After some of the excellent posts I've seen on this forum relating to advice on recipes (thinking of the recent Zopf speciality in particular) I thought I'd try it out for some advice on yoghurt making.

Recently I bought a yoghurt maker.

It's very simple: all you have to do is heat up some milk at around 80 deg cel. for some 10 minutes to kill off any unwanted bacteria, then cool to below 40, add a "good" culture (or some live yoghurt) and leave in the yoghurt warmer for 6 - 12 hours.

Whilst the maker works okay, the yoghurt I'm making is a little slimey - it hangs together a little too much and the consistency is not as good as what you buy.

I have experimented with milk - and normally go for bio-milk or milk straight from a farmer but this does not help with the consistency.

Any advice on this would be very welcome.

Also, I am wondering about adding fruit and perhaps some sugar. I have tried the latter and found that it changes the whole process. My deduction here is that sugar in some way aggravates the bacteria. But if this is the case, surely adding fruit (such as strawberries) would also change the process and adversely affect the quality of the yoghurt.

Thanks again for any advice.

PS I'm on to beer-making now, but this I do have some experience in!!

Cheers - and a happy Christams to all!!

After watching the professionals making joghurt in the Flumserberge, I, like them, add dried milk powder (Magermilchpulver - from the Migros) to the litre of milk.
i.e. 1 Liter of Milk, 1 Bio natural joghurt, six teaspoonsful of dried skimmed milk powder.
When I first made our joghurt, I used Pasturised Milk. About five years later, while living in England, my joghurt seemed a bit slimy and someone suggested UHT milk, which I have used for it ever since.
I add no sugar and no fruit and I often don't warm the milk. If I mix the ingredients straight after breakfast with milk at room temperature it is ready before I go to bed in the evening.
Maybe the addition of powdered milk would help with the Bio milk too. A Reform House might even have Bio Milk Powder.
Good luck

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Longbyt

hi

i have sometime tried making yoghurt as well. but also had the same problem as you a bit slimy. one of my friends suggested that you can buy a dried yoghurt culture in a reformhouse. i went to ask for it, it is there but for three small packs (like dried yeasts) it costs 15 sfr. which i found expensive. so i never tried.but the friend of my used this to make her own yoghurt and than you can always save some culture from your own made yoghurt.
just thought of sharing it with you.
regards

Hi, Thanks Pink PomPom,

Yes, I still have the packet of dried culture they gave me - should try it out.

Following Longbyt's advice, (using different/UHT milk) I tried heating the milk hotter and longer before cooling - and perhaps I am imagining things, but it really was not so slimy this time.

So I shall continue with further experiments - trying UHT and trying using unboiled milk and see what results I get.

I would prefer to use milk straight from the farmer since it is cheaper and unprocessed.

I have yet to try adding some skimmed milk powder, but will do so in due course - got to eat all that I've made first though!!

My aim is to produce yoghurt that is cheaper, healthier and nicer than that you buy in the shops - so I'll keep on tryin'!!

Thanks for the ideas and advice so far.

Cheers

Heating the milk really does help. It causes the soluble whey proteins to bind to the casein micelles & makes them stick together better on acidification. I'm away form my reference collection at the moment. Can get back later with the ideal time/temperature combination.

As suggested adding extra milk powder helps too. That may or may not need the heat treatment for best texture.

Great - I look forward to your advice on temp and times, Frank.
Cheers,
Happy Christmas!
Pat

Found your reference collection, yet Mr Zappa?
Looking forward to starting the NY off with some good home-made yoghurt!
Cheers,

When making yoghurt at home I have always used a traditional receipe.

Take 1L milk and heat until warm but not boiling.
At same time warm your oven - do not leave oven on
Pour mik in bowl and add two tablespoonful any natural yoghurt. Do not mix
Wrap bowl with milk in a thick tea towel or cloth and place in warm oven.
Leave overnight and in the morning your yoghurt will be ready.
You may then sweeten or add whatever you wish in your home made jogurt.

For those who can not tolerat milk, this method is also good with soya milk
have fun and wishing you all a very happy 2009

Milk turned sour makes some bloody good yoghurt too.

Hello Sada,

So sad to hear this did not work out for you, however I can say I have been using this method for years and have never had any problems.

Hello Sada

Please ignore my mail sent just a few mins ago. In my hast I did not read your mail properly. Apologies again

No problem, there's nothing to apologize for.

OK. I once saw a program on TV which said you can make your own Yoghurt from... yoghurt.

Basically, the guy (on the TV) put yogurt in a large bowl and filled it up with milk. he left it overnight and the yoghurt quad-double-ruppled in size overnight.

Now, I don't know if the milk was warm or not? And I can't find a reference anywhere.

Looking on the Internet, I did find:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt
http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_make_...ustrated_guide
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftina...e-yogurt.shtml
http://www.makeyourownyogurt.com/mak.../what-you-need

I must say. A very cultured thread.

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Gone, deleted account, left forum.

Just a quick couple of links on UHT milk and why it may be bad for you, especially if you have a gluten intolerance.

I've always hated it anyway, so although I'm not in a position to verify the claims made in these articles, these are definitely pandering to my prejudices.

http://www.foodrenegade.com/just-say-no-to-uht-milk/
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.c...-trojan-horse/

Thanks for the yogurt tips tho - definitely going to try the in-the-oven method!

The milk in Switzerland is so good and abundant there is no need to buy UHT milk.

Anyway, I make yogurt with out a yogurt maker. Just warm up the oven then leave the yogurt in the warm oven for 6-8 hours. Sometimes I'll go back and warm the oven again by putting it on low for a minute or two. In the winter you can keep the yogurt on the heater.

The first day it can be runny (someone described slimey... that's not the word I'd use. lol.) But the next day it should be firmed up even thought it's in the fridge.

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I'm pretty dubious about the scientific foundation of both of these, altho' the references in the first are fine. It's the writer who's lost the plot..

What does gluten intolerance have to do with milk, UHT or otherwise? I really don't see the connection.

PS I agree UHT tastes horrible. We drink microfiltered - no bugs and no heat treatment.

Hi I live in Basel Switzerland and want to purchase a yoghurt maker. Do you know where I could purchase one in Switzerland?
Thanks

Great!!!!!!
I will try it!!!!

You can get them at the Fust or the Coop, or anywhere they sell house hold appliances. But as I said above, you don't need one. Just a warm place to keep it. In the winter you can keep it near the heater if the heating isn't on too high.

good luck.