Raw milk yogurt help please!

[Mere]

I just made my second batch of raw milk yogurt, and I have some questions. Batch #1 didn't turn out so good; it heated up faster than I thought, and then I forgot to let it cool enough before I added my yogurt starter and it got all curdy (plus I probably killed the culture). I decided to play it safe with batch #2 and used Yogourmet powdered starter...I payed attention, heated it to 110, added the starter to a small amount of yogurt in a separate container and then added it to the main batch. Then I put it all in a jar in the oven with the oven light on. It turned out okay...more runny than the store bought, but quite edible and not bad at all. It is very very bland though...the plain yogurt I'm used to has a bit of a tang to it, and this has no tang at all.

So, I am doing something wrong or is this how raw milk yogurt tastes? Would another kind of started 'liven' the taste up a bit?

[ustasmom]

I hope you get an answer. I'm curious, too.

I'd like to make yogurt but I'm not sure if I have to do it differently with raw milk. Usually I bring the milk up to 180 then cool it to 110-115. But I'm reading that if I start at 110, then some of the raw milk enzymes can battle the yogurt cultures and you get a thinner product. But then if you go to 180, you defeat the purpose of raw milk.

[MyLittleWarrior]

how long did you culture it for? I haven't done raw milk yogurt yet, but when I do it with my store milk, the longer you culture, the thicker it is and the more tang it has.

[noah's_mama]

I made my first batch of raw milk yogurt last week, and it didn't turn out at all. There was just a layer of cottage-cheese like yogurt on the top, and the rest of it was basically soured milk. I kept the milk in the refrigerator to use again, and this time, I made it with half powdered milk, and it turned out great, nice and tangy and thick. I don't really like the idea of using the powdered milk, but all we drink is raw milk, and I didn't want the milk from the last batch to go to waste. Apparently raw milk yogurt is commonly runny, and powdered milk helps the texture. If anyone has mastered completely raw milk yogurt, I'd love to hear what you do too. Oh, and my starter was plain organic yogurt from the store.

[pregomonster]

I haven't done mine in a while so hopefully I'll remember but it's usually wonderful. I heat 4 cups of raw milk to 105 degrees, put the milk in a pyrex dish and mix in the plain store bought yogurt. I don't even wait for the milk to cool. Let sit in yogurt maker or oven, heating no higher than 110 for about 24 hours. I get this nice layer of creaminess on top and it's nicely tart too. I love the texture of Dannon but it's not quite like that but it's not exactly runny either. Now, the humidity does seem to make a difference sometimes. I always have a nicely tart product but the consistency changes and I think it's due to humidity or heat in the air. Well, hope that helps, good luck!!

[tabitha]

when i was using them, i had nothing but trouble with the yogourmet starters. it routinely failed and i finally just gave it up. i dont know if that is part of your trouble, but it is worth thinking about.

i prefer the powdered freezedried starters from dairyconnection.com.

anyway, i use raw milk to make yogurt but i heat it first and let it cool. i like nice, thick yogurt and find this helps. i dont scald it but it gets hot enough that it isnt raw. then i let it cool to 115-110 and add the starter. i incubate for at least 10 hrs, up to 24. a short incubation makes a very mild product that is tasty but doesnt satisfy my need for tartness!

[cristeen]

2 things I've discovered about yogurt making:
1- the longer you ferment it the thicker and the tangier it will be.
2- the more starter you use the tangier it will be.

I used to use 1/2 c of starter to 1/2 gallon of milk and it was always super tangy. Now I use a Tbs of starter to a quart of milk and it's very mild. I also try to allow it to ferment for 18-24 hours.

For the first batch, it sounds like your oven was not warm enough for bacterial activity to be maintained. I would try another method... heating pad, cooler, crockpot, etc.

I've always used organic store-bought yogurt for my starter when I unthinkingly don't save some... but at this point I just use a spoonful from the previous batch, I don't think I've bought yogurt in months.

[Mere]

Thank you for the feedback - this is so helpful! It sounds like I need to 1) use more starter; and 2) let it sit longer (I just did overnight). I think I will try a different heating method...maybe wrapping the jar in a towel and sitting it on a heating pad? Or would that be too much?

Two more questions:

1) For a quart of yogurt, how much yogurt starter would you use for a tangy yogurt?

2) What exactly is the difference between the powdered yogurt starters and just using actual yogurt??

[cristeen]

Set the jar/bowl directly onto the heating pad, then wrap the jar in a towel, leaving the bottom in contact with the heating pad, set to Low. Using this method, I used to leave it for 24 hours.

For a quart jar, I'd probably try 3-4 Tbs yogurt for a tangier finished product.

[RAF]

I would think adding powdered milk to your yogurt would defeat the purpose of making your own, wouldn't it? Powdered milk is not a healthy food and definitely not traditional. We don't heat our milk at all when we add the culture, unless it is still warm from the goat. We also make one batch (a quart jar) just to use for culturing other batches of yogurt. It saves money that way, and you don't have to buy wimpy, store bought yogurt to use as a starter. We use a quarter cup of starter yogurt per batch, and we let it go for 24 hours. Anyway, it isn't "thick" by any means, but so what? We drink it or blend it up in a smoothie, and it is great.

[RAF]

Oh and we put the milk with the starter in it cold or warm from the goat into the yogurt maker without any additional heating.

[Mere]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

[Odilia]

I make yogurt from whole, raw Jersey milk. I add about 1-2 TBS/quart of milk (I just eyeball it). I warm the milk to 110-115F, mix some with yogurt from the last batch, stir that into the rest of the milk, and then pour it into glass jars, which I sit in warm water in a cooler. I leave it 8-12 hours. I end up with very thick yogurt. It is thicker in the winter when our cow is eating hay. I don't why, though!