10 Reasons Your Homemade Yogurt Failed
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Nothing tastes better than homemade and that goes double for yogurt. Commercial yogurt is full of sugar, preservatives and additives. It may be marketed as an intestinal aid but store bought yogurt is more like a high calorie dessert.
But try as you might, you just can't get your homemade yogurt to turn out as rich, creamy and thick as commercial brands. That's not a bad thing but you still want a great tasting yogurt along with all the health benefits. So use this check list to see where you may have gone wrong:
- Culture was weak or contaminated.
Live culture (starter) will weaken over time and can become contaminated by other bacteria. Start with a good quality starter. Store culture in the refrigerator or freezer. Make sure that your jars and utensils are sterilized. Last batch starter must be used within 7 days. Use your last batch starter no more than six times. - Incorrect amount of culture was used.
While it's easy to know the right amount with packaged starter, you cannot be sure with re-cultured starter. Use between two tablespoons and 1/2 cup depending on the age of the culture. - Milk was not heated to correct temperature.
Dairy milk must be heated to 180°F/82°C to break down the protein chains. Failing to properly pre-scald milk will result in thin yogurt. Overheating will scorch the milk and ruin the favor. - Culture was added to too hot or too cold milk.
All types of milk must be at 110°F/43°C when the culture is added. Too hot and the culture will perish; too cold and incubation will be comprised. Even 5 degree in pre-scalding or cooling can make or break your yogurt. Don't guess, use a thermometer! - Incubation was too short or too long.
Practice makes perfect on this one. Follow manufacturer's recommendation when using an electric yogurt maker and adjust future batches to get the consistency you desire. A too long incubation will result in an overly tart taste, while too short will not allow the fermentation to complete. - Culture was not properly mixed into the milk.
An even distribution is all you need so blend gently but thoroughly. Never whip or beat the culture into the milk. If you notice some jars are well set and other are not, you did not blend completely. - Incubation temperature was incorrect.
Ideally, your temperature should remain at a stable 100°F/38°C for the full incubation process. However, with electrical fluctuations and other conditions, this isn't always possible. Electric yogurt makers are designed to keep a constant temperature despite the odds. - Flavoring was added to the incubation process.
Stick to the basics: milk, culture and thickener. Anything else should be added just before serving. - Batch was not refrigerated after the incubation process ended.
Refrigeration stops the incubation process and several hours are necessary to ensure success. When processing is complete, immediately refrigerate. - Yogurt was disturbed during processing.
Don't peek! Keeping the temperature constant is very important so avoid lifting the lid to check the progress. Likewise, do not place near drafts and avoid moving or bumping your yogurt maker once incubation has started. Never stir during processing.
Because of the separation between solid proteins and liquid in any animal or vegetarian milk, thickeners are always a good idea. Try a few until you find the one that suits your taste buds.
Remember that unless you burnt the milk or have a contaminated batch (detected by an bad flavor), your "failed" yogurt is really just a smoothie in disguise. If your yogurt is just slightly runny, try draining the liquid in a yogurt cheese stainer.
Once you get it right, it will be easy and you will never go back to store bought!
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