Anyone use Yogurt Makers?

[Becky]

I was wondering about using unflavored gelatin to thicken the yogurt - I know from reading labels that commercial yogurts do this. Any thoughts? Figured once I eat my way through this batch, and make my second batch, I'd give it a try. Maybe one envelope?

I tried this using 1 envelope to a half-gallon of milk. I just stirred it in right before the starter. What I ended up with was rather thin yogurt, with a gelatinous rubbery layer on the very bottom of the container. I think it would have worked if I'd more fully dissolved the gelatin in something hotter before adding it to the milk.

[ZenSojourner]

I was wondering about using unflavored gelatin to thicken the yogurt - I know from reading labels that commercial yogurts do this. Any thoughts? Figured once I eat my way through this batch, and make my second batch, I'd give it a try. Maybe one envelope?

I wouldn't try this. The thing that makes yoghurt yoghurt is the action of the yeastie beasties in the milk. Adding something like gelatin is liable to interfere with the natural processes that turn milk into yoghurt.

Adding powdered milk as has been suggested a couple of times will probably work pretty well, I do this all the time when I'm making paneer. It increases the amount of milk solids available. Using whole milk (3%) to start with will also help.

[Blueberry]

Gelatin will work (you have to dissolve it in the milk when it's at 180), but I don't like the flavor/texture. I use whole milk, and my yogurt has a nice texture. I've used powdered milk, but also thought it modified the flavor (yogurt tasted like re-constituted powdered milk - ick!).

CA

[bmccasland]

I was thinking about adding the gelatin after the milk and yogurt starter got to know one another - maybe warm some plain milk to the right temp to melt the gelatin, then stir that in? But doesn't too much stiring thin out the yogurt? So maybe I'll go the extra milk powder route. I'm trying to keep the fat content down, so use skim milk - but what I buy from my local dairy doesn't taste at all watery.

Last thing I want is globs of gelatin in my otherwise yummy yogurt.

[sgtiger]

How about straining the yogurt for a thicker texture? Cheesecloth or a coffee filter in a strainer? Many of the commercial natural yogurt makers do that since they don't add any thickening agents. Greek style is double, sometimes triple, strained. Yum! So think and creamy, and absolutely wonderful as a dessert with fresh seasonal fruit. I had it once with strawberries macerated in port: almost felt like a guilty pleasure while eating it.

[Deborajen]

I made some yogurt in the crock pot this weekend and it turned out tasty but a little runny (especially yummy with a little homemade cherry jam stirred in!). I used 1% homogenized pasteurized milk and Dannon plain yogurt.

Has anyone tried stirring in a little instant pudding at the end (after it's done and in the refrigerator) for texture and flavor?

[OakLeaf]

I'm just starting on my second attempt at hemp yogurt.

The only brand of hemp milk available locally is Living Harvest. The unsweetened kind was absent from the shelves for several weeks, and now it's back in a new package. It doesn't say it's been reformulated, but it only has one gram of protein per serving (as opposed to four grams in the sweetened original in the old packaging).

I really doubt that'll be enough protein to curdle. But since I opened the package before reading it, I'm going to try it anyway. Here goes nothing, well, I have to get rid of that yogurt starter before it expires anyway.

Hipmama, do you know? Did they reformulate it? Do you know what the minimum amount of protein is, to curdle enough to make yogurt? You mentioned Living Harvest, have you tried any of the other brands of hemp milk? I see on the website that Hemp Bliss has 5 g protein per serving, and Hemp Dream has 4 g but isn't available unsweetened. Kind of academic at the moment since all I can get around here is Living Harvest, and no one has hemp seeds even if I had the initiative to make my own.

[OakLeaf]

Well the hemp milk did curdle, but it was obviously way too diluted and low-protein. I wound up with literally half a jar of whey, and the other half very, very loose yogurt, really more liquid.

Don't think I'll try that again. Maybe I'll try again with Hemp Bliss. But really, of soy beverages, only unsweetened Edensoy (12 g protein per serving) is rich enough to make decent yogurt. So I'm not getting my hopes up for Hemp Bliss. If I can get my hands on some hemp seeds I'll definitely try making my own, though. The main reason making soy milk is such a PITA is having to grind it hot; other nut/seed beverages aren't so bad.