home made yogurt.

[ihookem]

I started making home made yogurt. it's real easy. I take a gallon, or half a gallon of whole milk. Any milk is ok though... Heat it up to 180 degrees for a while and then let is cool to 110 or so. Then take a table spoon of active yogurt . I take it from my last batch. I stir it up for a few minutes and let it cool to 100 to 110 degrees or so. I keep it in the oven with the light on and the door open just a sliver. Keeps it about 110. By morning you will have yogurt. The longer you let it sit the tangier it will be . I think 6 hours is the minimum setting time for yogurt. That would be fairly mild from what I'm told . I made about 4 batches so far .

 

[nedsim]

I've been making a gallon of yogurt every 3 weeks or so for the past 10 or 15 years. My process is pretty much the same as yours. Biggest difference is I make it in four 1 qt mason jars and keep them warm in a foam cozy. I add the active yogurt when the milk cools below 130F, and that's warm enough to maintain the temp long enough in the cozy for the yogurt to finish.

I find you can't use the previous batch as a starter indefinitely. At some point, maybe 10-15 generations, I notice the yogurt starts to get bland and less firm. Most yogurt is a mix of bacteria strains, and I think some begin to dominate over time. Dannon plain whole-milk yogurt is my favorite starter.

 

[ihookem]

Thanks nedsim, I think your way is easier. I burned the milk at the bottom of the cast iron pot and that made it taste a bit funny. I also noticed the yogurt is getting stronger and tart after about 4 generations, however, it may be cause I put more starter in each time. I will go get some plain white starter . I wonder why we cant use the yogurt How much starter do you put in for a gallon of milk?

 

[nedsim]

I heat the milk in a copper bottom Revere ware stock pot, but I do turn the heat down as the milk warms to avoid burning on the bottom. Whole milk is less prone to burning than milk with less fat. I wonder if the increase in tartness has to do with the lower temperature you start with? No doubt the different bacteria strains thrive at different temps.

I hold back about 1/2 cup of hot milk when filling the mason jars and mix perhaps 1/4 cup of yogurt into that before dividing it among the mason jars. The runny mix is easier to stir into the mason jars, which are full near to the brim.

Not sure what you mean by "I wonder why we cant use the yogurt." I do use the previous batch as starter, but do start anew with fresh Dannon when I notice my yogurt getting less tart.

 

[ihookem]

I wonder why the yogurt starter stops working after 15 generations. Mine seems to get more tart and yours seems to get more bland. I'm sure there is a reason but I have only made 5? batches. My wife made one of them and it seemed more like whey but I ate it anyway.

 

[nedsim]

It seems like the bacteria change. Whether it's a natural result of time, or I overheated a batch, or something else entirely is speculation on my part. I just keep using the previous batch as the starter 'til I notice a change, then buy a new container of Dannon (or Columbo) and start over again.

 

[Aknutter]

My grandma used I gallon of homogenized milk and a quart of half and half combined with her starter of approximately 8 to 10 oz of dannon plain yogurt. After that she would use some of current batch to make the next one also.
She would put a portion in a cotton sack and suspend it to drain excess water out of it. It made a great firm chip dip. Either way it was delicious.

 

[ihookem]

That sounds like a good idea. I thought of adding cream somehow but only used whole milk. Next time I will add some sour half&half and even drain it a little. Now the drained juice is whey, right? The could be a use for that too.

 

[Aknutter]

Now the drained juice is whey, right? The could be a use for that too.

Whey, I believe so. It was always discarded.

 

[pdqdl]

I grew up on homemade yogurt. I personally think it contributed to my health, too. I can eat anything, and I never have digestive problems.

We kept a number of fruit syrups to enhance our batches. As a teenager, I'd dump some blueberry or strawberry syrup into a big bowl of yogurt, and just chow down on it.

 

[ihookem]

You might be on to something about being able to eat anything. I almost never get sick or have digestive problems in any way. My wife cant figure it out. That may be the answer cause I eat a lot of yogurt.

 

[daniel@988]

I commonly use the "serious eats" for yogurt making, there I got a wild verity of recipe