Bulk yogurt and bread

[ltlmrs]

Yogurt

We go through it so fast that I've never actually thought about it.  The stuff at the store keeps for a couple of months at least, I would think that the homemade would last at least as long?

I'm due in a month and have decided to make a double batch of yogurt (two gallons instead of one) each week until the baby comes: one gallon for the current week and one for the next.  I was hoping to have at least have a couple of weeks of yogurt ready to go when she comes.  But, I started thinking and I don't see why I can't go ahead and make enough yogurt to last us a month or six weeks (if I have the space in the fridge!!!) so that's one less chore I have to worry about during the newb stage.  Anybody have experience in making yogurt in bulk quantities and storing it?

How well would yogurt freeze for thawing and eating later?  My MW wants me to have some frozen yogurt on hand for smoothies and such, but I mean specifically for thawing and then eating.

Bread

I make a no-knead sourdough for our daily bread.  Can I make up a big batch of dough and freeze it and bake later?  Or does that not work with sourdough/no-knead.  Am I better off baking several loves and sticking them in the freezer?  If the later option, should I pre-slice the bread?  I've never actually dealt with frozen homemade bread before.

[Bantams]

Homemade yogurt is not sealed in a container the way commercial yogurt is.  The longest it will keep is 2 weeks, maybe 3.  The yogurt itself might be okay, but you'll start getting some mold growth. 

If you're using it in smoothies, freezing might be okay.  I think the protein portion of the yogurt will separate out and become chunky, while the remainder will be very watery.  But blending it back together might work.  Maybe do a trial run of freezing yogurt?

The bread would be best if baked before freezing, but I see no reason why frozen dough wouldn't bake properly.  Hopefully someone with experience will chime in.

[ltlmrs]

Originally Posted by Bantams 

Homemade yogurt is not sealed in a container the way commercial yogurt is.  The longest it will keep is 2 weeks, maybe 3.  The yogurt itself might be okay, but you'll start getting some mold growth.

Hmm, why don't other home ferments not get mold on them in the refrigerator though?  I've kept veggie ferments in there for quite a while.  The only time I ever got mold on a refrigerated ferment was in a 1/4 full jar of milk kefir that got stuck in the back of the refrigerator and forgotten for goodness knows how long.  And even then, the mold was near the rim where there was old dried on kefir (which had supposedly gotten contaminated somehow in the process of taking out of the fridge, pouring, etc), not on the liquid below.

I really don't want to waste the time/money in making a whole bunch of yogurt and having it go bad on me, but I also don't want to be overly cautious if it would actually make my life in the early days easier...

[Bantams]

Hmm, why don't other home ferments not get mold on them in the refrigerator though?

Other ferment foods, such as sauerkraut, have a very high acid and salt level and are made to be stored for long periods of time.  Yogurt is only cultured for 12-24 hours, so it's not acidic enough to keep molds off (and neither is cheese....)

Yogurt will start to taste "funky" after two weeks (depending on how you make it).  You can't expect every good food to last forever!

I suggest you make enough yogurt for 2 weeks, then several additional batches to freeze.

I hope your yogurt cooperates for you!