# Home made yogurt



## iislander (Jan 27, 2008)

I am looking into making my own homemade yogurt, Can anyone help me with some suggestions as to what is better yogurt machines or making it yourself. And possibly some hints on making some good tasting yogurt. Jack


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## xmascarol1 (Feb 1, 2008)

*homemade yogurt*

I used to make two quart of yogurt a day when my kids were home.  Of course this was the 60's and 70's, but the best recipe I ever used was one in the old Adelle Davis nutrition books.  She would use a can of condensed milk as part of the 2 quarts of milk.  I found back then that the best incubator was a diaper bag into which I would put a heating pad set on low, and then the towel wrapped jars of innoculated milk.  I usually make it in 2 single quart jars.  I just buy it by the quart now from the store as I can't even eat a quart in less than a week.


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## Jikoni (Feb 2, 2008)

Yakuta's homemade yorgurt always works for me you can find it here.http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/yogurt-problem-35147.html


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## Maverick2272 (Feb 2, 2008)

This is an interesting thread. The DW loves yogurt. Just curious is it cheaper to make your own?
Between the wife and kids, they would go thru a quart a day if ya let em! LOL.


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## Jikoni (Feb 2, 2008)

I'd say it is cheaper because because all you need is a cupful of yorgurt to make a lot lot more. I use a lot of yorgurt,so instead of buying lots of it, I just buy a small tub to make a huge tub!


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## xmascarol1 (Feb 2, 2008)

*cost*

actually , you only need a quarter cup of culture.  Then you can keep using that much out of the new batch.  You can keep this up for at least 6 -8 batches or more.  The Adelle Davis yogurt recipe is very thick because of the extra milk protein added with the canned milk.  You could also achieved that extra thickness by adding 1/3 c pwd. milk to the quart of milk before you boil it.  Yet another trick is to make it out of all pwd. milk (which is just skim milk) and boil your water instead, and then milk the milk up and cool to lukewarm.  Pwd. milk is usually 1/3 c. to 1 c. water.  Add a little more powder for a thicker yogurt.


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## milkdemcows (Feb 3, 2008)

I've got some incubating right now!  It's cheaper--a gallon of milk is about $3.50, and 2 lbs of yogurt (so 2 quarts?) is $2.50.

I (now) have a yogurt "maker"--but really there's not much "making" that these machines do.  They are basically just an incubator, keeping the yogurt at a steady and ideal temperature.  So I heat milk to 185 F, cool to 130 F, add yogurt, and put it in the machine.  I let it go a whole 24 hours or so to really work on the lactose and thicken.

Almost every recipe I see suggests adding some powdered milk to make it thicker.  I hate the taste of powdered milk, and even a little bit gets to me.  What I do instead to get thicker yogurt is simply strain it--line a colander with cheesecloth or simply paper towels, add the yogurt, and let drain over a bowl in the fridge until desired consistency (you can get it right up to cream-cheese consistency if you like, aka "yogurt cheese").


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## bethzaring (Feb 3, 2008)

milkdemcows said:


> I've got some incubating right now! It's cheaper--a gallon of milk is about $3.50, and 2 lbs of yogurt (so 2 quarts?) is $2.50.
> 
> I (now) have a yogurt "maker"--but really there's not much "making" that these machines do. They are basically just an incubator, keeping the yogurt at a steady and ideal temperature. So I heat milk to 185 F, cool to 130 F, add yogurt, and put it in the machine. I let it go a whole 24 hours or so to really work on the lactose and thicken.


 
2 pounds of yogurt is one quart, so it is more economical than you thought.

I heat my milk to 180*F and cool to 110*F to 112*F.  With the culture I use, 130*F milk would kill the culture.  I also let mine incubate for at least 8 hours, or longer.  I do not add dry milk, just add a bit of real vanilla and a tad of maple syrup.  Sometimes my consistency is surprisingly firm.


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## CharlieD (Feb 3, 2008)

I too make yougurt. I usually make a 1 quart by adding about about a cup of existing yougurt and letting it seat over night. No machines, no fancy equipment. I warm up milk befor.


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## milkdemcows (Feb 3, 2008)

Heating milk up to 180-190 range slightly changes the structure of the milk protein (or something along those lines), making the finished product thicker/firmer than it would be otherwise.  And incubation is just to let the bacteria work at maximal efficiency; lower temp just has them work slower (low enough, e.g. the fridge, they stop though).


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## David Cottrell (Feb 3, 2008)

*Incubators I thought were for chicks!*

For Yogurt I need a large pot, some milk, some good yogurt from the store and a big warm blanket. Oh yes, one little finger.  For real. 

Warm the milk slowly, stirring all the time to the point where I can just hold my little finger in the hot milk for a slow count to ten - about ten seconds I guess - without exceeding the pain limit. Other than that use a thermoneter to read about 180 degrees F until you are used to correlating with the finger. Don't scald the milk! Mix in the room temperature yogurt - about a cup for a gallon of milk - and then wrap the pot very well in the blanket; top, bottom, sides. Let that sit about twelve hours, strain through cheese cloth and walla! Yogurt!!

To make a good Lebanese dip strain it (in the refrigerator) through a cheese cloth lined colandar, but the dip recipe is another story.

I don't have much for kitchen gadgets.


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## gawillow (Feb 12, 2008)

I have a yogurt machine that belonged to my grandmother, and it still works. I make a quart of yogurt a week. No powdered milk, and it gets quite thick. Boil the milk, then bring it off the heat to cool down before adding starter.


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## xmascarol1 (Feb 12, 2008)

*yogurt making*

Because yogurt is a culture and you're inoculating the milk with the culture, you really only need about 1/4 cup of yogurt for a quart of milk.  It's about the same as when you make creme fraiche.  Just enough to get the culture of bacteria going and the right temperature.


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## periwinkle (Feb 18, 2008)

I've been wanting to make my own yogurt for awhile now....can I use soy milk?


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## Maverick2272 (Feb 18, 2008)

Yes, here is a link for that:
Soy yogurt-- Ellen's Kitchen
And one that explains more of the science behind it:
Soy yogurt
Apparently, depending on what you do with the soy you can end up with soy milk, soy yogurt, or tofu.
I think it would be neat to make my own tofu...


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## amy5708 (Feb 26, 2008)

milkdemcows said:


> Heating milk up to 180-190 range slightly changes the structure of the milk protein (or something along those lines), making the finished product thicker/firmer than it would be otherwise. And incubation is just to let the bacteria work at maximal efficiency; lower temp just has them work slower (low enough, e.g. the fridge, they stop though).


 
Heating to 180 kills off any competing bacteria found in the milk. By killing any existing bacteria, the beneficial bacteria will be able to thrive, creating the thicker yogurt.

I have had the best results with nuking canning jars in the micro and boiling my lids; sterilizing them. Not necessary, but I have had home made yogurt last a couple of months when produced in the cleanest possible environment.

Heat skim milk to 180. Add 1 c. instant milk powder (cheaper than condensed milk). When temp is 110-120, add yogurt (one 8oz container for 3 1/2 Q milk)
and whisk. Place in sterilized jars, top with lids, and place in small insulated cooler. Fill Cooler with hot water for 120 degrees, and let sit for 4-6 hours.

We make parfaits; layer yogurt, berries (frozen that are thawed), and granola. Kids loooove them!
enjoy, Amy


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## David Cottrell (Feb 26, 2008)

*Re Yogurt - thanks Amy*

Quote from Amy, "Heat skim milk to 180. Add 1 c. instant milk powder (cheaper than condensed milk). When temp is 110-120, add yogurt (one 8oz container for 3 1/2 Q milk)"

Thanks, when I was writing about using my little finger as my thermometer I confused myself - yes, cool the milk to about 110-150 degrees F - That's where the little finger can operate! No way stick one's finger into 180 degree hot milk!


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## LadyCook61 (Feb 26, 2008)

Jikoni said:


> Yakuta's homemade yorgurt always works for me you can find it here.http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/yogurt-problem-35147.html


I will try this. never made yogurt before , I do buy it.


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## cookinmonster (Mar 6, 2008)

So does fresh, home made yogurt taste a lot better than what you buy in the store?  

I had it once in an Afghani restuarant, but it seemed like a really slow weekend, so possibly it wasn't as fresh as it could have been.


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## amy5708 (Mar 6, 2008)

Actually, mine tastes nothing like store-bought, as I add a lot of milk powder to thicken, and I don't put sugar in it.

If you add fruit or splenda, nuts or granola, you can make it taste wonderful.


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## ChefRuby (Mar 7, 2008)

In store-bought yogurt, some additives such as starch, sugar and flavor do make yogurt taste thick, creamy, sweet and attractive. However, they increase the calorie and in my eyes, not as healthy as I expected. 
I make yogurt with skim milk, with yogurt capsule as starter, no addition of sugar, just as natural as possible. It comes out very thick, like silky tofu. And it doesn't take too long, six-hour-term is pretty acceptable, isn't it?
Take a look at my yogurt, I strongly recommend folks to make yogurt at home LOL






I give the link here: Ruby@Cuisine: Homemade plain yogurt for those who feel interested.


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## smag (Mar 13, 2008)

We consume a lot of yogurt, so it is just lot cheaper to make at home. I just heat milk in the MW, add little milk powder(optional) and let it cool a bit before adding my culture.
I use my oven as my incubator.
The current culture I use is from a friend, so it sets much faster and with very little culture. I've found the Brown Cow brand yogurt works well as culture too.


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## CharlieD (Mar 13, 2008)

Where can one buy the culture for yougurt making?


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## smag (Mar 13, 2008)

Amazon.com: yogurt culture

I've not used any of these.


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## CharlieD (Mar 13, 2008)

That simple, huh, what was I thinking. Thank you very much.


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## bethzaring (Mar 15, 2008)

charlie, I get my yogurt culture from two different places; Caprine Supply
Caprine Supply  I get the one you can reculture, NOT the direct set,
and Lehmans Hardware
Lehman's - Products for Simple, Self-sufficient Living

same culture at both places

this brand makes a very nice yogurt


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## Finmar001 (Apr 2, 2008)

Yes I have recipe for homemade yogurt


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## plingy (Apr 2, 2008)

I recently got a yogurt maker (second hand) and use it about twice a week. 
My recipe is very simple: 4 1/2 cups of 1% milk heated to 200 degrees; cool it to 110 degrees, mix well with 1/3 cup plain yogurt (1%) and 1/2 cup of dry fat-free instant milk. I pour it into my machine's little glass jars and process for 4 hours then refrigerate when it seems set. I find that when starting it late afternoon, I can refrigerate it before going to bed.
A longer processing time seems to make a much more sour yogurt. Also, I use store bought plain yogurt containing 2 ingredients only: milk ingredients and bacterial culture as a starter. The yogurt is firm and not sour, low fat and unsweetened.
We add fruit, jam, honey or maple syrup to have it as dessert. We also use it as a sour creme substitute in dips or with potatoes. Wish I'd done this when the kids were still at home and we went through gallons of yogurt per week! It's never too late to try !
It's a little bit cheaper than buying ready-made yogurt but to me, the most important is the use of natural ingredients. Have you read the list of ingredients on some of those tubs? OOOOh! By the way, if you want to keep the milk from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot when heating it, run some cold water in the pot first. Don't know why it works but it does.


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## lyndalou (Apr 3, 2008)

I have never made it, but my Lebanese friend's mother made it all the time. She called it Lebun (sp?) Anyway, as I recall, temperature was key or it would not thicken properly.


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## sparrowgrass (Apr 3, 2008)

I think you guys mean *evaporated* milk, not condensed milk. Condensed milk has sugar in it.

I use the mason jar in a cooler of warm water method.


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## Finmar001 (Apr 4, 2008)

I do not use a yogurt machine when making homemade yogurt


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## Weaver (Apr 13, 2008)

*Yogurt Making with Diaper Bag Question*



xmascarol1 said:


> I used to make two quart of yogurt a day when my kids were home. Of course this was the 60's and 70's, but the best recipe I ever used was one in the old Adelle Davis nutrition books. She would use a can of condensed milk as part of the 2 quarts of milk. I found back then that the best incubator was a diaper bag into which I would put a heating pad set on low, and then the towel wrapped jars of innoculated milk. I usually make it in 2 single quart jars. I just buy it by the quart now from the store as I can't even eat a quart in less than a week.


 
Would you please confirm my assumption that you left everything in the diaper bag for 24 hours and then refrigerated?

I used to used my gas oven with just the pilot light on but now adays with the electronic ignition it's impossible. Your method sounds perfect... wondering if one of those silver lined hot/cold bags would work the same. Hmmm, might get too warm... maybe with just a towel for cover and not zipped shut.

Thanks for any help!

Weaver


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## bethzaring (Apr 13, 2008)

Weaver said:


> Would you please confirm my assumption that you left everything in the diaper bag for 24 hours and then refrigerated?
> 
> I Thanks for any help!
> 
> Weaver


 
I have never seen instructions for setting yogurt to be 24 hours. Usually incubation lasts from 4 to 10 hours.


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## StripyPixieSocks (May 5, 2008)

Hi

I make yoghurt in a heated garden propagator (a new one of course not one from the garden)

2 pints Skimmed UHT Milk,
6tbsp Milk Powder and 
5tbsp Full Fat Yeo-Valley Yoghurt. 
(18 hours in a heated propagator then chilled)

It had turned into a set yoghurt which tasted really creamy and when it was stirred thinned slightly but still remained quite thick (not quite as thick as the Yeo-Valley but thick enough). 

We stirred in 2tsp Salt, 1tsp Garlic Powder and 2tbsp Chives and it is now draining over the sink in the kitchen slowly turning into Roule style cheese for tomorrow!

The price also equates to Yeo-Valley £1.27 / Home Made 63p. You can use your home made to make more so you only have to buy the Live from the supermarket once every 3 months or so!


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