Yogurt making

[Guest guest]

You might be interested in the following link:

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/yogurt_making/YOGURT2000.htm

I have used the methods on this website with good success. I make the

yogurt in mason jars and keep them in a large kettle of warm water in

the oven. The water provides an effective buffer against drastic

temperature changes. I check the temperature of the water bath

occasionally during culturing and turn the oven on low briefly if it

starts to get too cool. As for the thickness of the yogurt, I have

never used milk powder. If you want a thicker yogurt it is pretty easy

to drain some of the whey off the yogurt using a cloth-lined colander.

You can even hang the yogurt in fine cotton cloth bag and make a type

of cream cheese that is very tasty. And you can use the whey in some

other recipes. Good luck!

>

> I have been making yogurt for a long time in a Salton yogurt maker. Up

> til now, I have been using the directions from the machine, even though

> I know NT has different directions for raw milk yogurt. So, I have 2

> questions about making it from raw...

>

> 1) can I use my Salton maker, since it doesn't have a temp setting? In

> NT, she says to set a dehydrator to a specific setting. I don't have a

> deheydrator and I don't know what temp the yogurt maker is at. Can I

> use it for the NT yogurt recipe?

>

> 2) is there a technique to getting a thicker yogurt without adding milk

> powder? I'm not looking for thick like store bought, but if it's water-

> thin my family isn't interested in it. The one time I tried it without

> the milk powder, it came out thin as milk, and no one would go near

> it.

>

> Tips appreciated. Thanks.

>

> Emilie

>

[Guest guest]

This is how I make my raw yogurt......

I start this process in the morning since it will take all day.

I originally inoculated my raw milk with " 7 Stars Yogurt " (that's my

favorite brand for taste and quality) You can find it at most co-ops.

I put about a half of a cup into each half gallon of milk. I have a huge

stock pot that is tall and big enough to fit 3 to 4 half gallon mason jars.

I put the stock pot into a big soft sided cooler that can fit it. I then fill

that stock pot up about half way with warm (110-112 degrees) water.

I then place all of my inoculated half gallon jars in.

Note: I use the water tight metal lids, NOT the plastic lids to close the jars.

If I need to add more water to bring it to the top of the jars, I do so at this

time. I double check the water temp again to make sure it is in between

110 and 112 degrees. I do this with a digital meat thermometer.

I adjust the water temp accordingly if needed by adding more hot or cold

water. After the temp is correct, I put the lid on the stock pot and zip up

the cooler. Throughout the day I check the water temp. When it gets to

be about 108-109 I add more hot water. (I usually keep a tea kettle on

the stove to heat up water as needed) When I get the water into the

110-112 range again, I close it all up again.

Note: when starting with refrigerated milk, I check the water temp

about once an hour the first couple of times. After the milk gets warm

enough, I only have to check it about every 3 hours.

I let the milk sit in the water bath for about 10-16 hours. You

know when it is probably finished when you lean the jar to the side and

it moves with the thickness of yogurt instead of milk. I think that it is

just about the thickness of store bought yogurt, but if your family wants

it even thicker, you can strain some whey out of it through a cheese cloth

until it is the desired consistency.

Hope that helps,

Therese Laurdan