to quote Goldielocks. Start checking for doneness after about 4-5 hours.

2. Are you refrigerating your yogurt after fermentation? It will continue to thicken during refrigeration. Chill the yogurt for at least 3-hours before using or draining.

Make sure you don't stir your yogurt. This will breakup the curd and cause the yogurt to liquefy.

When yogurt doesn't thicken there are several things to consider...
--Milk was too hot or too cool when starter was added.
--Not enough starter was added.
--Incubating temperature was too low or too high.
--The mixture was moved or jostled during fermentation.

3. If you are experiencing a large amount of whey separating from the yogurt during fermentation, it may have been incubated too long, or it was bumped, moved or stirred during fermentation.

4. Yogurt doesn't require draining, it's ready-to-eat without any draining. Adding dried milk powder and/or gelatin to your milk mixture will also help to create a thick yogurt. Some recipes will also include cornstarch, which makes the yogurt smoother and creamier. Using evaporated milk will also render a rich texture. Adding whipping cream is great used as a dessert with fruit or in dessert recipes when you want added richness.

-A cup of yogurt gives up 25% of its volume in 5 minutes; a pint gives up 18% and a quart only 12%. The greatest proportion of whey drains off in the first hour.

-DRAINED YOGURT - drained for about 10-minutes.

-THICK YOGURT - drained for at least 30-minutes and up to 1-hour. It will be thick but still soft - it will not retain its shape on a flat surface or the mark of a finger indentation. One hour is considered "ideal" for draining.

-YOGURT CHEESE - Yogurt that has drained for 8 hours or longer. It will be the consistency of cream cheese, will hold its shape and retain the mark of a finger indentation.

NOTE: One quart of yogurt will yield approximately 1-1/3 cups of yogurt CHEESE (about 2 cups of whey is drained off). One quart of yogurt will yield about 2-1/2 c. of THICK yogurt (about 1-1/4 cups of whey).

-Grainlady

But isn't the whey a good source of protein. Is there some way to use the whey rather than throw it away?

I really need to get into making it again. I made yogurt years and years ago when I had a little kit for making it. I lost the parts to it over the years, but I figure I don't need a kit to make it -just time. The time issue is why I quit making it before.

Sally

Like Bumblebeez, I can buy a gallon of milk for less than $3. I always add dry milk and never notice a flavor difference so I'm of no help there, I add about half a cup of dry milk to a gallon of skim milk.

I do get some whey separation but not a huge amount. I use the whey to make oatmeal sometimes, or I use it in place of the liquid in bread recipes.

the only time i've gotten thin yogurt is when I didn't let it "cook" long enough or when my starter is getting old. I just use a spoonful of my last batch of yogurt to start my new batch. It gets more and more sour as time goes on and eventually it gets thinner. Then I buy a small container of Greek style yogurt with live cultures and start over.

I've always made mine in quart canning jars, I've never tried making it in a bowl, so I'm of no help to you on that question.

Even at room temperature my yogurt is very thick. I'm at work, so I can't post a picture, but there is one at a thread called "homemade yogurt tread". Yes, thread is spelled incorrectly in that title, LOL, but since you can't go back and make corrections, cotehele's title will live on. (grin)

Anyway, my yogurt is so thick it mounds up on the spoon.

Annie

See, when I click that link I get the "whoops" message. Arrgh.

Anyway, if you want to see how thick the yogurt gets, check the "homemade yogurt tread" title.

Annie

I always appreciate your info Grainlady! Added to my yogurt notes.
To clarify, becuase it sounds like I get tons of whey, I don't but we like a yogurt between thick yogurt and yogurt cheese. At least I do anyway. Dh eats it straight from the quart jar undrained and likes it as regular yogurt which is as thick as what you get from the grocery store.
I use the cooler and water method of incubating with jars. Might not be the easiest but I have never had a batch fail.

I make tons more kefir than I do yogurt these days, but both produce whey. I use kefir as a substitute for buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese, and plain yogurt. Kefir is MUCH easier to make, and is better for you than yogurt. The curd in kefir is smaller than yogurt, so it's easier to digest.

But back to whey... Whey retains all of the water-soluble vitamins, so try to find uses for it.

I add whey from either kefir or yogurt to homemade lemonade, limeade, or just plain drinking water because it is great for quenching thirst (especially when working out in the heat). Whey used in drinks provides amino acids and easy-to-digest protein; and is cheaper than using sports drinks. I also use it for lacto-fermentation (vegetables). Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. I add it to soup stock or in recipes calling for water or milk.

Whey is also added to whole grains (whole seed, milled into flour, flaked, or coarse grind used for multi-grain cereal blends) which is soaked overnight in water with some whey added to it. Whey helps break down complex starches, irritating tannins, and difficult-to-digest proteins which can be beneficial for people who have difficulty digesting whole grains. Soaking increases vitamin content and makes all the nutrients in grains more available.

One caution adding whey to yeast breads. Too much whey (or other kinds of dairy products due to a protein found in whey, which is in dairy products - including powdered milk) can affect the volume, symmetry, cellular structure, and texture of bread. So if the top of the loaf looks more like a roller coaster ride than a nice smooth dome, you can probably blame too much dairy products or whey.

-Grainlady

Thank you all so much. I already see some of my issues. bumblebeez, you answered my question on volume. I see the cost savings when you get equal amounts of yogurt from the milk used. My problem was I used a quart of milk and got only about a cup and half of yogurt. And not very good yogurt at that! I used about 2 tablespoons of dry milk to the quart of fat free milk. The taste may have been because of "incorrect" incubating. Or something else I did wrong.
Grainlady, thank you for the tips. I have not checked the temperature in the oven with the light so that could have been the problem. I use the oven for rising yeast bread and it works wonderfully, so....I thought.... will check the temp with a thermometer.
Made several other mistakes, I stirred my yogurt as soon as I thought it was done. Did not refrigerate first, just stirred and drained. And lost most of it.
Will retain the whey next time. I thought it was good stuff but not sure so I let it go down the drain. Never again! Thanks for the info on using the whey.
Annie, I read the "yogurt tread" and that is what got me going in the first place. I did use a fresh organic storebought yogurt for the starter, Stoneyfield, so my starter was good. I also used organic fat free milk. I am going to try using canning jars next time instead of a bowl.
Armed with this new info, I will try again. In the meantime, I did discover Greek yogurt and just love it. Seems it is everywhere in the grocery stores now. Publix is even carrying the Fage brand, which I have not seen in this area before. Or just missed it somehow.
If I don't have any success, maybe Grainlady will post and tell us how to make kefir?? You said it was easier than yogurt. :) or I maybe I can talk bumblebeez into making for me, I think we are sort of neighbors....upstate SC LOL

Will post my results. Again thank you for the responses.
Murphy

Thank you all so much. I already see some of my issues. bumblebeez, you answered my question on volume. I see the cost savings when you get equal amounts of yogurt from the milk used. My problem was I used a quart of milk and got only about a cup and half of yogurt. And not very good yogurt at that! I used about 2 tablespoons of dry milk to the quart of fat free milk. The taste may have been because of "incorrect" incubating. Or something else I did wrong.
Grainlady, thank you for the tips. I have not checked the temperature in the oven with the light so that could have been the problem. I use the oven for rising yeast bread and it works wonderfully, so....I thought.... will check the temp with a thermometer.
Made several other mistakes, I stirred my yogurt as soon as I thought it was done. Did not refrigerate first, just stirred and drained. And lost most of it.
Will retain the whey next time. I thought it was good stuff but not sure so I let it go down the drain. Never again! Thanks for the info on using the whey.
Annie, I read the "yogurt tread" and that is what got me going in the first place. I did use a fresh organic storebought yogurt for the starter, Stoneyfield, so my starter was good. I also used organic fat free milk. I am going to try using canning jars next time instead of a bowl.
Armed with this new info, I will try again. In the meantime, I did discover Greek yogurt and just love it. Seems it is everywhere in the grocery stores now. Publix is even carrying the Fage brand, which I have not seen in this area before. Or just missed it somehow.
If I don't have any success, maybe Grainlady will post and tell us how to make kefir?? You said it was easier than yogurt. :) or I maybe I can talk Bumblebeez into making for me, I think we are sort of neighbors....upstate SC LOL
Will post my results. Again thank you for the responses.

Where are you Murphy? It's nice to meet another local!
I'm in Seneca but am originally from Greenville. Dh is from Anderson.
Try the cooler method, it has worked great for me. I usually make yogurt at night 9-10pm and take it out the next morning around 8-9 am. I never stir it but refrigerate it then later drain.
Leave the dry milk out too...I'm not too sure it does much anyway.

Murhpy, it does sound like a few problems. I suspect that it being in the oven, when you were trying to check on it, pulling the racks in and out probably jiggled it. That can do it. Also, I never do stir my yogurt. If I'm making it into yogurt cheese I just plop it into my muslin strainer and stick it over a container to hang.

I think I have a hyper sensitivity to powdered milk too. I can taste only a little in things and outside of a chocolate hot cocoa mix I don't like it. Too many times my Mother tried to get us to drink the stuff during a particularly lean period. In dairy farm territory it was an insult.. smiles.

I never knew about the stirring until about a year ago and what a difference. I always wondered why my yogurt got thin after a few days. Turns out that it was DH going in and giving everything a big stir before he used it. Now that he's no longer stirring, it stays firm for good!

I make mine in a quart container with an old incubator that's really just a big thermos. Low tech and works great. Called a Solait. They stopped making them, but I see people paying ridiculous amounts on ebay for them when they come up.

Grace

Update! I give up until I can acquire a yogurt making gadget/appliance.
Sorry for the delay in responding but I had to get thermometer
to check the temp in my oven. Not warm enough. Did not have a cooler so had to check into other possible ways to incubate, did have a heating pad and an insulated grocery bag. So I "built" an incubator and once again, something went wrong. I have really good yogurt milk!!
I think perhaps I am not meant to make my own yogurt....the yogurt gods do not like me. LOL
I get the initial temps correct, heating the milk, cooling to 110 before adding fresh yogurt, my problem seems to be in the incubating process....temps, time, method something....anyway there are yogurt making appliances out there and I will just buy one as soon as I decide which is best. Any recommendations would be appreciated but you guys have done so much already. Thanks for all the info.
Bumblebeez, if you read this, I live in Anderson.
Murphy