Why does my yogurt have a grainy texture?

[artemis33]

Any ideas? I am starting with whole raw milk but am doing the heated method. Heat to about 180, cool, mix with 1TBS starter yogurt / qt and leave about 12ish hours in a warm place (I use a small cooler with a hot water bottle that I refill periodically).

The texture is kind of 'grainy' though and I don't care for it. Why isn't it smooth like the starter? Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

Thanks for any thoughts

[cristeen]

Stirring it while it's warm can do that - chill it thoroughly before stirring. As can overheating it while fermenting.

[artemis33]

Thanks Cristeen. Hmn...I stir it to add in the starter but then leave it alone. I do stir the milk occasionally while it is heating and cooling to prevent a skim. Maybe that is it?

Not sure about the temp issue - it is a little hard for me to tell with this method but it is the best I can do now since my kitchen is cool, I don't have a gas stove anymore (boohoo) and my crock pot gets way to hot even on warm. Maybe the water is a little too hot in the bottle though.

[mrs joe bubby]

Originally Posted by artemis33

Thanks Cristeen. Hmn...I stir it to add in the starter but then leave it alone. I do stir the milk occasionally while it is heating and cooling to prevent a skim. Maybe that is it?

I'm not Cristeen but I really don't think that's doing it. As long as you're not actually stirring it after the starter is mixed in, like when I made my first batch. For some reason I felt the need to stir the batch every hour or so. Anyway, overheating can definitely do it. Also I wonder if you've ever tried to incubate for less time? 12 hours seem a bit long. (No offense....)

[kkar]

Oh - I actually know this because we had the same problem when making yogurt with our raw milk too!!!

The fat content of your starter isn't meshing with the fat content in your raw milk. Try adding some powdered milk (we add about 1/4-1/2 c per 42oz of yogurt) after reaching temperature.

[artemis33]

My starter yogurt is whole milk also....though my raw milk is jersey milk and probably does have more fat. I'd rather not use powdered milk if I can avoid it. It does turn out fairly thick - not runny at all - just not silky smooth like my Nancy's. Hmn....