Does anyone make yogurt?

[JessB320]

I just took it out of the oven (only the light was on for heat) and moved it to the refrigerator. The consistency looks pretty good! I am going to stir some jam into it tomorrow for sweetness. I know my kids won't eat it as is. Can I do this in the mixer?

NOOOO!!! The mixer will break up the yogurt and it won't get thick again, trust me I learned this the hard way just gently mix in with a spoon

 

[mnrose]

People still make yogurt?

I got married in the mid-70's and received 2 yogurt makers as wedding gifts. In fact, everyone I knew who got married then received yogurt makers.

Good luck to all of you who make your own yogurt - it's not easy.

You're right. Not easy. Nope.

It's ridiculously easy.

I spend very little time making it (of course, there is a lot of "resting" time involved, but I don't count that because I do other things....like sleep).

I save a ton of $$$. No special equipment required (I bought nothing when I started on this endeavor...and still use only things which are already in my kitchen). I think the yogurt makers are a scam.

The quality is outstanding, and I know exactly what I am eating.

I 'worried' the first time I made it that it wouldn't 'work', but I was wrong. I've made many, many batches (2x per week at least) and never had an issue. So, I don't get the 'not easy' comment.

 

[mnrose]

I just took it out of the oven (only the light was on for heat) and moved it to the refrigerator. The consistency looks pretty good! I am going to stir some jam into it tomorrow for sweetness. I know my kids won't eat it as is. Can I do this in the mixer?

No. Just stir it in. It mixes in easily.

 

[TinkTock]

Any advice for making yogurt with heavy cream? I'm trying to eat low-carb, which means cream instead of milk, but I'm not sure if I need to make any adjustments when making yogurt.

 

[mnrose]

Any advice for making yogurt with heavy cream? I'm trying to eat low-carb, which means cream instead of milk, but I'm not sure if I need to make any adjustments when making yogurt.

Any kind of milk, including heavy cream, will work to make yogurt. If, however, you want low carb yogurt and low fat yogurt, you can have both. Simply strain your yogurt and make it greek style. Straining it removes the whey, which is where most of the lactose (e.g., the "carbs") is contained. Greek yogurt has relatively low carbs (less than 6 or 7 carbs per serving). This is assuming, of course, that you don't add sugar.

 

[DarthMama]

I tried using the oven to incubate yogurt, but it just wouldn't work well for me. What did work was to leave it (after the milk had cooled and starter added) on a heating pad set on low overnight -- that worked really well for me even in the dead of winter.

I've had good luck with using either Dannon or Stonyfield Farms yogurt as starter.

 

[tripletsmama]

I will admit that it didn't sound easy when I started looking at recipes. Anything that involves a thermometer sounds complicated to me! However, like a pp said, it's not like you're standing and waiting the whole time. You do other things, even leave it overnight.

I am glad I was told not to use the mixer. I thought that would have been the easiest way to blend the jam evenly through the yogurt. I would have hated to mess up another batch!

I am currently straining the yogurt. Is there a certain amount of time after which it generally isn't going to get any thicker? It's been straining for about 3 hours now.

 

[tripletsmama]

Also, this is going to work out to be a money saver. DH eats the Greek yogurt. They are $1 each when they are on sale. He eats it every day, so that's $30 a month. I wont even spend half that on milk to make the yogurt, and by straining I am getting it to the consistency he prefers.

Can anyone comment on why Greek yogurt is so much higher protein than regular yogurt? I know that's the next thing my DH is going to ask...is the protein content as high as the store bought.

 

[runsandjumps]

I will have to come back to this thread and read more because my family loves yogurt.

 

[mnrose]

I strain mine for a minimum of 2 hours. Thereafter, the texture doesn't change all that much. I've left it as long as 3.5 (when I've forgotten it....LOL!). I'd leave it until it's the texture you like.

And, the reason there is more protein per ounce in greek yogurt is simple. You start with 1/2 gallon of milk, and that makes 1/2 gallon of "regular" yogurt. If you strain it, it becomes about 1/2 that amount of greek style yogurt (or one quart). What you have strained out is the whey, which is mainly lactose or carbohydrates. What remains is mainly the milk protein, except concentrated. So 1 cup of Greek style yogurt has the protein equivalent of 2 cups of regular yogurt....simplified, that's "twice the protein" if you eat the same quantity. Make sense?

 

[mnrose]

Also, this is going to work out to be a money saver. DH eats the Greek yogurt. They are $1 each when they are on sale. He eats it every day, so that's $30 a month. I wont even spend half that on milk to make the yogurt, and by straining I am getting it to the consistency he prefers.

Can anyone comment on why Greek yogurt is so much higher protein than regular yogurt? I know that's the next thing my DH is going to ask...is the protein content as high as the store bought.

Cost savings is the main reason I make my own yogurt...I love Fage yogurt....but even at Costco, one quart is $4.99. Yikes. If I make my own, it costs about $1.40 per quart (or less, depending on the price of milk). That's quite a savings when (like me) you eat about 2 quarts a week.

 

[robinb]

My Wife makes yogurt and has written extensively about it on her site. You can find it here.

Thank you! Your goats are very cute .

 

[tripletsmama]

I strain mine for a minimum of 2 hours. Thereafter, the texture doesn't change all that much. I've left it as long as 3.5 (when I've forgotten it....LOL!). I'd leave it until it's the texture you like.

And, the reason there is more protein per ounce in greek yogurt is simple. You start with 1/2 gallon of milk, and that makes 1/2 gallon of "regular" yogurt. If you strain it, it becomes about 1/2 that amount of greek style yogurt (or one quart). What you have strained out is the whey, which is mainly lactose or carbohydrates. What remains is mainly the milk protein, except concentrated. So 1 cup of Greek style yogurt has the protein equivalent of 2 cups of regular yogurt....simplified, that's "twice the protein" if you eat the same quantity. Make sense?

Yes, makes sense!

I did forget to take out yogurt for the starter for my next batch before I mixed in the jam. Is it important that the starter be plain yogurt?

Just looked at a container of chobani yogurt we had in the fridge and it has sugar AND high fructose corn syrup. This whole batch of yogurt has no sugar, just about 4 tablespoons of simply fruit no sugar added jam and tastes better to me.

 

[mnrose]

Technically, any yogurt with live, active cultures will work. The only thing I would be leery of is whether the taste from the flavored yogurt might throw off the taste of your yogurt. I don't know...just never tried it! You will get the hang of it...and pretty soon, saving out enough to start the next batch will be second nature. Personally, I leave all of mine plain, and simply flavor as I go. When I'm down to about a cup or so left, I start the next batch.

 

[poohfriend77]

I have to admit, I started reading this thread thinking, "Who are these crazy people who MAKE yogurt?" Now I want to try it!

DH has started eating a lot of Greek yogurt (I already ate it occasionally), and DD7 eats regular yogurt pretty much every day. I think I spent at least $20 on yogurt in the last 2 weeks! Crossing my fingers that it's really as easy as you all make it sound!

How do you take the temp of the milk? Candy thermometer?

 

[tripletsmama]

Technically, any yogurt with live, active cultures will work. The only thing I would be leery of is whether the taste from the flavored yogurt might throw off the taste of your yogurt. I don't know...just never tried it! You will get the hang of it...and pretty soon, saving out enough to start the next batch will be second nature. Personally, I leave all of mine plain, and simply flavor as I go. When I'm down to about a cup or so left, I start the next batch.

I will probably just buy another yogurt to be safe. I'm just so glad it turned out!

 

[JessB320]

All this talk of yogurt made me whip up a batch last night, then when it was done today I made some homemade granola to go with it, now I'm eating both, yummy

 

[tripletsmama]

I have to admit, I started reading this thread thinking, "Who are these crazy people who MAKE yogurt?" Now I want to try it!

DH has started eating a lot of Greek yogurt (I already ate it occasionally), and DD7 eats regular yogurt pretty much every day. I think I spent at least $20 on yogurt in the last 2 weeks! Crossing my fingers that it's really as easy as you all make it sound!

How do you take the temp of the milk? Candy thermometer?

I would think any thermometer that gets up to 200 degrees would be fine. I actually used a classroom thermometer. Ha.

Once you heat the milk the rest is really just waiting so it really is simple! I figure a gallon of milk costs about $3 and even if I make it into Greek style yogurt I still end up with half a gallon of yogurt. I put half a gallon worth of yogurt in baby food jars and filled 12 jars. That's roughly 13 cents a jar. Love it!

 

[tripletsmama]

All this talk of yogurt made me whip up a batch last night, then when it was done today I made some homemade granola to go with it, now I'm eating both, yummy

Okay, now I need more info on the homemade granola!! My DH is going to think I've lost my mind.

 

[mnrose]

I have to admit, I started reading this thread thinking, "Who are these crazy people who MAKE yogurt?" Now I want to try it!

DH has started eating a lot of Greek yogurt (I already ate it occasionally), and DD7 eats regular yogurt pretty much every day. I think I spent at least $20 on yogurt in the last 2 weeks! Crossing my fingers that it's really as easy as you all make it sound!

How do you take the temp of the milk? Candy thermometer?

I'm going to post exactly what I do....it seems like a lot of steps, but it really takes no time. I use a digital food thermometer...instant read type. One I already had. No reason that a candy thermometer wouldn't work.

(1) Heat milk in glass bowl in microwave (I use a pfalsgraff two quart crock). I fill the crock nearly full...about 1/2 gallon. Heat milk to 180 degrees. In my microwave (1200 watts), this takes 16 min, 45 seconds. (You can also heat on the stove, but you must watch it carefully so it doesn't burn).

(2) Cool milk on countertop until it is between 105-110 degrees. This takes 45-60 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature of my house. About 5 minutes before the milk has cooled to proper temp, turn on oven to 170 degrees (or warm setting).

(3) When milk reaches proper temp, whisk in 2 Tablespoons of plain yogurt (no more....more is not better) into the milk. Cover container with lid, and cover with dish towel for added insulation. The first time you will need to buy a small container of yogurt for your starter. Make sure it has "live and active" cultures written somewhere on the label. After you are making your own, just make sure to save 2 T to use in your next batch. Some say you need to get "fresh" starter every six months. I'm going on 9 with my batch, and I detect no difference in taste or performance.

(4) Turn OFF oven, and turn ON oven light. (Note: I have two ovens...the one with one light in the oven works perfect...the other....with two lights...is too warm, so I removed one light from this oven). Put covered contained in oven. LEAVE IT ALONE for 6-8 hours. I find about 7 to be ideal.

(5) Remove crock from oven, and move to refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours. After it has cooled (if you like greek style), pour the yogurt into a cheesecloth lined colandar and let drain over a large bowl for 2-3 hours. I use a thin burp cloth instead of 3-4 layers of cheesecloth...much easier to work with and works fine! The large bowl will capture the whey, which I throw out, but your real crunchy types will use this to make bread or soup. I drain mine on the counter in the kitchen.

Now you have yogurt. It really is easy. You can use any kind of milk you like...skim, 1%, 2%, full fat. I use 1% and making it greek style it is super creamy and rich tasting.