Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Yogurt, What I've Learned

About a month ago I read a post on the New England Cheesemaking blog about making yogurt.

What caught my attention was this:
Heat the milk to 185F and hold for 20 minutes (this will release certain milk proteins to make a thicker yogurt).  Then cool to 108-112F and add the culture.  Use the Yogotherm to hold this temperature for 4-6 hrs (or longer if you like more acid).  Remove and immediately chill.  If the yogurt is too acidic, reduce the temperature or time for the next round.
I gave it a try the last two times I've made yogurt out of our goat's milk. Usually I add some powdered milk to make the yogurt a little thicker (about 1 cup instant powdered milk for each 1/2 gallon of milk).

I was so happy to find out that heating the milk up to 185˚F and holding it there for 20 minutes really works to make thicker yogurt!

I still add a little powdered milk just because I'm sure the added calcium does me some good, but I like not having to add anything if I don't want to.

I also like knowing that I can make thicker yogurt out of only goat's milk. We have a little friend who can't drink cows milk, which means she hardly ever gets ice cream for a treat unless I make it. I think frozen yogurt will be a wonderful treat for her next summer!

2 comments:

Tonia said...

That is interesting!! I like the thicker yogurt and my friend showed me how to strain it to let some of the whey off. It makes a thicker yogurt more like the greek yogurt..

TJ said...

I head about draining the yogurt. I haven't tried it yet. I've heard that the longer you let it drain the thicker it gets and you can use it for a spread. Have you gotten it that thick?