Yogurt making question.... page

[alexkharden]

So I was wondering, if I were to make yogurt at home, using regular store bought milk, could the process itself of making the yogurt undo some of the harm done to the milk during it's processing? You know the homogenization and added sugars and hormones and whatnot?

[honeypig]

I wouldn't think the fermentation process would affect any hormones in the milk or anything damaged by the homogenizing process. Not sure why you think milk has "added sugars"-- I'm not aware of any unless you buy chocolate or other flavored milk. Plain milk does have naturally occurring sugars; it's not like the carbs you see on the nutrition labeling are put there b/c sugar is added to the milk.

[alexkharden]

I stand corrected, I did think the sugars, at least to an extent, were added. The put sugars in everything else, I just assumed...

[Betorq]

Making your own at-home-yogurt is best. It takes all of 1-2 minutes for me to do it every 3 or so days. Store bought organic full fat milk, raw if you can get it, otherwise look for unhomogenised at least. TJs & Whole Foods have ok org milk. And by making it yourself you can control how strong/thick it gets, thicker & more sour = less milk sugars. Depending on the temp of the oven & the strength of the culture, generally, 18-24 hrs is looser, less sour. 24-36 is thicker/more sour.

What I do: take 2 big spoonfuls of your last yogurt, or store bought. In a glass bowl or pitcher, mix it w/ the milk & empty 1 probiotic acidophilus/bifidus capsule into it, stir it all up w/ a wood or plastic spoon. Cover it w/ a papertowel w/ a rubberband to hold it, & place in the oven w/ the oven light on. No need to warm it up 1st, but you can. I've done it both ways. If you do heat up the milk, add the yogurt starter & capsule contents after you take it off the heat...

[Betorq]

To answer your original query, no, it won't change anything other than the bacteria eating the lactose up & shitting out probiotic babies. You can gain your own liquid whey by making your own, but you can just strain store bought yogurt overnight to get the whey that way too...

[sbhikes]

A friend of mine makes yogurt from powdered milk in a plastic bag. Incubates it in his sleeping bag at night. Does this while backpacking. It's crazy but it works. In other words, don't overthink this.

[JBailey]

A wide mouth thermos is great for yogurt.
I make kefir now but used to make my own yogurt by heating it to hot but lees than boiling, cooling it down to 100F or so, then stirring in a heaping tablespoon of good greek yogurt. I would also preheat the thermos with hot water. Dump it out, pour in the warm milk starter, seal and wait til morning.

Sometimes yogurt won't 'yo' unless the milk is heated enough. It does soemthing to the proteins. Depends on the breed of cow, time of year, quality of feed, etc.

[alexkharden]

Ok, I made my first batch and all did not go as smoothly as I'd hoped. I used a half gallon of whole milk, not ultra pasteurized, and a tub of Fage 0% as my starter.


It's sooooooo runny! I'm straining it through cheesecloth now to thicken it up, but that will of course bring my yield way down?


Any advice on how to thicken it up next time, without adding a bunch of stuff to it? The only thing I added this time was about a TBsp of vanilla extract.

[Betorq]

Ok, I made my first batch and all did not go as smoothly as I'd hoped. I used a half gallon of whole milk, not ultra pasteurized, and a tub of Fage 0% as my starter. It's sooooooo runny! I'm straining it through cheesecloth now to thicken it up, but that will of course bring my yield way down? Any advice on how to thicken it up next time, without adding a bunch of stuff to it? The only thing I added this time was about a TBsp of vanilla extract.

2 ways: strain it as you're doing. It will give you liquid whey, quite useful as a ferment starter for a whole host of other LB goodies you might explore. Store the whey in a plastic baggie or a covered dish in the fridge.
Or, let it go a bit longer. Try another 6-8 hrs, checking on the yogurt for thickness. It will get more sour as it thickens, just so ya know...

[alexkharden]

Ok thanks. I'm pretty much thinking I didn't keep my temperatures perfect enough. Guess I'll have to be more vigilant next time.