Mastering the Art of Yogurt Making

>> Friday, January 7, 2011






I wanted to share the method that helped me finally master the art of yogurt making. I have tried different ways and had always had runny yogurt. I was about to give up and then I found a way I could master the art of yogurt making.

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How to Master The Art of Yogurt Making

First warm your oven to about 350* for 4 minuets and then turn off oven and leave on the oven light. While I had done this I heated up my half gallon of milk on medium heat on the stove to 180* . ( it took me about 30 minutes ) I monitored this with my candy thermometer. I turned off the burner and set the pan on the table on a hot pad to cool near me where I was knitting. I let it cool down to about 115* to 120*. I took out one cup of the warm milk and wisked 4 Tablespoons of yogurt with active bacteria ( my starter). I then poured it back into the pan and wisked it a bit more. After you have mixed it then pour into clean quart jars and place on a cookie sheet in the warm oven. Leave the oven light on and let the yogurt set between 4-8 hours till thickened. If you let it go beyond 8 hours it will be more sour.


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I calculated by making your own yogurt you can spend 1/4 th the cost of what it would cost you in the store.

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To Make It Even More Tightwad’ish

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One way to make this even more of tightwad’ish tip is to take your store bought yogurt (…your starter) and pour and freeze in ice cube trays. After frozen transfer future yogurt cubes into a zip-lock bag and place in freezer till you need them. Two ice cubes equals 4 Tablespoons. When you need your starter defrost 2 ice cubes and bring them to room temperature and use.

. You can also piggyback starters by using some of the yogurt from your batches of yogurt up to 3 or 4 times (piggy backing). And then you need to defrost another 2 yogurt ice cubes to start over again. If you try to piggy back over 4 times you are more than likely get tarter yogurt. This makes it so it is just pennies in your cost of yogurt starter.

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Extra Hints

…if your starter is tart you will probably get tart yogurt.

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Only make enough yogurt that you will use up in 5 days and then make another batch.

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I found if I wanted a thicker yogurt I used 2 % or whole milk. Or after you make your yogurt with 1% milk or skim you can strain on a coffee filter or cloth like a pillow case in a colander to make a more Greek style yogurt. ( save whey to use in bread or soup ).

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PS: I found this neat fact( from here)...

Flu Fighter #2: Yogurt

Yogurt contains probiotics — good bacteria that line our intestines and defend our body against invading germs. Buy plain yogurt to get fewer calories and less added sugar than you do from fruit-flavored versions, and add your own sweetness with a teaspoon of honey (which may also be an immune booster, because it feeds good bacteria in our gut). To make sure your yogurt contains probiotics, look on the container for the National Yogurt Association's "Live and Active Cultures" seal, which means there are at least two types of healthy bacteria and 100 million bacteria per gram.

Plans4You
To see more Farm Girls @ Heart or want to join in on the fun go see my friend Lori's blog by clicking the graphic.

Or visit Trish at...

15 comments:

Jennifer Hoots January 7, 2011 at 10:48 AM  

I was just saying I am going to make yogurt this year! Maybe sooner now that you have been so kind to post about it. Yummy Thank yous to you!!

Anonymous January 7, 2011 at 10:48 AM  

Oh Mary, this is wonderful!

I have tried yogurt making, but it always came out runny...not to my liking. But this way seems so easy.

Thank you for sharing :)

In His Love,

Maria.

Christine January 7, 2011 at 11:07 AM  

Mary, I still think you are amazing. Needlework, candles, seeds, yogurt...

I don't particularly like yogurt, but I betcha I would like the homemade variety. A friend makes it with raw milk, which I'd also like to try. I will refer back to your post when I finally try!

Happy day to you, dearie!!

Christine

Illinois Lori January 7, 2011 at 11:32 AM  

Mary, thank you so much for sharing this! I want to make yogurt, we go through a TON of it! Nathan eats most of it, and we get Wallabee from our Whole Foods (organic) store, but it is pricy.

What brand do you recommend for a starter? I know Dann** is really tart, and I don't really care for it. I also want an organic one (no hormones, no GMO cow-feed, either). What do you buy to start?

Thanks again, I really like this!
Blessings and {{{HUGS}}},
Lori

Jen January 7, 2011 at 12:45 PM  

I love making homemade yogurt. I was blessed to get a yogurt maker to review for my blog. I LOVE it. It is so easy.

This is my first time at Friday Farm Girls. Have a great week. I love your blog.

Kidcraze January 7, 2011 at 9:30 PM  

I am going to try this.
You made it sound so do-able!

Thanks,
Tracy

Anonymous January 7, 2011 at 10:03 PM  

Good for you! I've only made yogurt a few times and it was delicious. I wonder why I don't make it more often. Thanks for the inspiration :)

YrHelperInfonut January 8, 2011 at 12:00 AM  

Great post! Would love it if you would like to add it as a guest post to DIY4Canada.blogspot.com

The Last Frontier January 8, 2011 at 8:40 PM  

Mary, you always have such wonderful tips on your blog! We're finally getting goats again! Hooray :) Our neighbor doesn't want his anymore, so when we get another barn built this summer, they will have a new home. I can hardly wait!
Blessings,
Jenny in Alaska

Shani January 9, 2011 at 4:06 PM  

I love making yogurt - it's such a satisfying job - but haven't since we've moved. Thanks for giving me the push to get back to it. For the first time in far too long, I feel excited and ready to dive back into my life. The power of joy. :)

Missed you!
lots of love,
Shani xxx

Anonymous March 9, 2011 at 5:45 PM  

It is just as good the second time around! :-)

Maria.

Anonymous March 9, 2011 at 8:45 PM  

My yogurt turns out thick but it is not nice and creamy it is kind of well , mucusy , slimy , gel like . I don't like it . it tastes good it is just the way it turns out to be that mucus type texture , well it just grosses me out .I had made yogurt yrs ago with my sil when she lived on a fram and brought raw milk .Our yogurt turned out great . Now I;m thinking is my yogurt slimy because it is not raw milk ?
would you know how to change it from gross texture to creamy texture ?

Trish March 10, 2011 at 2:01 AM  

Mary you are just brilliant!
Thank you for this wonderful information. I love yoghurt but it's been runny when I've attempted to make it.
I always buy the probiotic type too :-)
Thanks so much for linking up today - it was great to see you my friend!
blessings..Trish

Canadagirl March 10, 2011 at 6:37 AM  

Rox,

If you have tried making it with whole milk and it didn't turn out the way you liked and it did work with raw milk then I think you have your answer. I LOVE making yogurt and butter from raw milk. But sadly I don't know anyone that is selling raw milk. I love it!

Blessings!
-Mary

Barbara Neubeck March 10, 2011 at 4:15 PM  

Hi Mary,
We love yoghurt in our house.My husband makes low-fat and greek yoghurt from packets.He uses a kit from a company called EasiYo.It uses the thermos method. We can buy the packets from our grocery supermarket. Easy and fun.
God Bless
Barb from Australia

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