DIY cheapest Yoghurt?

[Druncan]

Anyone else enjoy making your own yoggs? I bought a second hand yog maker to incubate contamination agars for £10. But I just can't resist making my own cultures. Usually start with 1 litre UHT semi skimmed (warm to 25*C) sanitize everything. AddY eo blend from the bottom of tubs and add fage?, leave overnight in incubator. Drain and drink excess liquid. Chill. Now we just add left overs to new batch like sourdough! Anyone tried dried starters off Ebay?

 

[Michael Burnley]

I'm having a go at this now.

First batch was definitely yoghurt but quite runny
Second batch I appear to have made ricotta (too hot and too long; I think!)

I'm utilising my second fermentation fridge

Looking at google, there seems to be many ways to make this.

I'm going for

Heat the milk to 46C, inoculate with a couple of tablespoons of live yoghurt
Put into ferm fridge set to 30C, for 5 hours

 

[Hanglow]

I keep meaning to try this, will probably make use of my immersion heater to keep a stable temperature

 

[Druncan]

If you use UHT milk its already to use - no boil/sanitise. Just warm carton to FV temp then spray with SS and pour into (nearly) empty Yeo tub. Shaky/shaky. Then drop into a sanitised warm tub. We also like the Fage set yog as well. (empty Fage pots are great for starting seedlings) If your final yog is watery just drain off the liquid and add to flatbread mix. I suppose you could drain it with a muslin bag? I only go for three/4 generations. I have added Yeo Kefir as well. Enjoy and save the pennies.

 

[Michael Burnley]

Thanks

The starter I use is Lancashire Farms live natural yoghurt

got my third attempt in the 'fridge' at 37C

will have a look at it in 5 hours

 

[Yellow Car]

I was just looking at this, as I love a natural yoghurt.

But then I see that (ASDA prices) a litre of UHT full fat milk costs £1.10 while a 1kg tub of Lancashire Farms live natural yoghurt costs less at £1. So apart from the satisfaction of making your own, is there any benefit?

 

[Druncan]

@Yellow Car - well maybe the prices have gone up since the OP Jan 22?

It was mainly as we have UHT Full - our storm no ferry backup and if you run low on yog it's an easy option (as above.)

Just checked online - Now the best I can get is Tesco 4 pints full cream milk £1.55 0.68/L) or even UHT full (lasts longer) 6 x 1 litre £5.75 (0.95/L)

Hmmmmm, Lancashire farms Bio Yog 1kg £1.80 @ Tesco.

Yours is a bargain @ < £1 /kg - amazing!!! Where from?

 

[Yellow Car]

That's ASDA @ £1 per kilo for the yoghurt. Sounds as though Tesco is cheaper on the UHT though!

I've been buying their own brand for £1 per 500g, so was looking if I could 'brew' my own for less when I came across the Lancashire Farms cost.

Anyhow when prices flip the other way again I'll give it a go if my Inkbird and and immersion heater are free at the time...

 

[RichardM]

I've made very good yoghurt using full fat milk and this stuff

After it is fermented I strain it through some muslin to get "Greek yoghurt".It's good stuff but you don't get much after straining. I'm not sure if it is worth the effort

 

[Druncan]

@RichardM - That's why I use the dregs of Yeo/Fage works spot on!

 

[chthon]

We got interested in making yoghurt this summer, staying for a couple of days in Normandy. The hostess made her own yoghurt for the breakfast.

So we bought a yoghurt maker. I have experimented with UHT semi-skimmed and unskimmed, and pasteurised (less than 80° C) full fat milk. I like the last result the best. I have cultured from two yoghurts, one greek style and the other greek (well, I had to restart since I ate the last pot of the first and had nothing left for the next batch). I had no problems starting from shop bought yoghurt (must contain living cultures and not be pasteurised, otherwise at can't be called yoghurt), and then reusing it every time.

I also keep a kefir culture.

 

[Druncan]

Ooooo! @chthon, never tried Kefir! it's on the list.

This is great for probiotics and beer!!!

https://www.milkthefunk.com/wiki/Alternative_Bacteria_Sources

 

[Yellow Car]

That's ASDA @ £1 per kilo for the yoghurt. Sounds as though Tesco is cheaper on the UHT though!

I've been buying their own brand for £1 per 500g, so was looking if I could 'brew' my own for less when I came across the Lancashire Farms cost.

Anyhow when prices flip the other way again I'll give it a go if my Inkbird and and immersion heater are free at the time...

Well the prices have flipped in ASDA - the Lancashire Farms yoghurt which was £1 per kilo is now £1.80, and a litre of UHT milk is £1.15, so have now made a few batches.

Clean an empty Lancashire Farms tub and sanitise with StarSan. Scoop a desert spoon from a tub of bought yoghurt into the tub, add a bit of milk to thin it down, stirring with a sanitised spoon to mix it into a thin paste. Then add the rest of the milk (1L) and put the lid on.

Put the tub in the slow cooker, and fill with water to just below the top of the tub.
Pop the Inkbird probe under the pot so the wire curls up the other side and holds the probe mid-water. Set the temp to 43C, slow cooker on 'low', lid on, and leave it for 8 hours.

Job done.

It's not quite as 'tangy' as the original, but still good if not doing a side-by-side comparison.

I've done this for one 'second generation' using a home made batch as the starter, but find I get better results if I make 2 batches from the bought stuff up-front, and it keeps for a couple of weeks.