Saturday 15 May 2010

Trying to make Yoghurt


Fulfilling this May plan is not as easy as I thought it was going to be !
I have brought 1l of milk to the boil ( twice now ! ) and then let it cool to around 50c, added a generous spoonful of yoghurt - shop or from previous batch ( I wish ) and mixed with alittle of the milk, slowly adding in the rest of the milk and stirring.
Then lid on my 1970's yoghurt maker, it was a 50p car boot bargain ( although with the organic milk and yoghurt I'm wasting, not looking so much of a good deal right now ) and left.
I did have a peek at it and all was looking well.
However, both attempts have resulted in a curdled mess, swimming in a yellow, straw coloured liquid !
Help ... please.What am I doing wrong ? any tips would be much appreciated.
How are your May plans coming on ?
Happy weekend to all x

20 comments:

Unknown said...

I haven't attempted yoghurt et- you're brave. I was thinking about making my own ricotta this weekend... I'm a little scared now! Good luck - third's a charm! xo m.

Daisie said...

Vonnie makes hers in the slow cooker; http://www.blottedcopybook.co.uk/the-good-life/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AdventuresOfALadyInTraining+%28Adventures+of+a+lady+in+training%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Don't know if that helps, keep trying, good luck! xxx

Pippa said...

I tried making yoghurt a couple of years ago and came to the same result as you have! I am now using the Easiyo yoghurt, which isn't really what I wanted as I'd hoped for something more natural, but looking at the ingredients on the packs, they are pretty natural and I love the organic mix. It always comes out right and there isn't all the milk boiling to do either. But as for making it the proper way, sorry, I can't help! I ended up giving my Lakeland yoghurt maker away to a charity shop!

Unknown said...

I'm an Easiyo girl too as I have tried and failed. Good luck with your trying.
Sue @ www.sue-brown.blogspot.cm

Linda said...

I would also love to make yoghurt, will check back to see any suggestions:)
Hugs to you,
Linda

Jacqui said...

50 deg may be a bit too warm D. I use this recipe
1 pint organic milk (the full monty)
2 tbsp plain yougurt

Bring milk to the boil and simmer for about 5 mintues (makes it a bit thicker)
Remove from the heat and pour into a clean bowl (not that you would put it in a dirty one ;) ). Allow it to cool until about 43 deg C - (or until a clean(again) finger feels no discomfort)
Add the yogurt and mix well. Cover the bowl (I use a ceramic casserole dish) and put it on a trivet beside the rayburn lids. Leave for 10 hrs or overnight. When it has set, transfer to the fridge.
I have a cupboard next to rayburn so I put the dish in there - seems to work. I know you have a rayburn, but if anyone didn't, then an airing cupboard would do, or maybe a wide necked thermos.
Keep trying as it is so worth it and so good for you. xxxx

Stephanie Thomas Berry said...

Did you taste it? It probably is still usable for baked goods. It sounds like you might have overcooked it, either too hot or too long. The liquid is the whey. I wrote a blog post about making yogurt not too long ago, you can read it here, if you want: http://woodbyrd.com/wordpress/2010/04/domestic-wednesday/

Good luck!
Stephanie

Mary Bergfeld said...

While I've made cottage cheese, I've never made yogurt, so I won't be of any help to you. I did some exploring and found this, however - http://youvegottotastethis.myrecipes.com/taste_this/2010/02/greek-yogurt-at-home.html - Perhaps there is something in that post that would explain the difficulty you are having. Blessings...Mary

Imene said...

Jennifer Casa has a nice recipe that worked for me. Make sure to read the comment section, it's full of information
http://jchandmade.typepad.com/jc_handmade/2010/04/make-it-yogurt.html

Toria said...

I got a recipe from a friend - no temperatures, to tell if the temperature is right to add the yoghurt, she says to stick a finger in & count to 10. If you can stand to hold it for more than 10, it is too cold.

I wrote her recipe/instructions out on my blog once (http://myunfinishedbusiness.blogspot.com/2008/06/homemade-yoghurt.html).

I'm wondering if maybe the insulation has gone on your yoghurt maker, so perhaps next time you could try wrapping the yoghurt maker in towels to see if that keeps the warmth in.

Kelly Casanova said...

Hey there, thanks for commenting on my blog. It's very timely that I came here and read your yoghurt post, as I have a tutorial on my food blog:
www.nourishfromscratch.blogspot.com
I'm not sure what went wrong with yours (I can understand your disappointment) but there are a few variables - temperatures and such.
Also, if using a store bought yoghurt make sure it has live cultures or it won't work. Hope my tute helps you out.
Kel

Cat said...

Oh no that's no good. I used to use the Easiyo sachets but wanted to make it from scratch so I tried this recipe http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_make_yogurt and it worked well. Because I had the Easiyo utensils already I still used those but followed the recipe. Try again, third time lucky.xo

Tonya Gunn said...

Oh this is something on our future homesteading skills to master. How wonderful that you are working on it.
Warm wishes, Tonya

sarah in the woods said...

I've had similar results with my yogurt. It was good to read all the helpful comments. I'm inspired to try again!

driftwood said...

I can't help at all - but I hope it works soon x

Ariella said...

I really want to try this. Seems like some of these comments might be helpful, let us know how it goes!

Hannah said...

It sounds like the temperature on your yoghurt maker is the problem. Such a shame as it was a bargain.
We make our own yoghurt twice a week and love it. My yoghurt maker was a gift but even if I'd bought it it would have paid for itself many times over by now.

Daisy said...

The only one I know about is the Easiyo thing from Lakelane which seems to work fine from what I've heard!

Marie said...

Hi,

The two things I can think of are...

Check the temperature closely. And make sure your thermometer has been calibrated. Yogurt culture is killed off at temperatures just slightly above 120F. Safest temps for adding the culture are 110 - 120F.

And

Check to make certain that the milk you are using has not been Ultra-pasturized. Many brands of milk are now ultra-pasturized which heats the milk to such a high temperature that it kills everything, good bacteria and cultures as well as bad. It will not make yogurt or cheese. Look for milk labeled either low-heat pasturized to be certain, or pasturized without the "ultra"

And keep up the good work! Good luck

Conscious Mama said...

i use a yougurt maker an dbuy the starter and it comes out perfect everytime. i only scald the milk once and then cool, add strter stir well put in container then into machine and wait
best wishes and thanks do much for your blog i have been follwing it for a year now. ireally love it and appreciate you sharing .
aloha
laurel