Homemade yogurt

[LoisPrice]

Does anyone make yogurt and if so do you have any tips?

I have vary degrees of success with a yogurt maker like this https://www.manualslib.com/manual/455030/Bifinett-Kh-458.html?page=3#manual

I've always got spare milk as I buy it for visitors - drinks etc but we don't drink milk so want to use up milk. I know I could freeze it but when guest pop in for a drink its not handy to have frozen milk

I hate wasting food and with the price of items really want to utilise everything

Have made cream cheese, which was very easy - but would like to make yogurt more consistently for breakfast etc

My mum used to make yoghurt when we were kids. "With variable degree of success" exactly sums it up. 40 yrs later my siblings and I still talk about the horror we were sometimes expected to consume.

No words of advice sadly. Good luck OP!

I’ve made yoghurt ( it’s variable) and tbh I much prefer Aldi’s Greek style yoghurt. Full fat leftover milk makes lovely butter, use the buttermilk for scones. If you have a small person around to do the shaking even better. Freezes well and you can add herbs, spices , salt flakes etc

Thanks for the replies

ive made a batch and as it’s so warm it’s now in the fridge. I’ll find out tomorrow whether it’s any good 🤞

I didn’t know milk could make butter, just thought it was cream

Ive been more sucessful since i started making it in a thermous flask.

Too much faff for me. Freeze the milk in ice cube trays and pop one in the tea/coffee if stuck!

I make yogurt every week but I don't use a yogurt maker, just my oven on 40 degrees.

1. Heat the milk/cream SLOWLY to 100C to kill off any unwanted bacteria. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
2. Allow to cool SLOWLY to 43C to 49C.
3. Add a yogurt from your last batch to introduce the wanted bacteria. I use a hand blender to properly integrate it with the milk.
4. Divide into jars with lids. Place jars on the oven's metal tray.
5. Set oven to 40C (or a proving cycle if your oven won't go that low) and leave the jars in there for 10 hours.
6. Remove from oven and refrigerate.

Adding cream gets a better texture. My usual batch size is 4 pints of milk and 250ml double cream.

The point of heating/cooling slowly is because if you do it quickly the milk protein molecules deform - think of egg protein being boiled - and the texture of the resulting yogurt is gritty. My hob goes from 1 to 9, I heat on 4. It takes about 90mins, same amount of time to cool.

If I start making it about 9am, I will be putting it in the oven around noon, taking it out 10pm-ish, it will set overnight in the fridge.

I have a large collection of Isigny Sainte-Mere Creme Fraiche jars - glass with a plastic sealing lid (we're a very dairy-oriented household). I previously used jam jars but I was never happy with the metal lids.

And use a yogurt thermometer to know you've cooled it to the right temp. They're only about £5.

WhereYouLeftIt Thanks, this is very helpful

i did heat slowly to 95degrees and then left to cool between 40-45 and added my yogurt

I shall find out tomorrow how it’s turned out, they looked ok

I cycled passed one of the Isigny Sainte-Mere factories last year in Normandy? I’m sure

@LoisPrice Any success?

I use the Lakeland Yoghurt Maker. I have had it for ages and use it at least once a week as DH and I have yoghurt on cereal.

It always works. Nothing variable about it's success!

I use UHT Whole Milk. Just put it straight in with the yoghurt starter, stir and use the standard program. No need to faff about heating and cooling the milk or anything. Once it's done I take out a few spoonfuls to save for my next starter. I can keep going for ages usually before needing a new starter. When I do I get a small carton of Yeo Valley active yoghurt.

I do find the yoghurt is better if I refrigerate overnight before using it. Hence, I usually set it going in the morning. It takes eight hours so is finished early evening. It goes in the fridge overnight and is perfect for breakfast the next morning.

Mine was ok, but grainy - so although I took 20/25 minnnutes to heat milk it seem it’s to fast

I’ve not trued again yet

i teresting about uht milk and not needing to heat, I think I will try this

I do exactly this but use an Easy yo. Very straightforward and foolproof. Good luck!

I make my own yoghurt all the time. It takes 3 minutes. I use full fat long life milk, add a packet of probiotics (I think) to activate it. Divide the carton into 6 jars. I used to put them overnight in a yoghurt maker but now I put them in my pressure cooker on yoghurt mode. It makes lovely creamy yoghurt. I can't eat shop bought these days, I find them too chemically to taste

Agreed - we’ve just bought a yoghurt maker and I’m very happy with the yoghurt. No need to add anything but UHT and yoghurt, and same every time. We strain it for a thick Greek yoghurt.
keen to find an organic UHT next, as concerned about welfare standards.

I do. I use my instant pot which has a yogurt mode to heat the milk to scalding point & then keeps it at the right temp for however many hours you set it for - I usually do 10 hours. I have tried the uht method without needing to heat it but I don't think it worked quite so well so I went back to fresh milk.

Make sure your starter is truly live - I made a mistake at first by using general supermarket natural yog as a starter and it didn't work. Now I use a small pot of yeo valley to start it off if I haven't got any of my own left.

The biggest thing is if you like thick/greek style yogurt, buy a strainer. While tasty, the yogurt I end up with is always fairly runny. I got one of these

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0F54R3PYH?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

from Amazon & it's brilliant - leave it overnight in the fridge & in the morning you have amazingly thick creamy greek yogurt, you can stand the spoon up in it!