Yoghurt making advice

[Seraphim]

Hello All

I have always wanted to try my hand at making yoghurt. I have seen fancy machines from the 70s at car boots etc, but I have heard that just filling a used yoghurt pot (with the dregs left in) with milk achieves the same thing?

Does anyone have any advice, comments or books/websites they can recommend?

Also, how do they figure nutritionally? I like to buy Yeo V*lley organic yoghurts as they give me my fill of probitotics without those fancy expensive drinks.... would homemade yoghurt do the same?

Thanks!

- Sera

[Rosendula]

Hi Sera,

You need to heat up the milk to about 180-185F/82-85C, stirring it frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. This kills off any bacteria. Then take it off the heat and allow it to cool to 105-110F/40-43C ish. Have some shop-bought live yogurt in the bottom of a tub (about 100ml per pint of milk), and carefully pour the warm milk on top. Cover it and keep it warm at about 105-110f/40-49C for 5 or 6 hours. When it's done (taste it, you'll know) put it in the fridge to keep cool. You can either use a little bit from the end of that batch to start off your next batch, or you can do like me, take a bit while it's fresh and put it in the freezer. I figure that way there's less chance of contaminating your starter.

I've no idea how it compares nutritionally, but OH reckons he feels good when he's had some of my home-made yoghurt every day for a while. He never used to eat yoghurt before I started making it. So yes, I do believe it does the same.

[Clara]

If you want greek-style yoghurt, bring a litre of milk to the boil, lower to a simmer and reduce to 1/2 to 2/3 original volume (it'll go creamier in colour), add 200ml cream and leave to cool to baby bath temperature. Add yoghurt and put in your yoghurt maker.

If the woodburner is lit I just pop the jar underneath at night and that keeps it warm enough, if not I use a cool box into which I half stuff an old sleeping bag, then a hot water bottle, then the yoghurt, the remainder of the sleeping bag and then the lid - takes about 8 hours. Basically you can use whatever you have, just think super insulated and then insulate a bit more.

[Rosendula]

I have a big black plastic bowl that I line with a big thick black cardigan with the tub of yoghurt in the middle. I try to get the hood and the sleeves piled up on the top because, as we know, heat rises. I then put the whole lot either in the airing cupboard with towels on top in the winter, or inside a clear stacking box in the greenhouse during the day when the weather's warm.

[StripyPixieSocks]

Litre of warm milk (never boiled it as it is already pasteurized and doesn't need it), stir in 2tbsp Yeo Valley Natural Yoghurt and 4tbsp semi skimmed milk powder.

Stick in a heated propagator (or thermos) for around 12 hours until thickened

If you want it thicker strain it in a cheesecloth for a couple of hours.

If you want a cheap Rouille type cheese add a pinch of salt, 1tsp Garlic Powder and some chopped mixed herbs to your made yoghurt and strain over the sink overnight!

Fab!

[becks77]

[quote="StripyPixieSocks"]Litre of warm milk (never boiled it as it is already pasteurized and doesn't need it), stir in 2tbsp Yeo Valley Natural Yoghurt and 4tbsp semi skimmed milk powder.

Stick in a heated propagator (or thermos) for around 12 hours until thickened


I use UHT skimmed milk or semi , so no need to boil, mix with small live yoghurt (or left overs from previous batch) add 4tbsps milk powder whisk it all up pop a lid on and bung it into the slow cooker on keep warm for 12 hours or so. Works a treat

[squeaky]

Has anyone tried using soya milk? Would it work in the same way?

[Seraphim]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am going to give this a go. The slow-cooker idea is fab, as my house is really cold...

looking foward to my yoghurt now, yum yum.

[CyberPaddy66]

If you want a cheap Rouille type cheese add a pinch of salt, 1tsp Garlic Powder and some chopped mixed herbs to your made yoghurt and strain over the sink overnight!

Fab!

I totally agree, it's one of my favourite cheeses and the stuff we made was far superior to anything I've bought in the shops previously, I know it sounds like blowing ones own trumpet but the freshness of the cheese really makes a world of difference.

Plus it's healthy cheese as it uses skimmed milk

[bluensm]

Good luck Seraphim! Hope the yoghurt making works.

I make it in roughly the same way as everyone has already said and put it in the airing cupboard overnight, wrapped in the winter duvet. seems to work a treat and tastes lovely with my morning muesli . I don't use milk powder in it though, seems thick enough as it is.

I never thought of freezing some of the yoghurt for the next batch, that's a neat idea! I always end up eating it all and then realising I have none left to start a new batch....

I do find that after a couple of times I have to buy some more yoghurt as a starter, it just doesn't seem to carry on working. Not sure why? And it doesn't seem to work as well if you make it in big batches (I normally do it one pint at a time which seems ok). Maybe cos it's too large a volume to keep warm?

[bluensm]

ooohhh, I've just become Jerry !

[CyberPaddy66]

I do find that after a couple of times I have to buy some more yoghurt as a starter, it just doesn't seem to carry on working. Not sure why? And it doesn't seem to work as well if you make it in big batches (I normally do it one pint at a time which seems ok). Maybe cos it's too large a volume to keep warm?

I believe it's like making a photocopy of a photocopy, eventually the bacteria get tired and die off, every now and then you need to re-introduce new bacteria to your production line.

If you want to do bigger batches then see if you can find a heated propagator on Freecycle (we got two :D) and use that to keep your yoghurt going over night, then you can make anything up to 4 litres at a time.

[the.fee.fairy]

I'm going to give this a go! I've recently got back into eating yoghurt, and i live the yeo valey yoghurt, so if i can rememeber to save some of the next pot, i'll be yoghurt making too!

[frozenthunderbolt]

Litre of warm milk (never boiled it as it is already pasteurized and doesn't need it), stir in 2tbsp Yeo Valley Natural Yoghurt and 4tbsp semi skimmed milk powder.

Stick in a heated propagator (or thermos) for around 12 hours until thickened


I use UHT skimmed milk or semi , so no need to boil, mix with small live yoghurt (or left overs from previous batch) add 4tbsps milk powder whisk it all up pop a lid on and bung it into the slow cooker on keep warm for 12 hours or so. Works a treat

Is that directly into the slow cooker bowl, or in a container in the slow cooker on "warm"? don't know that it would make much difference either way, I'm just curious

[becks77]

No, pop it into a jug or container with a lid then in the slo cooker like using a bain marie(did I spell it right?) then it only needs to be just above body temp so if you have a keep warm setting that works really well, tried the warm setting by mistake once and the chuckies had a nice lot of stuff (not sure what food category it would have come under!) to munch on......tooooooo warm I guess.