Home made yogurt...
- Thread starter RTRChick
- Start date
me&thegals
A Major Squash & Pumpkin Lover
Holy cow! (or at least it must be at that price) So grateful to get it free from the farm my husband helps out at each morning. Yikes!greenrootsmama said:
greenrootsmama
Power Conserver
DS2 was only 6 months old when I found out I was pregnant again and within two months my milk dried up. I've always heard that goat milk was the best substitute for nearly all mammal milk so I started doing some research. I discovered that between the enzymes, vitamins, minerals and fats, raw goat milk far surpasses not only cow milk but baby formula as well. But then I also found big neon signs from the FDA and CDC that said unpasteurized milk is dangerous for babies and children. Since they came out with their new find that mercury isn't dangerous to babies, children and pregnant women, I'm pretty skeptical about anything they say (http://www.naturalnews.com/News_000622_mercury_FDA_fish.html). I also read that the enzymes present in fresh milk from a healthy goat keep it from contracting any sort of bacteria at all which negates the need for pasteurization. Anyway, I'm sure all of you goat farmers know this stuff already so I'm preaching to the choir. The point is that we've been buying the goat milk for the baby and he consumes about 3 gallons a week. We bought a little extra last time when I tried my hand at the yogurt recipe. We're heading out to the goat dairy tonight to pick up more. If DH gets enough then I'll try the stove-top method.
Dace
Revolution in Progress
Reviving this thread since I need ot make a batch and it has been quite a while!me&thegals said:
I did it in my oven, set it at 100* but can't remember how long for. Me&thegals is saying 5 hours in this post...sound right?
me&thegals
A Major Squash & Pumpkin Lover
Hi--I just keep an eye on it. For some reason, sometimes my yogurt heats way past what the oven temp is set at.Dace said:
So, I check it periodically with a thermometer. I usually set it at 135, turn the light on, stick the yogurt in, then turn the oven off. I reset to 135 about once an hour or so, just until it preheats, then turn it off again.I bet it depends on a lot of variables, including the depth of your container, the quality of your oven seal, whether you have an oven light and how warm it is...
I also think the culture varies. Sometimes I takes me over a day to get it to thicken! Other times it's less than 4 hours. So, maybe my culture has lost strength or I put in a different volume of yogurt:milk.
Good luck!
Dace
Revolution in Progress
Thanks! 
Mmmm... yogurt... We go through lots of it here. Since my kids like their yogurt milder and I like mine more tart but we all like it thick, I finally solved the problem by using actual yogurt cultures so I can choose what type of yogurt I end up with at the end. I was reluctant to do so at first because I don't use a yogurt maker or a bread maker, etc. etc. etc. but a friend pointed out that the yogurt I buy as a starter from the store or even from our farmer uses actual yogurt cultures so, duh me (!). Using yogurt cultures has been amazing and my yogurt is no longer hit or miss and we're all happy with the finished product regardless of what type of milk I'm using which is a good thing considering how much I'm paying for milk. 
I choose the mild and smooth culture for the kids and the tangier cultures for me. I get my cultures from the Dairy Connection because I can get them in person and save on shipping but Cultures for Health also has them (I don't know how they compare in price). I make my yogurt in 1/2 gallon mason jars in the oven with just the light on overnight so it often sits for 12-16 hours (cuz I forget them) and it's never been a problem. The longer they sit, the thicker they get. Sometimes I make them by just heating the milk to about 72 degrees and sometimes I take it to 110 degrees, but I've never pasteurized my milk by heating it to 180 degrees. It's quite thick when I heat it to 110 degrees.
Now I'm looking at those yogurt makers. But I'd need a couple of them since I do make a 1/2 gallon at a time twice a week. I'm hoping that one finds me at a thrift store.
I choose the mild and smooth culture for the kids and the tangier cultures for me. I get my cultures from the Dairy Connection because I can get them in person and save on shipping but Cultures for Health also has them (I don't know how they compare in price). I make my yogurt in 1/2 gallon mason jars in the oven with just the light on overnight so it often sits for 12-16 hours (cuz I forget them) and it's never been a problem. The longer they sit, the thicker they get. Sometimes I make them by just heating the milk to about 72 degrees and sometimes I take it to 110 degrees, but I've never pasteurized my milk by heating it to 180 degrees. It's quite thick when I heat it to 110 degrees. Now I'm looking at those yogurt makers. But I'd need a couple of them since I do make a 1/2 gallon at a time twice a week. I'm hoping that one finds me at a thrift store.
Dace
Revolution in Progress
My last batch broke....not sure what I did wrong but it was more grainy looking than it should have been.
I followed the directions using pasteurized (not ultra) whole milk. Placed quart jars in oven at 100* although when I checked the temp it was more like 88. Left them in for 6 hours or so.
Can anyone advise how to get a smoother texture?
I followed the directions using pasteurized (not ultra) whole milk. Placed quart jars in oven at 100* although when I checked the temp it was more like 88. Left them in for 6 hours or so.
Can anyone advise how to get a smoother texture?
I guess I've just had good luck with my yogurt. I incubate it in a pre-heated cooler with a mason jar of boiling water in it to keep it hot. I change out the hot water every hour and a half or so, let it sit all afternoon and evening and it has come out perfectly. I never took the temperature of it, but if you are heating up to 130+ you may be killing the bacteria- they don't live much above 110. I wouldn't trust my oven.
