Homemade yogurt question

[Rikki Jean]

I made yogurt in the crockpot yesterday/today, according to this recipe: http://www.nourishingdays.com/?p=912 Before putting it in the fridge, I strained it through a sieve and some cheesecloth, because I like my yogurt thick and Greek-style (if I could get it thick enough to cut with a knife, it would be perfect, LOL). When it was done straining, and I put the yogurt into one jar, and the whey in another, I had almost a quart of yogurt, and an entire quart of whey. Is that normal?

[dogmom327]

That sounds about right To increase the thickness and have less straining needed, you could make the yogurt with a higher fat content (using whole milk if you aren't already and/or making it with part cream).

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by dogmom327

That sounds about right To increase the thickness and have less straining needed, you could make the yogurt with a higher fat content (using whole milk if you aren't already and/or making it with part cream).

I wouldn't dream of using anything less than whole milk. Tell me about making it with cream. I know that the TJ's Greek-style yogurt has cream in it, but I wasn't sure how that all worked in the culturing process. When would I include the cream?

One other question- can I use whey alone as the culture for the next batch? I'm just wondering, because I'll use the yogurt more quickly than the whey (we're yogurt fiends here).

[dogmom327]

Theoretically they whey would contain some yogurt culture but I've never personally tried it. It may or may not be strong enough to inoculate the next batch. If you experiment--let us know!

As for the cream, you just mix the cream in with the milk, heat them (if you're making a heated yogurt) and then add the yogurt starter. One part cream to three parts milk is a good place to start

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by dogmom327

Theoretically they whey would contain some yogurt culture but I've never personally tried it. It may or may not be strong enough to inoculate the next batch. If you experiment--let us know!

As for the cream, you just mix the cream in with the milk, heat them (if you're making a heated yogurt) and then add the yogurt starter. One part cream to three parts milk is a good place to start

Thanks!