Faffa's best yoghurt recipe

[KarenH]

I had success with this recipe this time!  I used PuraLight milk (last time I used full fat organic biodynamic milk), preheated the thermoserver with boiling water for about 1 minute then dried it out, and wrapped the thermomserver in a blanket.

Now that I have the method working, I might try again with organic milk - just not the full-fat stuff.  Dont like that layer of yellow fat floating on the top after cooking the milk 

[VieveMS]

Karen, I am using organic full cream milk (and did last batch as well).  Do you think it might be the milk that is contributing to the unsuccessful results?

[KarenH]

I really dont know VieveMS - if it is the milk, I cannot understand why    .  All I know is that KatieJ had a failure with her first batch using organic milk, and when she switched to Pura milk it worked.  My first batch failed (using organic milk) but my second batch using Pura milk worked.    I was wondering if it had something to do with the milk being unhomogenised???

Did yours work using organinc milk?

[judydawn]

So the light Pura milk worked well Karen, I was going to try full cream but would rather make it with light.

[Katiej]

Pleased to hear your yoghurt worked this time Karen.

[VieveMS]

Second batch of yogurt is in the Easiyo setting so now I have to wait patiently to find out if it worked or not.  Fingers crossed this lot will be a bit thicker than the lost lot.  If it isn't, I'll experiment with a different milk.

[Wonder]

Judy I only normally make our yoghurt using full cream milk but there was lots of pura light start out for 50c on the weekend so got 2 ltrs. The yoghurt seems the same texture as that using the full cream milk. I always strain ours because we like it very thick and creamy but I'm sure most people would have been happy with the thickness as it was.

[judydawn]

Thanks Wonder.

[Greyhoundmum]

I like the yoghurt when it is fresh but it doesn't seem to freeze well, defrosts very watery and curdled looking anyone else find this?

[Wonder]

I never worry about freezing, it keeps for quite a while in the fridge.

[VieveMS]

My second batch of yoghurt was definitely thicker and creamier but I still needed to strain it to drain off some of the liquid.  Next time I will try some non-organic milk to see if it makes any difference.

[andiesenji]

Actually organic milk should be better than the more processed milk.  I have made yogurt starting with raw milk - it is of course pasteurized when it is heated past 150° F.

You can incubate it longer but it is the amount of butterfat that determines how thick the finished product will be. 

I use half cream and half milk to get an extra thick result -- some people add powdered milk but I don't like the flavor of the stuff we get here which is skim milk. 
We used to have a full-milk dried product but it has been off the market for years.  It was fine when mixed with regular milk for a richer yogurt, did not have the "odd" flavor of the newer product.

[KarenH]

Andie, I would have thought that organic milk would be better too - but it was a complete failure the one time I used it, and normal commercial worked fine.  I will have to try with organic milk again sometime, but after I had finished the heating phase, there was a definite layer of yellow fat floating on top of the milk, and if you dont disturb the yoghurt as it is setting, how does that fat get reincorporated into the yoghurt??

[KarenH]

I tried this again last night with organic biodynamic milk (Paris Creek reduced fat, with the blue lid), and it worked perfectly 
No idea why it didnt work last time    I did everything the same.

Dont know who was more excited - me or the kids.  I love the fact that with TMX they see us making things from scratch and not just buying them from the shops.  Although it did start a long conversation about why I put "bugs" (ie yeast and cultures) into some things to cook, but then make them wash their hands to get the bugs off before they eat ........

[andiesenji]

Andie, I would have thought that organic milk would be better too - but it was a complete failure the one time I used it, and normal commercial worked fine.  I will have to try with organic milk again sometime, but after I had finished the heating phase, there was a definite layer of yellow fat floating on top of the milk, and if you dont disturb the yoghurt as it is setting, how does that fat get reincorporated into the yoghurt??

After heating the milk to the highest temp and then cooling it to the temp where the culture is added, I use a whisk to mix it vigorously so the culture is distributed evenly throughout the milk.

I do this with regular milk, half & half and with heavy cream.  It works every time.  Sometimes a longer incubation period is needed, if the incubation temp has not been kept to the optimal - the stuff will set at room temp if left for 24 hours and it will not spoil. 
In the summer, when the ambient temps are above 80° F., I leave the container out on the counter - as long as I don't have the AC on in the kitchen wing.