Homemade yogurt

[ScoutTN]

Ok, I've done this a few times, but the results were inconsistent. Sometimes nicely thick, other times way too thin. I heated the milk in my 6 qt. enameled cast iron pot, cooled it, mixed in starter and let it sit in my pre-warmed oven with the light on overnight. For the work, it wasn't worth the money to buy good milk (local dairy, grass-fed cows, whole un-homogenized milk). 

 

 

So, if you consistently make your own yogurt, what is your method?

I would like to make at least 1/2 gallon at a time. We go through it fast in the warmer months. 

 

 

Thanks!  :bigear:

 

[Katy]

The best method I've found is the crockpot method, using Fage plain greek yogurt as starter (it has more probiotics than the one she mentions).  Edited to add a YouTube video that explains it.

 

This is the video that I learned from.  It starts with powdered milk, but I've used powdered, skim, 2%, and whole (whatever was on sale, more fat if I wanted to turn it into frozen yogurt).  You can strain it to make true greek yogurt & get really thick.  You can mix in sweetener & cocoa in strained yogurt and put it in an ice cream maker for delicious chocolate fro-yo.

 

 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Katy

[Paige]

I've had great success with my instant pot. I tried it with a crock pot before and didn't have as much luck. I think it was a temperature problem. I prefer my yogurt much more than store bought now. I follow the IP directions and use a powdered starter from Amazon if I'm starting fresh. I think those starters give me better results than when I was using store bought for a starter. I'll use some of my own yogurt for starter if I have any and I've gone 4-5 times at least before using more of my powdered stuff. Usually if I don't use starter from my yogurt it's because nobody left me any or I think the yogurt sat in the fridge too long.

 

When I fail, it's usually because I was too loosey goosey with my temperature. I have a thermometer, but it doesn't beep at me when it hits the right temp so sometimes I miss it. I've tried reheating it to get the right temp and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 

 

I do a whole gallon at once and it fills 2 store bought tubs, whatever that size is. I have a cheese bag that I use to strain and I've started just leaving it overnight to get really thick yogurt. I can strain for 2 hours and it's pretty good, but overnight is better. I do about 1 hour room temp and the rest in the fridge. I always plan to use the whey for something else but I never do. 

 

ETA: I mostly follow these directions: http://www.tidbits-cami.com/2015/09/homemade-yogurt.html but I don't reheat the way she describes in the notes. I also don't add anything to it- no powdered milk, or anything. I sometimes put a vanilla bean in while it strains. It softens my bean and then I can scrape it out for the tubs. 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Paige

[mamashark]

I use my instant pot too - I have to make sure to whisk in the starter yogurt and then I dip off whatever whey I can the next morning, but I've never had a problem with it so long as I ensure that I watch the temp as it cools down and whisk in the starter at about 125 degrees. I make a whole gallon once a week or so!

[bethben]

Here's what I do. Heat milk to 190 degrees. I add about 3/4 c dry milk powder to a gallon of milk while it's cooling. I let it cool to 110 degrees (I use a candy thermometer). Then I add about 3 T of plain organic yogurt for my starter. I stick it into quart glass mason jars and stick it in my oven with the light on for 12 hours. The only time I've gotten runny yogurt is when I put the starter in when it was too hot.

 

 

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Edited May 2, 2017 by bethben

[kewb]

I use my vitaclay yogurt setting.  Comes out perfect every time.

[SebastianCat]

I don't make homemade yogurt anymore, but made it in gallon batches regularly for several years.   This is the recipe and method I used, and it came out perfectly almost every time (I think I had 1 or 2 batches fail in several years of doing it).

[Miss Tick]

When I was making it I put quart jars in a cooler with hot water covering them and then put then in the fridge in the morning.

[ScoutTN]

Thanks for the ideas!

No instant pot here, so I will check out some of these other recipes/methods.