Can I rescue my flopped yogurt? Help!

[southernmama59]

I made my first attempt at yogurt today. I used raw milk and tried following the instructions I've read in NT, The Untold Story of Milk, and all of the info I've read here.

I heated my raw milk to right at 100 degrees, added my Dannon yogurt as a starter and then put it in a casserole inside my crockpot which had a little bit of water in it. The crockpot had a warm setting and kept the milk right at about 105.

Well, only 7 hours later when I came home, I had about two and a half cups of whey and yogurt cheese (I guess)?? What went wrong? Is this indeed yogurt cheese and what do I do with it? Thanks for your help!

[quietserena]

I would assume that this is indeed yogurt, it can sometimes get separated. You can pour off the whey to use in recipes and have thicker yogurt or stir it in for thinner.

To get yogurt cheese, you'd have to let the yogurt sit in a sieve lined with a cloth, to let more of the whey come out.

[southernmama59]

It was definitely beyond just yogurt--the stuff on the bottom wouldn't stir in with the whey--it was too thick. But I realized that my starter yogurt had pectin in it. So, I guess I need to try again with the right starter. Thanks!