Prairie Lady
Inactive
I found this article on making yogurt, it's a good recipe.
My only suggestions are these: To cool the milk plunge the pan into a sink full of ice water and stir till milk drops to the right temp. You will need a yogurt making thermometer or a cheese thermometer obtainable at good kitchen tool stores.
Next suggestion: Use a picnic cooler to set the yogurt and keep it warm. line the inside and bottom with some news paper, and once the jars are set in, put a nice thick layer of news paper on top of the jars, close the lid. Put the cooler where ever it is you are going to put it, and don't bump or disturb it. Cover the cooler with thick folded blankets on top and all around to increase the insulation factor.
To make more yogurt, just use the yogurt you made as the culture. Yogurt also makes a good base for cheeses.
I like to use a combination of milk. When using storebought milk, remember this milk has ALREADY been heated to boiling once when initially pasturized. When *I* use storebought milk, I don't boil it again..I just bring it to temperature. I like to add some canned milk evaporated (recommend milnot) as well as the dry milk for better texture.
When using milk fresh from the cow, you MUST pasturize it which is what bringing milk to a boil really is.
On to the article:
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/dairy/g449.htm
Yogurt is a tangy, nutritionally excellent dairy product that can be made at home. The milk used contains a higher concentration of solids than normal milk. By increasing the solids content of the milk, a firm, rather than soft, end product results. Addition of nonfat dry milk (NFDM) is the easiest at-home method for doing this.
Yogurt is made by inoculating certain bacteria (starter culture), usually Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, into milk. After inoculation, the milk is incubated at approximately 110°F ± 5°F until firm; the milk is coagulated by bacteria-produced lactic acid.
Making yogurt at home is fun and less expensive than buying it. It can be made with ordinary kitchen utensils. The materials and directions necessary for making yogurt follow.
Starter Culture
Dry cultures for making yogurt can be purchased in some health food stores, but they are usually expensive. Dry cultures also may be purchased directly from a manufacturer such as: Chr. Hansen's Laboratory, Inc., 9015 West Maple Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214.
The easiest and least expensive way of obtaining a starter culture is to purchase plain yogurt at a grocery store. It should be plain--no fruit added. Fruit may contribute undesirable yeasts and bacteria to the yogurt, making it a poor starter culture.
You must use a brand of plain yogurt whose label indicates that the product contains a live culture; some brands of plain yogurt do not contain a live culture because the yogurt has been pasteurized.
To maintain a culture, save a small portion of yogurt (1 c is enough for a 1-gal batch) to use as a starter culture for the next batch. Be sure to refrigerate the starter culture in a clean, air-tight container.
From time-to-time a culture may become contaminated, and a new culture is needed. By using a new culture, the original flavor and a minimal coagulation time are retained.
Temperature
Accurate temperature control helps assure rapid coagulation and a good-tasting yogurt. A thermometer that measures temperature in the range of 90°F to 120°F should be adequate. A good stainless steel thermometer (Model 2292) is available from: Weston Instruments, Inc., 614 Frelinghuysen Avenue, Newark, New Jersey 07114. A glass thermometer can be used, but may break easily. Thermometers are not needed with special yogurt-making equipment.
Ingredients
Yogurt can be made by using only nonfat dry milk (NFDM) and water, or by adding NFDM to skim milk, 2% milk, or regular milk. Nonfat dry milk is commonly available in two forms, instant and regular. Ideally, the milk powder should be weighed to obtain the desired solids content (15 percent on a weight basis). Because weighing might not be possible in all home kitchens, measurements both by weight and volume are provided in the following recipes (Table I). For each recipe, the quantity of ingredients necessary for making either 1 qt or 1 gal of yogurt is given.
Table I - Yogurt Recipes Recipe 1
Liquid Ingredient
Dry Ingredient NFDM*
By weight By volume
Instant
Regular
1 gal water + 22.2 oz = 8 1/3 c or 4 3/4 c
1 qt water + 5.6 oz = 2 c or 1 1/4 c
Recipe 2
1 gal skim milk + 10.4 oz = 4 c or 2 1/4 c
1 qt skim milk = 2.6 oz = 1 c or 1/2 c
Recipe 3
1 gal 2% milk + 7.2 oz = 2 3/4 c or 1 1/2 c
1 qt 2% milk = 1.8 oz = 3/4 c or 1/3 c
Recipe 4
1 gal regular milk + 4.8 oz = 1 3/4 c or 1 c
1 qt regular milk + 1.2 oz = 1/2 c or 1/4 c
*NFDM = Nonfat dry milk
gal = gallon
oz = ounce
c = cup
Method for making yogurt
Mix the appropriate quantities of liquid and dry ingredients given in Table I.
Heat this milk in a saucepan or double boiler to boiling and cool immediately to 110°F. Discard any "skin" that may have formed on the milk. Sugar may be added to the milk before boiling, if desired. Heating the milk to boiling kills any undesirable bacteria that might be pre-sent and also changes the properties of the milk protein so that it gives the yogurt a firmer body and texture.
To 1 gal of milk, add 1 cup of warm 110°F starter culture. Mix well but gently. Do not incorporate too much air. If too much air is mixed in, the starter culture will grow slowly.
Sanitize yogurt containers by rinsing with boiling water.
Pour milk into clean container(s) and cover with lid. If fruit is to be added to the yogurt, put in the bottom of the cup before adding the inoculated milk. The fruit should be at a temperature of 110°F. (Omit fruit from a small portion of the recipe and save it to use as a starter culture in the next batch.) Incubate filled containers at 110°F. Do not stir the yogurt during this period. There are several ways to control temperature during incubation:
Special yogurt-making equipment allows for careful temperature control without a thermometer and reduces the chances of failure.
Yogurt containers can be kept warm in a gas oven with pilot light and electric bulb, or an electric oven with light bulb of sufficient wattage (approximately 100 watts).
A Styrofoam box with light bulb may be used as an incubator.
Another good way to control temperature is to place yogurt containers into pans of 110°F water in an oven or an electric frying pan. Set oven temperature at lowest point to maintain water temperature at 110°F.
I would use the newspaper lined cooler as mentioned above instead. It will maintain your temperature.
Wide-mouth thermos bottles, heating pads, and sunny windows also have been used.
Regardless of the method of temperature control used, determine ahead of time that the proper temperature can be maintained. To do this, place water or a container of water in the incubator and monitor its temperature with a thermometer.
Maintain 110°F temperature until the milk coagulates with a firm custard-like consistency (3-6 hrs). Check by gently tilting cup. Then refrigerate. It will keep for two to three weeks in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Trouble Shooting
Problem: Yogurt does not have a custard-like body but rather is soft and not smoothly solidified.
Causes:
Addition of starter culture to the milk before it has cooled down may kill the culture and prevent coagulation. Solution: Wait until the milk cools down to 110°F before noculating.
Both high and low incubation temperatures slow down culture growth and increase the amount of time necessary for coagulation. Solution: Use a thermometer to control temperature.
Extended storage of the starter culture reduces the number of live bacteria in the culture. Solution: Use more starter culture in the recipe or obtain a new culture.
Contamination of the culture with undesirable bacteria. Solution: Get a new culture. Also clean and sanitize yogurt containers each time yogurt is made.
Omitted or added an insufficient amount of nonfat dry milk to the milk. Solution: Accurately measure or weigh the nonfat dry milk.
Over-agitation before incubation may slow down starter activity. Solution: Combine starter culture and milk by mixing gently.
Problem: Yogurt tastes bad.
Causes:
Starter culture is contaminated. Solution: Obtain new culture.
Yogurt has over-set or incubated too long. Solution: Refrigerate yogurt immediately after a firm coagulum has formed.
Overheating of the milk causes an off-flavor. Solution: Do not overheat the milk.
Problem: Whey collects on the surface of the yogurt.
Causes:
Yogurt was over-set or incubated too long. Solution: Refrigerate yogurt immediately after a firm coagulum has formed.
Yogurt was bumped, moved or stirred during incubation. Solution: Place yogurt in a quiet location where it will not be disturbed.
*This NebGuide was originally prepared by Stan Wallen, former Extension Food Scientist.
+++++++++++++++++
Yogurt is good for:
plain eating
Mixed with fruit and/or nuts /granola for a good breakfast meal
as a base for making other kinds of cheeses
as a base for salad dressing
insead of sourcream on baked potato
made into ice cream
blended with fruits or seasonings (such as vanilla) for milkshakes
easy on a sick tummy as a first food after an illness such as stomach flu or diarreha(i never did know how to spell that word
)
to restore intestinal bacteria after a bout of antibiotics
Yogurt is GOOD food.
PL
My only suggestions are these: To cool the milk plunge the pan into a sink full of ice water and stir till milk drops to the right temp. You will need a yogurt making thermometer or a cheese thermometer obtainable at good kitchen tool stores.
Next suggestion: Use a picnic cooler to set the yogurt and keep it warm. line the inside and bottom with some news paper, and once the jars are set in, put a nice thick layer of news paper on top of the jars, close the lid. Put the cooler where ever it is you are going to put it, and don't bump or disturb it. Cover the cooler with thick folded blankets on top and all around to increase the insulation factor.
To make more yogurt, just use the yogurt you made as the culture. Yogurt also makes a good base for cheeses.
I like to use a combination of milk. When using storebought milk, remember this milk has ALREADY been heated to boiling once when initially pasturized. When *I* use storebought milk, I don't boil it again..I just bring it to temperature. I like to add some canned milk evaporated (recommend milnot) as well as the dry milk for better texture.
When using milk fresh from the cow, you MUST pasturize it which is what bringing milk to a boil really is.
On to the article:
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/dairy/g449.htm
Yogurt is a tangy, nutritionally excellent dairy product that can be made at home. The milk used contains a higher concentration of solids than normal milk. By increasing the solids content of the milk, a firm, rather than soft, end product results. Addition of nonfat dry milk (NFDM) is the easiest at-home method for doing this.
Yogurt is made by inoculating certain bacteria (starter culture), usually Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, into milk. After inoculation, the milk is incubated at approximately 110°F ± 5°F until firm; the milk is coagulated by bacteria-produced lactic acid.
Making yogurt at home is fun and less expensive than buying it. It can be made with ordinary kitchen utensils. The materials and directions necessary for making yogurt follow.
Starter Culture
Dry cultures for making yogurt can be purchased in some health food stores, but they are usually expensive. Dry cultures also may be purchased directly from a manufacturer such as: Chr. Hansen's Laboratory, Inc., 9015 West Maple Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214.
The easiest and least expensive way of obtaining a starter culture is to purchase plain yogurt at a grocery store. It should be plain--no fruit added. Fruit may contribute undesirable yeasts and bacteria to the yogurt, making it a poor starter culture.
You must use a brand of plain yogurt whose label indicates that the product contains a live culture; some brands of plain yogurt do not contain a live culture because the yogurt has been pasteurized.
To maintain a culture, save a small portion of yogurt (1 c is enough for a 1-gal batch) to use as a starter culture for the next batch. Be sure to refrigerate the starter culture in a clean, air-tight container.
From time-to-time a culture may become contaminated, and a new culture is needed. By using a new culture, the original flavor and a minimal coagulation time are retained.
Temperature
Accurate temperature control helps assure rapid coagulation and a good-tasting yogurt. A thermometer that measures temperature in the range of 90°F to 120°F should be adequate. A good stainless steel thermometer (Model 2292) is available from: Weston Instruments, Inc., 614 Frelinghuysen Avenue, Newark, New Jersey 07114. A glass thermometer can be used, but may break easily. Thermometers are not needed with special yogurt-making equipment.
Ingredients
Yogurt can be made by using only nonfat dry milk (NFDM) and water, or by adding NFDM to skim milk, 2% milk, or regular milk. Nonfat dry milk is commonly available in two forms, instant and regular. Ideally, the milk powder should be weighed to obtain the desired solids content (15 percent on a weight basis). Because weighing might not be possible in all home kitchens, measurements both by weight and volume are provided in the following recipes (Table I). For each recipe, the quantity of ingredients necessary for making either 1 qt or 1 gal of yogurt is given.
Table I - Yogurt Recipes Recipe 1
Liquid Ingredient
Dry Ingredient NFDM*
By weight By volume
Instant
Regular
1 gal water + 22.2 oz = 8 1/3 c or 4 3/4 c
1 qt water + 5.6 oz = 2 c or 1 1/4 c
Recipe 2
1 gal skim milk + 10.4 oz = 4 c or 2 1/4 c
1 qt skim milk = 2.6 oz = 1 c or 1/2 c
Recipe 3
1 gal 2% milk + 7.2 oz = 2 3/4 c or 1 1/2 c
1 qt 2% milk = 1.8 oz = 3/4 c or 1/3 c
Recipe 4
1 gal regular milk + 4.8 oz = 1 3/4 c or 1 c
1 qt regular milk + 1.2 oz = 1/2 c or 1/4 c
*NFDM = Nonfat dry milk
gal = gallon
oz = ounce
c = cup
Method for making yogurt
Mix the appropriate quantities of liquid and dry ingredients given in Table I.
Heat this milk in a saucepan or double boiler to boiling and cool immediately to 110°F. Discard any "skin" that may have formed on the milk. Sugar may be added to the milk before boiling, if desired. Heating the milk to boiling kills any undesirable bacteria that might be pre-sent and also changes the properties of the milk protein so that it gives the yogurt a firmer body and texture.
To 1 gal of milk, add 1 cup of warm 110°F starter culture. Mix well but gently. Do not incorporate too much air. If too much air is mixed in, the starter culture will grow slowly.
Sanitize yogurt containers by rinsing with boiling water.
Pour milk into clean container(s) and cover with lid. If fruit is to be added to the yogurt, put in the bottom of the cup before adding the inoculated milk. The fruit should be at a temperature of 110°F. (Omit fruit from a small portion of the recipe and save it to use as a starter culture in the next batch.) Incubate filled containers at 110°F. Do not stir the yogurt during this period. There are several ways to control temperature during incubation:
Special yogurt-making equipment allows for careful temperature control without a thermometer and reduces the chances of failure.
Yogurt containers can be kept warm in a gas oven with pilot light and electric bulb, or an electric oven with light bulb of sufficient wattage (approximately 100 watts).
A Styrofoam box with light bulb may be used as an incubator.
Another good way to control temperature is to place yogurt containers into pans of 110°F water in an oven or an electric frying pan. Set oven temperature at lowest point to maintain water temperature at 110°F.
I would use the newspaper lined cooler as mentioned above instead. It will maintain your temperature.
Wide-mouth thermos bottles, heating pads, and sunny windows also have been used.
Regardless of the method of temperature control used, determine ahead of time that the proper temperature can be maintained. To do this, place water or a container of water in the incubator and monitor its temperature with a thermometer.
Maintain 110°F temperature until the milk coagulates with a firm custard-like consistency (3-6 hrs). Check by gently tilting cup. Then refrigerate. It will keep for two to three weeks in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Trouble Shooting
Problem: Yogurt does not have a custard-like body but rather is soft and not smoothly solidified.
Causes:
Addition of starter culture to the milk before it has cooled down may kill the culture and prevent coagulation. Solution: Wait until the milk cools down to 110°F before noculating.
Both high and low incubation temperatures slow down culture growth and increase the amount of time necessary for coagulation. Solution: Use a thermometer to control temperature.
Extended storage of the starter culture reduces the number of live bacteria in the culture. Solution: Use more starter culture in the recipe or obtain a new culture.
Contamination of the culture with undesirable bacteria. Solution: Get a new culture. Also clean and sanitize yogurt containers each time yogurt is made.
Omitted or added an insufficient amount of nonfat dry milk to the milk. Solution: Accurately measure or weigh the nonfat dry milk.
Over-agitation before incubation may slow down starter activity. Solution: Combine starter culture and milk by mixing gently.
Problem: Yogurt tastes bad.
Causes:
Starter culture is contaminated. Solution: Obtain new culture.
Yogurt has over-set or incubated too long. Solution: Refrigerate yogurt immediately after a firm coagulum has formed.
Overheating of the milk causes an off-flavor. Solution: Do not overheat the milk.
Problem: Whey collects on the surface of the yogurt.
Causes:
Yogurt was over-set or incubated too long. Solution: Refrigerate yogurt immediately after a firm coagulum has formed.
Yogurt was bumped, moved or stirred during incubation. Solution: Place yogurt in a quiet location where it will not be disturbed.
*This NebGuide was originally prepared by Stan Wallen, former Extension Food Scientist.
+++++++++++++++++
Yogurt is good for:
plain eating
Mixed with fruit and/or nuts /granola for a good breakfast meal
as a base for making other kinds of cheeses
as a base for salad dressing
insead of sourcream on baked potato
made into ice cream
blended with fruits or seasonings (such as vanilla) for milkshakes
easy on a sick tummy as a first food after an illness such as stomach flu or diarreha(i never did know how to spell that word
)to restore intestinal bacteria after a bout of antibiotics
Yogurt is GOOD food.
PL
