Homemade Yogurt **Updated** Cheese and Buttermilk

I have tried to make mozzarella and had it not turn out right either. But mine wasn't gritty enough that I wouldn't eat it. And it did have enough of a mozzarella taste that I did use it anyway. One of the things I read about making it was to use gloves or something because it has to be so hot to do the stretchy thing that it'll burn your hands. Naturally I didn't use gloves either LOL. But mainly because even a video I watched about it, the guy didn't wear gloves.
 
I have tried to make mozzarella and had it not turn out right either. But mine wasn't gritty enough that I wouldn't eat it. And it did have enough of a mozzarella taste that I did use it anyway. One of the things I read about making it was to use gloves or something because it has to be so hot to do the stretchy thing that it'll burn your hands. Naturally I didn't use gloves either LOL. But mainly because even a video I watched about it, the guy didn't wear gloves.

Me either. just not ready for it..i guess
 
This is for those who would like to make cultured buttermilk. CULTURED buttermilk is also an excellent starter for making cheese, too.

There are two kinds of buttermilk. One is cultured buttermilk, the thick creamy tart milk we find most often in the grocery stores. The other is 'old fashioned buttermilk' or the whey (watery yellowish liquid) that remains from milk when making cheese or churning butter. Two completely different things but both very good and useful in your kitchen (and for your chickens!).

For cultured buttermilk you can buy a dry bacteria culture and start from scratch or you can use a good buttermilk that you like that is labled 'cultured buttermilk' (from the store) to make your own.

Back at Thanksgiving when my mother was here we made so many pans of biscuits (almost twice a day everyday for a week!) that I ran out of buttermilk and had to go to the store and buy a quart.

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What was left I used to make more buttermilk.

Take a clean jar with a tight fitting lid and fill it with about 8 oz of good cultured buttermilk (check the date and make sure its good because the bacteria can die and then it won't be useful in making more).

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Top off the jar with fresh whole milk. Skim and 2% milk will work just fine but those don't make as creamy and rich of a buttermilk. My goats milk makes a nice thick buttermilk.

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I use the jars of milk that have sat in my fridge and usually choose the one with the thickest amount of cream that has come to the top. For those of you who don't have access to fresh milk I am so sorry because the whole fatty cream filled milk is like cheating because you can't get the same incredible richness from commercial milk. You can still make an excellent product from store bought milk but the fresh from the tap is even more awesome.

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Put the lid on the jar tightly and place it in a warm place for at least 24 hours. I keep mine on the corner of counter closest to my wood stove. It is warm there and the bacteria that make the buttermilk love it there.

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After 24 hours the milk in the jar is the same as the milk that came out of the container - only I made it at home and didn't have to go out to the store and spend more money for it.

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The buttermilk should be thick and creamy. It should have a tart taste, not bitter. When you pour it the milk should coat the inside of the glass.

If your buttermilk isn't thickening after 24 hours let it sit for and extra 12 hours. If at the end of 36 hours it isn't thick this mean the culture had died priot to your using it to make more buttermilk. Start over with a fresh container of buttermilk.

If at the end of 36 hours if it is thick this one might be a bit too tart for drinking but perfectly fine for baking and other cooking needs.

Refrigerate your buttermilk and it should last several weeks - unless you use it all up quickly. In that case you need to make more!

If you don't want to culture buttermilk from a commercially made buttermilk you can buy the culture here to make it. You can also save the whey from making your cheese and use that to culture more buttermilk. Just remember the whey won't be thick and creamy, it will be thin, watery and more acidic and sour than the one we cultured here that is tart.

I made this and it is creamy almost like a yogurt. Made it yesterday and this morning I put it in the fridge after giving some to the girls. Can I use the same method for yogurt? I read that salt is to be added to the buttermilk but no where on BYC recipes that I read did I see the need for salt what is your opinion on this?
 
After months of making yogurt in an old cooler, setting timers and reheating the jar of hot water used to keep the temperature up... I figured I had saved enough money not buying pre-made yogurt and sprung for a yogurt maker. This one: http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-602192/euro-cuisine-2-qt-yogurt-maker.jsp

The ones that make 7 little jars of yogurt didn't do anything for me, but this one makes 2 quarts at a time in a large container. No bells or whistles. ALL it does is hold the temp around 100 degrees for as long as it's plugged in.

Just thought I'd bump up the thread and put in my recommendation for my new gadget. :)

-Wendy
 
I made another batch of yogurt last night using the Igloo cooler method. It turned out great. Nice and thick without addition of anything but milk and starter yogurt. I've found that making yogurt for the chickens is a great way to use up milk that's a little too old to drink, but which I don't want to waste otherwise. Yogurt made with this slightly old milk turns out fine and the chickens love it still. (I don't even mind it.)
 
HI silly birds-- I keep a hold of this thread because of all the yummy yogurt recipes.

I started back making yogurts again-- not only less pricy than the store bought but the flavor is less sour. Most recently I have been using just whole milk and starter yogurt. Was even desperate enough to use a single srerving flavored yogurt as a starter-- flavoring was too weak in 2 quarts of whole milk to really taste it.

I hav noticed my kids rarely add sugar to the homemade yogurt now. Just fruit and yogurt. YIPEE!!

I use a styrofoam container as the cooler. ANd reheat water as needed. Mine seems to need 24-48 hours to jell up.
 
Really all that's needed is to wrap your bowl of yogurt in a thick towel and put it in the oven with the oven light turned on overnight and your yogurt will be ready by morning. Been making it for more than 45 years this way lol.
 

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