Why can't I make yoghurt??!!??

[chinupchamp]

Hello fellow TFers.

Can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong?

I have raw milk that I know is just slightly sour. So, I dump a whole 2 litres into a pot, heat to 180F, cool to 110F or so. I haven't really even gotten to the "add the starter yoghurt" phase yet because my milk always separates . It gets thin whey on the bottom and almost cheese on top. In fact, it is cheese. It's stringy like cheese.

I don't know what I am doing wrong. Could someone help? Btw, I am in Alberta Canada. It's quite a high elevation and very dry and not too warm. I don't know if this matters, but I thought I would mention it.

Thanks in advance!
Lisa

[la mamita]

that is very odd, i have never seen anything like that. two thoughts from what you have said: first, try using fresh milk to make yogurt, not sour milk. i think that might be the problem...
and you don't need to heat to 180, just 160 for 30 seconds.

[chinupchamp]

Thanks so much, I will try this for sure. The only reason I tried sour milk was that some people recommended it as a use for slightly tangy yoghurt.

And I wondered about heating it to 180 too.

Thanks mamita!

[4evermom]

Yeah, sour milk can't be used. The yogurt culture can't grow in it or something. To get more sour tasting yogurt, keep it warm longer letting the culture grow longer. For mild yogurt, put it in the fridge right after it gets to the point where it firms up.

Use slightly soured milk for baking, instead.