Homemade Yogurt **Updated** Cheese and Buttermilk

[cookinmom]

OK, I'm taking the plunge and getting the stuff to make this today! I'll let y'all know how it comes out.

 

[ozark hen]

Valerie, you will be so amazed at yourself and what you have made. ha ha I know I impressed myself.

 

[jkm]

It wasn't as firm as I had hoped, and by the time I "doctored" it up with all the extras that everybody ordered it ended up more like the drinkable yogurt



Ok , have been working on yougurt for a year now, the key to thick yougurt is heating the milk to about 160 degrees, using double starter, stir firmly and let sit for 12 hours.
gelatin and dried milk really don't work, cream helps.

fresh starter every batch is madatory,
skim milk lacks enough cream to set correctly.
i loved animal, vetable , miracle,
I was a locavore before, now I am really a locavore!

 

[MissPrissy]

I have very thick yogurt. It usually sits in warm incubation for 10 - 12 hours. Never had a soupy or gloppy yogurt yet. It might also be thicker because I use fresh dairy milk that is creamline.

I heat my milk to 185 degrees and cool it in a ice water bath to 110 then I stir in my culture.

I have never added anything extra to the milk before heating and incubating other than the dry milk powder.

I have never spent more than 15 minutes or 20 minutes with it total before closing down the cooler lid and walking away.

I don't like to make things complicated. LOL

Oh, the longer mine chills in the frig the thicker it gets as well.

 

[ozark hen]

MissPrissy, you have a good thing there, let's not mess it up. I am sticking with your basic recipe. I play with it but have the basics down now. thanks to you.

 

[MissPrissy]

I am in the process of packing to go to a wedding. When I get back I will post a cheese making recipe.

 

[ozark hen]

Thank you Miss Prissy, can't wait.

 

[cookinmom]

Anybody got a quick way to sterilize the jar???? I'm heating up this ginormous pot of water to sterilize one jar. I'll pour it in my cooler anyway, but is there a quicker way??

 

[lurky]

I didn't sterilize mine and i am still alive and well. I washed them in hot water and soap.

 

[ozark hen]

Quote:
I was doing the same thing at first. Now I put them in my dishwasher(sterilizing everything)and then immediately put the caps on and save them until time to fill with yogurt. I just finished making cherry flavored yogurt this morning. My DH was disappointed last night that the yogurt was all gone. ha ha He left at 3:30a.m. and I had some made by 4 a.m. Yes, I am feeling kind of proud of myself. .

I just wish I had some dried cherries in the cubbard.

I figured dried fruit mixed in with the yogurt would be great by the time it had cured don't you think? And not make it any runnier?