I've upset the yoghurt gods

[JerushaAbbott]

Help! After over ten years of making yogurt week in, week out, I've lost it!

The last few times have been dreadful - runny and not consistent in texture. It tastes ok, although maybe a bit more mild than usual.

I've not changed anything - whole UHT milk, starter from a fresh Yeo Valley yoghurt for the first one (which was ok), and when it started to go wrong, I reset with a new Yeo Valley starter. Then the most recent one was from the scrapings of the YV one, so only the second iteration. Fairly generous amount of whole milk powder, and then put in an Easy-Yo flask.

Everything clean and dishwashed. I left the YV one and yesterday's to yog for a bit longer than I would usually because they were the child and grandchild.

I know I can strain it but I usually get lovely rich, creamy, thick, tart yoghurt. This is more like mild yoghurt soup.

Help! Sometimes I do something to anger the gods but then can put it right by using a fresh starter but I've not managed it this time.

I'm bereft.

Get down on your knees and pray

Is it a yogurt machine that you're using? Could there be a problem with that maybe?

Is it a new batch of the Easiyo yogurt sachets. Sorry I don't know much about this but am interested. I've just been looking at the Easiyo sachets.

*do Wilkinson's sell the Easiyo, I think I may have seen them in there.

I have this from time to time with my batches. It seems to be from heating the milk too quickly...make sure you bring it up to temp really really slowly. I also leave the yoghurt starter out of the fridge for ten minutes to allow it to warm up before adding it to the cooled milk.

Thanks everyone.

I don't use the sachets - I use Yeo Valley as a starter and then use some of that yoghurt to start off the next generation. The YV ends up as the head of a whole dynasty of children, grandchildren and great-great-great grandchildren (and so on) before it starts to get a bit too sour. I'm wondering if I've just been unlucky and bought a YV yoghurt with slightly weaker cultures? I feel a bit like Helen from the Archers with her feeble cheeses.

I also use UHT milk as I'm lazy and don't want to have to heat up pasteurised milk, so that's kept at room temperature. I wonder if I should try leaving the starter to fester for a bit at room temperature though before I make up the new batch.

I'm still using the same Easy-Yo flask, which is just like a big thermos flask, so I don't think it can be that. I have however had to replace one of the litre jars as I dropped one and the lid smashed. Maybe that's the thing that's affecting my yoghurt mojo.

I think I may need to start praying for yoghurt god redemption, not least because the last person I'd ever want to feel like is Helen...

Right, so it's like cloning until the original is diluted so much it goes sour. That's really interesting and money saving too! And easy.

Hopefully with a bit of tweaking you'll get your yogurt mojo back.

Interesting, because I have one of the easiyo flasks, but only used the sachets for a while - then got bored.

Care to post your full recipe OP?

I’m more of a sling-things-in than follow-a-recipe sort of person, but here goes:

About a generous dessert spoon of live yoghurt (I always use Yeo Valley - haven’t tried any others and I don’t like change!)
A bit less than a litre of uht milk (I always used whole but semi skimmed also works)
About a couple of dessert spoons of powdered milk (optional but the yoghurt is likely to end up thinner. I usually use whole milk powder but skimmed milk powder such as Marvel or own brand is fine but the yoghurt doesn’t end up quite as creamy)

Mix it all together until the milk powder dissolves. Put it in the Easiyo (filled to the mark with boiling water) and leave it for about 9 hours (a bit longer normally if you’re yogging from the original YV mother or her daughter or grand-daughter).

A few hints/points:

• There’s always a bit of UHT left over, which I sneak into the normal milk when no-one’s watching as they all say they hate it but don’t notice when I’ve contaminated the normal milk.
• Whole milk powder doesn’t always fully dissolve so I mix everything in the old pot and strain it through a fine tea strainer into the new pot. Otherwise you get weird yoghurty lumps.
• I think the cultures get stronger as you progress through the dynasty so it then needs a bit less time to yog. In the end it gets a bit stringy and strips the enamel off your teeth. I quite like it like that but apparently I’m odd.
• You can freeze a starter for a new dynasty once you’re a couple of generations in. It will usually be good for a couple of months.
• My children now understand that under no circumstances are they to put the old pot in the dishwasher as I use the scrapings for the next generation.

Hope this all makes sense. Lots of people use a thermos or something like an Instant Pot or slow cooker, or just wrap it in something fleecy and stick it on the radiator or near an aga, or in the airing cupboard. I used to put it on top of the boiler until I got all fancy-pants and bought the Easiyo.

My children now understand that under no circumstances are they to put the old pot in the dishwasher as I use the scrapings for the next generation. Are you not getting saliva mixed in then? Or does this add to the process?

I have also had this problem recently, used to get nice creamy yogurt regardless of which one I used as a starter but now I get a lot of liquid on the top. I also use UHT milk and have noticed recently that the full fat is not as full, if you see what I mean.

It makes no difference whether I use milk powder or not. Have tried in the yogurt maker and in a bowl in a warm place. I am thinking it might be the milk quality. Gave up in the end and just buy a big tub.

Vitalogy, nomits a one litre pot so we decant it elegantly/slop it into bowls, leaving lovely uncontaminated yoghurt behind.

Actually, saliva might help. I’m generally in favour of a bit of healthy dirt .

Nomits? Should be it’s...

Toad, I agree - it’s got to be either the yoghurt starter or the milk. I haven’t used pasteurised milk for ages so I may have a go with that over the weekend.

I used to use organic, non-homogenised milk, which made fantastic yoghurt, but I can’t find it any more, apart from Duchy Originals milk, which I can’t buy because I’m a republican.

It’s very distressing. I don’t know what’s more important - doing away with the monarchy, or making decent yoghurt. I think the yoghurt on balance.

@JerushaAbbott - thanks!

Might have to give it a try

I wonder if Yeo Valley have changed something about their yogurt? Would it be worth trying a different yogurt, maybe Longley Farm or Total Greek?

Are you taking the Yeo Valley starter straight out of the fridge? I usually let it sit for a while to bring it up to room temperature before adding it to the milk - not sure if it makes any difference though!

I've used spoonfuls of Tims Dairy or Ocado own brand whole milk yoghurt in the past as a starter, maybe try a new brand? Or a packet, you can get lovely Bulgarian starters on amazon!

I just want to say I am really enjoying this thread! Really feel for your republican yoghurt. You could view it in the light of at least Charles has done something useful with his life ie start duchy originals? They’ll need to do something after all once you’ve staged the revolution.

Duchy no longer owned by Charlie, it's been bought by Waitrose in its entirety.

@ourkidmolly - probably for the best, as Waitrose customers will be the whole user base..

Branching out a bit - anyone make 'greek style' yoghurt?

I don't do the milk powder thing. Strain it through a lined seive and you get greek yogurt.

In the struggle between Republican values and delicious yogurt surely the yogurt would always win?

Duchy Originals is owned by Waitrose and John Lewis is the closest we have to a workers co-operative. Hope this helps with the yoghurt making 😊

Could it be the dry summer affecting the makeup of the milk? Farmers having to feed their cows winter feed because the grass dried out too early?

Could it be the dry summer affecting the makeup of the milk? Farmers having to feed their cows winter feed because the grass dried out too early?

DH (who makes well, does QC etc on the yoghurt you use as starter) has been moaning ALL SUMMER about how much thinner the milk has been during the heatwave, there's not been the juicy summer grass which makes lovely fatty milk, and how they've been having to treat it like winter milk to get the same yoghurt at the end.

You’ll all be relieved to learn that my yoghurt is feeling better this morning, having spent the night being strained in the fridge. My dressing gown cuff is now covered in debris from the yoghurty j-cloth, however, which has validated my usual lazy non-straining ways.

Fernet, yes that’s a good point in favour because John Lewis is a Good Thing. However, I’m worried that he might feel legitimised by having been bought by them and may therefore feel that he should get involved in other things, which would be a Bad Thing.

It’s also affected my halloumi and ricotta endeavours because they don’t work properly with homogenised milk. I wonder if anyone would notice if I were to keep a cow or a goat on my balcony.

Ooh, that’s interesting. Too much summer! I hadn’t thought of that.