[Firstyear]

Perhaps this no revelation to you knowledgeable lot but it it is to me!

My heated propagator mat was on for some chilli seeds but only half full. So I made yoghurt and put it on the other half in a glass bowl with a towel on top. Left for 13 hours and the Matt maintained the temperature of yoghurt mix at 117 F... woke up to lovely thick yoghurt! It’s my first attempt at yoghurt making.

So if yo have space on your propagator or perhaps useful in the winter! 😀

[Auntiemogs]

Wow - that does look thick (and delicious)!    I use my yogurt maker and it doesn't come out like that, so I may give it a go myself!   

[Firstyear]

Too thick to be honest! I will reduce the milk powder in the next batch I do, but I am so pleased with it as a fist attempt!

It’s already served breakfast and used it to make flatbreads for dinner! Just so glad I decided to give yoghurt making a go! 😀

[DanielCoffey]

Something to think about when making yogurt is where you buy your milk from as it can affect the thickness.

If you buy ordinary supermarket milk, it has already been pasturised quite harshly to maximise the time it will last before going off so for yogurt purposes you may be able to get away without scalding it. It will tend to make a firmer set without scalding.

If you buy form a small farm that either sells raw milk or only lightly pasturises to maintain flavour, you will certainly need to scald it before making yogurt else it will only make loose yogurt.

Once you start making decent amounts of yogurt you may want to treat yourself to something dedicated to keeping a specific temperature. I use an electric bread proofer with a temperature control as I can set it for 47C for my specific yogurt variety or 27C for my yeasted breads.

[Firstyear]

Thanks Daniel, yes I was going to experiment with not scolding as it’s supermarket milk.

I don’t make bread very often- lots of flatbread, but only the occasional loaf. I do keep meaning to get a sourdough starter on the go and bake more often but never seem to get round to it!

[Auntiemogs]

I've never added milk powder to mine, but I think I'll give it a go now as yours looks lovely! 

As Daniel said, the milk can make a huge difference.  I don't have access to locally produced milk, but I've found that one of our local shops sells milk from a smaller producer which doesn't seem to have been as heavily processed, and does make better yoghurt.  If it's too thick, you could always cut down the time in the propagator?

In terms of cultures, Aldi sell a lovely Greek yoghurt which I buy every few weeks for a fresh start.  It doesn't say on the container that it's live for some reason, and is very like 'Fage' but much cheaper.

I have a yoghurt maker (with variable temperature), but I've tried all different ways (flasks, scalding/different recommended temperatures/times etc.) and now I just whisk my starter into milk straight from the fridge, push the button and walk away.  It looks like you've found a system that works well for you, which is great. 

[DanielCoffey]

When I was using supermarket milk, the Grahams Gold would produce a firm set with no skimmed milk powder and no scalding needed. The Organic Whole Milk needed the milk powder and gave a somewhat soft yogurt but it was OK without scalding. Of course it set well when scalded.

When I went to farm shop milk which is only lightly pasturised, it had to be scalded and given milk powder but makes a very firm set (with a little cultured cream layer on the top).

For the starters, there are online shops that sell small sachets of dried starter that you can buy a bundle of and keep unopened in the fridge. They usually allow you to choose from a couple of varieties of culture such as keffir, Probiotic and Greek Style as the bacteria are different. I find they make a very firm first batch then it gets a bit softer and sharper as I go from one batch into the next. I tend to reach for a new sachet after batch three.

[Auntiemogs]

Yes, mine does seem to peter out after a few uses, so it's good to 'recharge' it every now and then.

If you want a pouring consistency without having to heat at all, I can highly recommend purchasing some milk kefir grains.  Kefir's loaded with probiotics and will ferment quite happily left on the side in a jar, although it should initially be consumed in moderation (takes a little while for your tum to become used to the probiotics).  If you find yourself with too much kefir, you can put it in the fridge to slow it down (it will last for months), but make sure that wherever it is it can 'breathe' or it can be a little 'fizzy' (which some people like) and can break a sealed jar eventually. I think there's probably a thread on here somewhere....

[mumofstig]

Too thick to be honest! I will reduce the milk powder in the next batch I do, but I am so pleased with it as a fist attempt!

Which milk, starter and recipe did you use, it looks lovely and thick - just what I'd like to achieve

[Firstyear]

I’m looking forward to trying different mills and starters etc!

I used the recipe here, using whole milk and I divided the starter quantity between Fage total and Yeo valley ( I wanted Fage style but read it wasn’t a good starter). As I said it was way too thick so I will play around with timing/quantities until I get the right thickness for me.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.chowhound.com/post/success-homemade-fage-yogurt-easy-cheap-567084/amp