Homemade yogurt question...again.

[Roserae]

Okay, I attempted to make yogurt. I used one quart of carb countdown milk and 1-2, probably closer to 2 tablespoons of plain, low-fat yogurt. Couldn't find the full fat yogurt that was plain. I bought a yogurt maker so I would know it is in a nice warm place (it was cheap). I let it sit in there for 14 hours and then put it in the fridge. It is still very runny. I mean, it thickened, but not to what I would consider a yogurt consistency.

Did I do something wrong? Do I need to let it sit longer? Suggestions please!

[byugrad]

Every once in a while that happens to me. Plus, it usually thickens a bit more after it is chilled. But since I've been following this recipe, I've had good success.

Here's the process I follow with my Salton yogurt maker. You need a thermometer to make sure the temperatures are correct.

Preheat the yogurt maker -- just plug in while you do the rest.

Bring 3 c CarbCountdown milk + 1 c cream + 1/2 c powdered milk powder to very low simmer. When it gets to 180 degrees, take it off the heat.

When the temp gets down to 110 degrees, stir in 1/2 c yogurt. I use whatever yogurt I have on hand, including any left over from the last batch I made. Stir it in gently to mix.

Incubate for 4 to 5 hours and refrigerate.

Good luck.
Nancy

[Roserae]

So is that about 4 carbs per half cup?

The other recipe is 4 carbs for 1 cup, which of course, is more appealing! lol. Maybe if I use more yogurt on the former recipe? Of course that will increase the carbs, but not by much for the whole batch. Seems like the above recipe, most of the carbs come from the dry milk. Wonder if you can get away with out it? Or maybe use protein powder instead? I don't know...

I did strain my batch through a paper towel and it was quite tasty, btw.

Could I use commercial low-carb yogurt as a starter instead of plain?

[not2late]

You might need to let it sit in the warmer longer.

My yogurt maker is an insulated cooler, bottles filled with hot water, some newspaper and an old blanket.

I heat up the contents of the entire Carb down container to about 90 to 100 degrees F. Stir in the yogurt. Pour into a 1/2 cup containers with a lids and put into my cooler. I let it sit overnight and in the morning, it's thickened.

[Roserae]

You might need to let it sit in the warmer longer.

My yogurt maker is an insulated cooler, bottles filled with hot water, some newspaper and an old blanket.

I heat up the contents of the entire Carb down container to about 90 to 100 degrees F. Stir in the yogurt. Pour into a 1/2 cup containers with a lids and put into my cooler. I let it sit overnight and in the morning, it's thickened.

Maybe this was my problem. I didn't heat up the carb countdown at all, nor preheat my yogurt maker. I'll try this. I thought the flavor was great, I strained it and we ate some last night, but the consistency before I strained it was just watery...yuck!

Do you flavor yours? And if so, can I do that before I let it sit, or do I need to wait till after the yogurt is already made? I have lots of different flavors of davinci syrup I'd like to try.

One more thing, have you ever tried chocolate carb count down to make yogurt? Wonder if that would be good?

[2big4mysize]

I like mine thick so I let it sit 24 hours the longer it sits the thicker iyt gets as more acid more protein reaction more thick and you get more baby bacteria that are good for you grown too.

[not2late]

You might need to let it sit in the warmer longer.

My yogurt maker is an insulated cooler, bottles filled with hot water, some newspaper and an old blanket.

I heat up the contents of the entire Carb down container to about 90 to 100 degrees F. Stir in the yogurt. Pour into a 1/2 cup containers with a lids and put into my cooler. I let it sit overnight and in the morning, it's thickened.

Maybe this was my problem. I didn't heat up the carb countdown at all, nor preheat my yogurt maker. I'll try this. I thought the flavor was great, I strained it and we ate some last night, but the consistency before I strained it was just watery...yuck!

Do you flavor yours? And if so, can I do that before I let it sit, or do I need to wait till after the yogurt is already made? I have lots of different flavors of davinci syrup I'd like to try.

One more thing, have you ever tried chocolate carb count down to make yogurt? Wonder if that would be good?

No I don't flavor it because I like to use it in different ways like in some Indian cooking and I also like having the option to flavor it differently when I eat it to prevent boredom (can't imagine eating 1/2 gallon worth of strawberry flavored yogurt!) If I want my yogurt flavored, I just mix a tablespoon into the plain serving. I also don't eat the yogurt by itself---more like a side dish because even if you use the "full fat" carbdown it's still relatively low fat.

I never tried the using the chocolate carbdown, but I remember someone saying it doesn't thicken. Anyhow the only way I use the chocolate carbdown is to make it into a pudding using gelatin.

Was the consistency of your batch even a little thickened? If it was you could use it to make shakes/smoothies.

[byugrad]

As far as what yogurt to use as a starter, just make sure that it indicates that it has live active yogurt cultures. You can also used freeze-dried yogurt starter. I've used a brand called "yogourmet", but it's more expensive than using yogurt itself.

As for the carb count of my recipe above, I do count it as 7 carbs per cup -- 3 carbs from the Carb Countdown, 1 carb from the cream and 3 carbs from the powdered milk. I really like the creaminess that comes from the cream -- but it isn't necessary. And since I'm still adding carbs to reach my CCLL/ACE, the extra carbs from the powdered milk hasn't bothered me.

And since I use the yogurt in place of sour cream when I have it on hand, I typically don't incubate it long enough to get very tangy -- but that's really just personal preference. I haven't found that longer is better as far as making it thicker -- only in changing the flavor.

Years ago I used to add unflavored gelatin to the mixture as it was heating tp ensure it always thickened, but I haven't needed to do that with my newer Salton yogurt maker.

Good luck.
Nancy

[Roserae]

Thanks guys for all the good advice! I'll experiment around with ingredients and warm-time and see what I come up with.

not2late...yes it did thicken, just not enough, probably need to let it sit longer. Strained it was good! :nod

[not2late]

Thanks guys for all the good advice! I'll experiment around with ingredients and warm-time and see what I come up with.

not2late...yes it did thicken, just not enough, probably need to let it sit longer. Strained it was good! :nod

So was it like kefir?

The only thing I put in the carb down is the yogurt. Mainly because I'm not sure how to count the yogurt itself. Carbdown does contain some real milk, so it does have lactose. Lactose is broken down to glucose and galactose. So I have the tendency to "over estimate" the carb count rather than under estimate it....

[2big4mysize]

the3 choclate doesn't thicken as well as the 2% does.

you can add cream to yours to make it like greek yogurt if you want.

I just bring the stuff home from the store pop the top on the cartion add about 1/2 the 8 oz carton of yogurt seal it up shake and let it sit 24 hrs in a warm place. there is a pool of water on top that I stir back in and once it is refigerated I can cut it with a knife and it will hi=old shape like yogart does.

[Roserae]

Yea! Thanks guys. Made a batch of yogurt yesterday and this morning it is quite a bit thicker than my last batch. I'm going to let it go a couple more hours because I like my yogurt very thick. But I think the secret was warming the milk before I put it in my yogurt maker. Thanks so much for your tips!!!

not2late, I have no idea what kefir is, so I can't tell you if my first batch was like it or not. ensive lol

But I also wanted to tell you on a side note. You recommended a hot cereal to someone else on another post from the website low carb luxury. I just wanted to say thank you! It is fabulous! :nod

[not2late]

Kefir is a cultured milk. Similar to yogurt, but it doesn't get really thick. The thickness of kefir is like buttermilk or heavy cream. It has all the goodness of yogurt, but is better to use for "drinkable" things, like smoothies or by itself.