Homemade yogurt questions

[Limabean1975]

I made my first batch of yogurt, using my crockpot with these instructions and thesehttp://eatingetc.blogspot.com/2009/0...-crockpot.html. I used cheesecloth instead of coffee filters. I used organic whole milk & yogurt (starter).
It came out great after much draining...creamy and delicious and just the right thickness for us...but there's SO LITTLE OF IT! It is NOT cost effective...I keep hearing homemade yogurt being a great money saver, but not even counting the starter, it was about $7 of milk - now, I used organic, obviously I could go alot cheaper by using regular...but I'm trying for something healthy here! I produced about a standard yogurt tub amount - the 750g tub.


Thoughts?

[texmati]

well... for starters, you don't have to strain your yogurt. What you made would be called greek yogurt or labneh-- yummy, but very thick.

For making regular yogurt, I think you get about the same volume back-- ie cup of milk = a cup of yogurt. Not saying it's a bad thing to strain, but it something to keep in mind when comparing prices to store bought.

Also, I've always used dannon brand yogurt as a starter-- I'm not sure if that's something you'd consider.

[kittywitty]

I used this recipe and didn't bother straining. I love greek yogurt but forgot where I put my cheesecloth! I have tons. I used a half gallon of milk and put it in my oven with light on overnight.

http://jchandmade.typepad.com/jc_han...it-yogurt.html

[Limabean1975]

I'm thinking of the comparison to a tub of "Balkan Style" yogurt- similar thickness.

I really liked doing it in the crockpot, but I will try your method, kittywitty.

[Limabean1975]

I tried your method, kittywitty, and it worked well! I did like using a cloth on top to strain off some of the whey - easier than straning through cheesecloth - but then the whey is all in the cloth and not useable. I think the next time I will strain through cheesecloth so I can use the whey (I put it in smoothies last time) and just go easy on the straining so I still have lots of yogurt.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

I used this recipe and didn't bother straining. I love greek yogurt but forgot where I put my cheesecloth! I have tons. I used a half gallon of milk and put it in my oven with light on overnight.

http://jchandmade.typepad.com/jc_han...it-yogurt.html

Reviving this thread to say thanks for posting this link. I finally got around to trying it yesterday and the yoghurt turned out really well. I strained some of it in a cheesecloth lined sieve to thicken it a little more, but the initial product is quite thick and tasty even without straining, so I kept some of it as is for smoothies and to use in baking muffins etc. The extra thick stuff will be good to make a dip and spread on bread.

Thanks again!

[kittywitty]

No problem! I need to make some more. I tried another recipe last week and it all was ruined.

So I'm going back to that one. I did not strain it the first time I made it-it was not super thick, but I ran out of towels and cheesecloth!

[Limabean1975]

So, I loved the way the yogurt turned out with your method, kittywitty...I was happy with the consistency using just the cloth on top, and didn't lose much volume. But I've been finding some uses for whey, so I did my next batch by straining through cheesecloth instead of the lay-a-cloth-on-top method...and I lost volume but still had runny yogurt!

I'm going to try some other ideas (I read somewhere today that you can actually get thicker yogurt using skim milk; another recipe added a little powdered milk)...I'll report back!

Again - really liked the yogurt with the cloth-on-top method, just don't like losing the whey (since it all ends up in the cloth).

[kittywitty]

What do you use the whey for?

[Limabean1975]

So far, I have only used it in smoothies. But I have read that it can be used in soups & sauces, and in place of some of the water in bread recipes - I've just started experimenting with bread, so I'll be trying that soon.

I haven't looked into it in depth, but it seems that whey is a nutritional powerhouse.

[ollyoxenfree]

Hmm, not sure why your strained yoghurt was still runny??

Since the recipe in kittywitty's link makes a nice big batch, I was able to strain about 2 cups to make a good thick almost yoghurt-cheese. I used cheesecloth folded to about 6 layers, and a wire mesh strainer over a deep pyrex bowl. I left it to sit in the refrigerator overnight. If I strained it longer, it would have been even thicker. I saved about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of whey from that straining. I still had lots of the original batch of yoghurt too.

I think I could add the strained, thickened yoghurt back to the unstrained to create an overall thicker product, but I like having the variety of different consistencies.

If you try another recipe and have some success, please post again. I'll be really interested in other methods.

[Limabean1975]

Certainly if I kept straining it would get thicker - but then I'd lose alot of volume like my first batch.

[ArcticRose]

The yogurt you use for starter can cause a variation in thickness in my experience. I used one yogurt as starter (couple Tablespoons) and got a very soft yogurt. When I switched to a different starter (Nancy's brand yogurt) I got a much thicker result.

I didn't change my methods any, so I can't imagine the differing thicknesses were caused by anything else.

Hope that helps.=)