Raw milk yogurt HELP!

[ORChick]

Sometimes yogurt just doesn't work out. I had a stretch of quite a long time (months, I seem to remember) when I could not get my yogurt to work. I changed milk brands, I changed yogurt brands (that I was using for starter), I think I was using a yogurt maker then, so did not change that (because I didn't know any other method). I finally gave up, started buying yogurt again. And when I finally went back to making it it worked just fine. I have no idea what the problem was, and have never had it again - well, occasionally, as a single event, not for months.

One thing I have found, and I have absolutely no idea why this should be the case, if I take the milk temp. up to 190* or 195*, instead of the routinely recommended 185*, I seem to have more consistent results. Why that extra 5 or 10 degrees should make a difference is beyond me, but it seems to.

 

[freemotion]

Heating the milk changes the structure of the proteins, allowing for a thicker yogurt. I recently read/heard (can't remember!) that if you want the benefits of raw, you can try heating half the milk and then adding the raw milk to it, so the yogurt will be thicker. I may try this next time.

You CAN make yogurt with raw milk and keep it raw, but it will be a drinkable product. If the milk is very clean and your bottles/jars are very clean, there should be no problems with pathogenic bacteria overwhelming the good beasties, but it does happen. I no longer sterilize everything so scrupulously, and once in a while, a bottle in a batch comes out funky. I call it hen food and don't worry about it.

I agree that it will get thicker if incubated longer, and more tart. But not thick like storebought yogurt. Yogurt had gotten much thicker over the years because that is what consumers want. Yoplait used to be a thin, drinkable yogurt. No more.

Your yogurt is perfectly healthy to use and get good benefits from, just make shakes with it instead of eating it like pudding.

I heat mine to 110 now to preserve enzymes that are killed at 118. But I am a fanatic about making everything I consume gentler on my finicky digestive system.

I do experience inconsistancy from batch to batch, and I now use a purchased powdered culture that I keep in the freezer, so it is not my cultures. Where the animal is in her lactation and what she is eating will make a difference, too.

Hope this helps. Fermenting is an adventure, and anything that smells edible, is!!

 

[onebuggirl]

Thanks everyone! I will try heating up half my milk to 185-190 and adding the remaining milk.
For this batch I strained the heck our of it and it is now haught taughty "Greek" yogurt
Tastes fine and I prefer the thicker texture. Hubby doesn't mind either.
Thanks again for all the help!