Yoghurt

[Big Al]

Has anyone got a good recipe for home made yoghurt please?
I've tried 6 different ways off the internet, cook books and my own efforts but non turn out as good as the shop bought yeo yog. We eat a lot of the stuff and at £2.48 a tub per day it is getting expensive to buy.

The best version I found was milk heated to 185Deg F for 30 minutes then fast cooled to 110 Deg F. Add the yog as a starter culture and I kept it at this temp for close on 7 hours but then it got too hot and seemed to split into a sort of watery ricotta mush.

From 4 pints of milk I got about 3 pints of whey and a pint of cheesy yoghurt which didn't seem as tangy as the shop stuff.

I ate it anmd it had a bit of tang but it was also grainy as opposed to smooth.

Any offers of a good tried and tested recipe please?

Take care,

Big Al.

[george]

I make yogurt on a regular basis now and have a very easy method.

I heat a jug of milk in the microwave for 2 minutes until it is too hot to hold your finger in it.

then I leave it to cool for about 20 minutes until it is comfortable to hold your finger in it for some time - I don't have a thermometer.

Then I add the yogurt starter and mix. I have an electric oven and it has a yogurt setting. So it goes in the oven for 5 hours. I don't know the temperature but it is quite warm but not hot.

Then I think the thing which makes a huge difference is the last step. Homemade yogurt tends to be lumpy and not smooth and often quite watery. To stop this I filter the yogurt using a coffee filter for a couple of hours. Most of the whey comes out and I am left with a thick, creamy yogurt.

I have found that if I use a runny yogurt as a starter the final product is more watery but still tastes fine then if I use a creamy starter. I have tried different volumes of milk and both full cream and skimmed milk and the results are pretty consistent.

Before starting filtering the yogurt my husband refused to eat homemade yogurt as he didn't like the texture, but now he eats it every day.

I hope this helps a bit. Good luck. You will find the recipe for you eventually.

[Carltonian Man]

Don't know where it is just now but Jeremy in Czech Republic had a good recipe for yoghurt which sat in a thermos flask over night. I've a feeling it was on his blog.

[Carltonian Man]

Here it is

[Milims]

http://clothandclay.blogspot.co.uk/2010 ... ghurt.html I happen to have one of these, but I also make it successfully in a wide necked thermos using the same method. I boil the milk for a least 10 mins - the longer you boil it the firmer the set. Also, the lower fat the milk, the longer you need to boil it.. I'd also recommend a milk saver for when you are boiling the milk - that way yuo don't have to stand watching it!

[sda]

You could also keep it in the pan and wrap it up in towels or blankets to keep it warm, somewhere warm (airing cupboard in winter) and then do not move it. Then, chill it. The Sainsb's in my area sell a kilo bucket (pot with handle!) of yoghurt ( it's displayed with some Asian products, not with the usual yoghurts) for £1. "Henna natural live set yoghurt very low fat" it says. It's a cream/pale yellow pot with a cows in a field scene at the bottom. That supermarket also sells their own Basics brand quite cheaply, but it's that tangier stuff.

[demi]

Straining the yogurt through cheese cloth will make it thicker, then mix it to get rid of lumps.

[Big Al]

Thank you so, so much everyone. I am going to use all of the ideas here and pick the one my wife likes best. Mind you being the devious sod I am I could just add a bit of home made into the branded version each day until it is completly home made.... in a branded pot....

Thanks again one and all.

[Mrs Moustoir]

On the topic of yoghurt - does anyone have a view on electric yoghurt makers? I saw today that L1dl have one in their tat selection this week and I wondered whether to splash out €14 on one.

Or would it be just another one of those gadgets that you buy which end up cluttering up the cupboard?

[Mustardseedmama]

If you lived here, you could just set it out on the south patio (concrete pation, metal sided house) for a few hours----139 f. all afternoon...very economical yogurt don't you think?

Sorry, the heat/drought is making me a tad crazy!

[sda]

If you strain it long enough, it becomes really thick. You can then roll it into balls, roll them in herbs or spices if you like, and pop them in a jar which you then fill up with olive oil. Or you can strain it to the required thickness and use it as you would cream cheese on crackers or as a dip. I don't know what you can use the whey for - any suggestions?

[Marmalady]

The whey can be used in cooking -- in sauces, soups etc


http://www.diaryofafirstchild.com/2012/ ... s-for-whey lists quite a few uses --everything from the sauces i suggested to adding it to your bath to watering your veg garden!

[Milims]

On the topic of yoghurt - does anyone have a view on electric yoghurt makers? I saw today that L1dl have one in their tat selection this week and I wondered whether to splash out €14 on one.

Or would it be just another one of those gadgets that you buy which end up cluttering up the cupboard?

I had one for a while and to be honest a flask and a warm place is easier and it doesn't use electricity. On the down side, as I don't have an airing cupboard I have to wait for a sunny day to warm up my conservatory.

[Thomzo]

I've just bought an electric yogurt maker as I was getting hit and miss results with a thermos. Frankly, I'm still getting his and miss results with the yogurt maker and it uses 10 hours of electricity.

Zoe

[patR]

I have a yogurt maker a lovely friend found for me on freecycle, its so simple, works really well and I mix the stuff up before bed at night and have fresh yogurt in the morning. I know its electricity but mine is only equal to a lightbulb. I love it..
but yes its runnier unless you strain it...