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Making Yoghurt (aka Yogurt)

Someone asked about this in my journal, so I thought I'd post my method here, to make it more available. I hope this is the right place.

For those wishing step-by-step instructions with photographs, David Fankhauser's Cheese-Making site is super. Here is his page on Making Yoghurt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverEm

How I make yoghurt:

Needed: Cream, a bit of plain yoghurt, large saucepan, candy thermometer, glass jars, and a way to keep the yoghurt warm for several hours.

1) Mix whatever proportions of hwc and half-&-half you wish, or 100% of either one if you don't have both. (aka light cream and double cream)

2) Bring cream mixture to 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit. (While waiting for cream to heat, put 1 tablespoon of plain yoghurt, for each cup of light cream, in each jar. One tablespoon is for a 6-8 ounce jar. Have jars at room temp.

It's best to let the yoghurt starter warm up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or a bit higher, which is why this is done at this point. I use Dannon, plain, whole milk yoghurt for starter.

3) Let cream cool to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

While cream is cooling, turn on your yoghurt maker to let it warm up.

If you don't have a yoghurt maker, here are possibilities for keeping the yoghurt warm for its incubation. Set up your preferred method while the cream is cooling. If the incubation temperature is too cool, the culture can't multiply, and if it is too hot, it will kill the culture.

- Wrap a heating pad around the jars and cover. (Or put the jars and heating pad into a styrofoam cooler.)

- Set the jars on a radiator, if it is not too cool or too hot. (105-110 degrees is ideal.)

- Pre-heat a thermos with hot water. Measure the temperature so it isn't too hot.

- Use an oven with a pilot light, or which can be set at 105-110 degrees.

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4) Take the cream mixture which has been cooled to 105 degrees, and pour it into each jar, mixing well with the yoghurt starter.

5) Put the jars into your yoghurt maker, or pour mixture into preheated thermos, etc.

N. B.: Incubation time is a minimum of 4 hours. (Shorter times mean less fermentation, and the yoghurt will be more liquid.) The longer it incubates the less lactose there will be. Yoghurt is a process of fermentation. At about 18 hours, the lactose will be reduced as far as possible. For those wishing to avoid any taste of sweet, this is useful. (Or for those with Crohn's, IBS, etc.)

I use a bit of yoghurt from the last batch for a starter. The starter needs to be plain yoghurt, so that the fermentation will work well. I buy Dannon brand, plain, from whole milk, when I need a starter. Any plain yoghurt will work.

If you decide to buy a yoghurt maker, I like the Yo-Life with the tall cover, so that one can use jars from home. I also like that it has no automatic shut-off so that one can let the yoghurt incubate as long as one wishes.

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I use 160-165 as the high heat temperature for the cream mixture, as that is the temperature Homestead Creamery uses for their low-heat pasteurization. (I called them.)

N. B. Letting the yoghurt cool some, at room temperature before putting in the fridge, allows the yoghurt to set up firmly. I let mine cool in the yoghurt maker for a while, and then, put the lids on the jars, and let it cool to room temp. This makes a nice firm yoghurt.

I eat my yoghurt plain, and sometimes serve it with one of my homemade gelatins.

Some heat the milk/cream mixture to 180 degrees before cooling. It won't hurt the yoghurt if it boils. The 180-185 heating, before cooling, does seem to make a firmer yoghurt that sets up well.

I wondered if you could make it with 100% cream. I can' have milk but I can have cream. I wonder about adding in refrigerated coconut milk would also work.

I would love to know how to make coconut yogurt! :yum:

I'll have to dig up the old threads, but I've done both full-fat HWC yogurt and coconut milk yogurt. They both work. :thup:

The coconut milk yogurt, I have a feeling that the fat content is what gives it the firm yogurty texture, but it was definitely fermented because it had that sour taste. Very pleasant.

(ETA) Aha, found my old recipe:

Quote:

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
yogurt starter or about 1/4 cup of store bought yogurt (must be live active culture yogurt with no gelatin.)

Bring cream and half & half to at least 160 F in a sauce pan. For thicker yogurt, hold it between 180 and the boiling point for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool about 90F. I don't have a thermometer, so I cool it until I can comfortably hold my wrist to the pan. (Baby bottle warm?) Stir in your starter, incubate overnight. I use a yogurt maker, but you can put it in a warm place with a towel around it, perhaps with a hot water bottle.

I highly recommend Yogourmet starter. It's thicker and tastes better than what I got from store-bought yogurt.

Nutrition Guesstimate, assuming 3 g lactose per cup is consumed by bacteria, as per the "Truth About Carbs In Yogurt" thread linked in the Kitchen Forum FAQ:

1/2 cup serving - 278 calories, 29 g fat, 3 g carb, 3 g protein

I used Yogourmet starter purchased from my grocery store. I think they stopped carrying it; I haven't seen it in years. :(

(ETA) NancyLC's coconut yogurt thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAnn

I wondered if you could make it with 100% cream. I can' have milk but I can have cream. I wonder about adding in refrigerated coconut milk would also work.

Hi, JAnn. The yoghurt cultures need some lactose to break down. I currently like using 4 parts hh to 3 parts hwc. I usually incubate ca. 14 hours to have less lactose. Kristine's ratio of equal parts hh and hwc makes a lovely yoghurt. I often use those ratios.

I don't use coconut things, so can't help on that one.

:)