Homemade Yogurt **Updated** Cheese and Buttermilk

[jimnjay]

Miss Prissy, I want to thank you for the yogurt recipe. I made it today. I usually don't look in the recipe section but was bored the otherday so I decided to visit that forum. Yogurt is something I give my chickens at least weekly. Used to I could make do with the 8 oz carton for a week or two not the Large one does not last long. I added the powdered milk and 3 Tablespoons of Splenda and two teaspoons of vanilla. The best part is I used my hatcher to process it. I put it in there at 1:30 and it was done at 8 pm. I tasted it and it is so yummy. I am delighted to have a second use for my homemade hatcher. My little dimmer just took the temp to 111 and it kept it there for the afternoon. I will be making more you can be sure and I will experment with fruit. I like sliced fruit in vanilla yogurt best so that will probably be the best on for me.

 

[MissPrissy]

Ozark Hen- I boiled the milk -lucky it did not scorch. Forgot it was cooling and remembered when it was 100. The yogurt came out fine just the same. I hope yours did, too.


jimnjay = I am always pleased to hear a new success with the yogurt. We had ours this morning with sliced banana, strawberrys and granola. Yummy!

 

[ozark hen]

Miss Prissy, my yogurt was a flop! I threw all three jars down the drain. I was very disappointed. You know I am using the only plain yogurt the stores around here. It is an all natural yogurt and kind of runny and I don't see the active cultures on the label. Most brands you can read it on the label but I am not seeing it on this label. I think I will have to use the vanilla flavored yogurt with active cultures in those small containers and see if I see a difference. It keeps coming out kind of runny. I wasted a lot of milk today but I am going to keep trying this until I find the key to what I am doing wrong. LOL Where we live we don't have a lot of choices.

 

[alaskan_crew]

ozark hen,
I've made 7 batches so far and only the first 3 turned out. When it did turn out if was beautiful and everytime after that I was so disappointed. I think that my problem was a combo of things like I was really whisking the starter into the milk and also I think my starter was pretty weak.

I went to Salton.com (yogurt machine makers) and picked up some good tips. I learned that if your yogurt is too runny you can set up a collander, lined with paper towels, and placed over an empty bowl and then throw the yogurt in the collander and it will thicken up. This really does work, did it today.

So, don't give up. I'm buying milk like crazy but determined to have perfect yogurt!! Good luck!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Ozark Hen -

If I'm understanding you correctly, you stirred the yogurt in at the point it was at 185 degrees? If there were any live cultures in that yogurt, the high temp likely would have made them >>>>>

Think of the yogurt like the yeast when making bread. Too warm and ya kill 'em and too cool and they won't work.

Probably the thing you need to do is find a source that you are certain contains live cultures and give it a whirl again. Some of the websites I read also suggested that you can add more of the dry milk to help in the thickening. Keep that determined spirit of yours and sooner or later you'll be sharing some great news with us!

 

[MissPrissy]

Since you are not getting great yogurt form your grocer why don't you order online some of the freeze dried yogurt culture to use? Look on one of the websites for cheese making and you find yogurt cultures.

I am sorry yours did not turn out. I make about 3 quarts every 2 (sometimes 3) days and months and months and have never had a batch not turn out. I can only think the cultures died from the high heat because the heating of the milk is pasturizing it so there is no bacteria to grow, then we add the yogurt culture to it so it can grow.

I am sorry you lost so much milk.

I am so very excited this evening. Tomorrow I am getting my milk goats!!!!!! By the weekend I'll have yogurt from my very own dairy goats!

I also have another secret I haven't told but a couple of people. Our county has an old fashioned rural fair every year. I entered something at the very last minute on impulse. Judging is tomorrow morning. :|

 

[BirdBrain]

Quote:
You are going to leave us hanging like that?

 

[ozark hen]

Thanks guys, I am sure you are right, about the high temp killing any live cultures there were. Yes, I will keep trying.
Miss Prissy!! I sure hope you share your news from today with us vey soon. We are all anxious to hear the outcome..

I did finally get my ingredients for mozzarella cheese but now need to pick up a strainer. I hating waiting for things to be shipped to me...I am impatient and want to do this stuff now.

With those milk goats there will no stopping Miss P. !

 

[ml]

Well tried my home made yogurt today. Very nice.

used 2 percent milk, dried milk 1/3 cup of sugar, a splash of cream, splash of vanilla extract, two spoonfuls of stonybrook plain yogurt for a starter. Rounded up a thermous that held two quart jars. Very creamy texture. Bet it would rock frozen too!

Going to look for some extracts in different flavors and will add a bit more sugar.

Have ordered things for the cheese class.

Thank you all for sharing your good and bad here.
This was great fun to try and great product to eat.

Oh forgot I cooked mine for 7 hours. It was a tad runny but worked. Very good will make more.


yahoo, my cheese things came today! Ready for next class.
ML

 

[ozark hen]

Could some of you post pictures of a large spoonful of your yogurt ?? I think mine comes out too runny,when it does come out.
I am editing this after calling around and finding a health food store an hour away from us in Springfield, MO. who does have freeze dried yogurt starter. It is a different brand but at least I have finally found it!! I hope to make the trip this weekend. No more excuses now. LOL