Tracey, I've never made it in the crockpot, but I make yogurt all the time in my dehydrator and I always get some whey on top. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but I always get some.

I do add powdered milk for a thicker yogurt but it doesn't seem to make a difference as to the whey that separates from the yogurt.

I just use it in bread, or to make oatmeal. I've also used it as some of the liquid in creamy soups. I've never bothered to freeze it.

So, it appears that your yogurt is just fine. It's way better than the over sweetened store stuff, isn't it? I like mine with some fresh fruit, a sprinkle of homemade maple granola and maybe a drizzle of honey, depending on the sweetness of the fruit.

It also makes an awesome salad dressing mixed with mustard and a little honey or maple syrup, and Ashley likes that mixture to dip chicken strips into.

Annie

Annie, you are the one who inspired me to want to try homemade yogurt! It never occurred to me before reading your posts that you could make yogurt wiout a yogurt maker. I'm just wondering if I could have taken it out earlier than eight hours. The whole process took from 7:00 am till 10:00 pm which meant I was constantly checking the temperature. Not hard but time consuming. Oh well, I'm happy with the results. And thanks for the ideas on what to do with it!
Trace

It sounds like your venture worked well. You may want to try this.... Check your yogurt after 3 hours, gently giggle the mixture to see if it is firm. If not firm, let stand one more hour and check it again, then every half-hour after that. Refrigerate it as soon as it is done and don't use it for at least 6-hours. It will continue to thicken as it chills.

Once you have a strong starter and a good source of milk, the length of time it takes to ferment depends on the three T's.

- Temperature you heated the milk to (between 190-210-degrees F.).

- Temperature for adding the starter - 105-120-degrees F. When you add the starter on the cooler side of the temperature window, the yogurt will be more mild than if you add it towards the warmer side of the temperature window.

-Temperature for incubating - This temperature can range from 105-120-degrees F. Temperatures over 120-degrees F will destroy the bacteria.

You can take the remaining Greek Yogurt and freeze it in portions for future yogurt sessions. Thaw it in the refrigerator before using for making another batch. You can also save a portion of your new batch to use as a starter, but it will eventually get weaker with subsequent batches until you will need a new starter.

Whey is a very healthy part of yogurt, and you can expect it to separate from the curd during a long fermentation session, or if you stir or disturb the curd by cutting into it with a spoon and then letting it sit again. I love the whey from kefir and use it to make lemonade. It's a great thirst quencher during these horribly hot days. I use whey for lacto-fermentation of grains. You'll find more information about the whey in the link below.

After decades of making yogurt, I moved on to the much simpler and better for you kefir. I drain the curd from kefir and use it as a substitute for cream cheese (as well as sour cream, plain yogurt, and in the liquid form as a substitute for buttermilk), and you can do the same thing with yogurt.

The greatest portion of the whey drains off the yogurt the first hour. If you let yogurt drain for only 5-10 minutes, a cup of yogurt gives up 25% of it's volume in 5-minutes; a pint gives up 18% and a quart only 12%.

-Drained Yogurt: Drained about 10-minutes.

-Thick Yogurt: Drained at least 30-minutes. It will thicken, but still be soft - but won't retain its shape on a flat surface or the mark of a finger indentation. One hour is ideal for draining.

-Yogurt Cheese: Yogurt that has drained for 8-hours or longer. It is the consistency of cream cheese, will hold its shape and retain the mark of a finger indentation.

-One quart of yogurt will yield approximately 1-1/3 c. of yogurt cheese (about 2 c. of whey is drained off.) One quart of yogurt will yield about 2-1/2 c. of thick yogurt (about 1-1/4 c. of whey is drained off).

Adding non-fat dry milk along with your milk will increase the protein and calcium and also results in a thicker yogurt. There are recipes where you can also add gelatin to help make a firm curd. The gelatin also adds protein.

If you use reconstituted powdered milk as your only milk source, you can skip the step where you heat the milk. Just add warm water to the powdered milk to the temperature you need for adding the starter.

By altering the ingredients - milk only, OR milk + powdered milk, OR milk + powdered milk and gelatin, it will determine whether your yogurt is soft, firm, or very firm.

Make yogurt with half and half or cream and you have a lovely, rich, yogurt to use for desserts with fruit, or make into ice cream. You can also make yogurt with evaporated milk or add sweetened condensed milk for making sweetened yogurt.

Another "secret" ingredient in yogurt making is to add cornstarch for a smoother and creamier finished product.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Benefits of Yogurt Whey

Tracey, that's why I like the dehydrator method so much, I just set the temp at 110-115F and go away. I usually put it in about 11 at night and leave it until I get up at 6:30 the next morning and it's just about right. And it won't get any thicker after 8 hours, so there's no use in going longer.

I use skim milk and non fat dried milk so I can make lowfat/no-fat yogurt. I just use the "end" of one batch to make the next batch and don't need any other starter or new Greek yogurt each time, but I find that each batch gets more and more sour. Eventually it'll get too thin, and then I buy a new container of greek yogurt and start again.

I use a gallon of milk at a time, it makes about 5 quarts of yogurt. Amanda always swipes a quart jar and puts it in the blender with frozen strawberries and makes breakfast smoothies. The kids like a little honey and a banana in theirs but she likes hers straight. I also use yogurt in place of sour cream in coffee cakes and banana bread, it works fine.

I always use quart canning jars to ferment the yogurt, they fit in the dehydrator and into the refrigerator easily.

Annie

Thanks for the info grainlady! I just love reading all this. I never would have thought of using powdered milk or using scm. This is exactly what I wanted to know. I have used they whey a few times already after reading up a bit on it. I soaked my pinto beans in it last night and I also am attempting a soaked grain bread recipe today. I made up the soaker last night and will finish it up today.

Annie, I love the dehydrator method! Too bad I don't have one lol. I did see a crockpot method that uses canning jars in a water bath. I like the idea of having the yogurt already in jars. I even read where somebody got their jars to vacuum seal up which helped the yogurt last longer. I seriously don't know that this method is much cheaper than buying organic quarts at Walmart but I do love trying it out. For me, one of the best things about cooking is being able to say I made this myself!

Tracey

In the winter I was using the bread-proofing setting on my oven. It keeps the temperature at 100 degrees. And I left it for about 4-5 hours.

This summer I've been using a Coleman Cooler. I pour hot water into the cooler and then place the jars filled with yogurt inside. Cover and let sit for 4 hours. It has been working really well. I insert a candy thermometer in one of jars and periodically check the temperature, but it's never dropped low enough that I would have to add more hot water.

I pour the milk (mixed with starter) into 1 liter canning jars before heating them. Then I just put the jars straight into the fridge when they're done. Easy peasy.

So Grainlady, your mention of yogurt made with sweetened condensed milk intrigued me. Went on a google search and came across some recipes for Vietnamese yogurt. Made one yesterday and let me just say To.Die.For! I have a serious sweet tooth so this was right up my alley. Next time I will probably make it with the addition on regular milk to the scm to cut the sweetness a bit (I can't believe I'm saying that.) Anyways, thanks for the heads up!

Here is a link that might be useful: Vietnamese yogurt

I've made yogurt cheese many times, just by straining it in some cheesecloth. I think it's wonderful. I love the recipes you have listed here, and now I simply "must" try the Vietnamese version.

Here's how my grandmother made yogurt: Pour some whole milk into a bowl and leave it un-refrigerated until it clabbers.

I always turned my nose up until I realized many years after she passed away that she was making yogurt. And while I don't recommend Grandmother's version necessarily, I will add that she was never sick a day in her life until she went to sleep on the sofa for her daily nap, and passed into her next life.

SWEET VANILLA YOGURT

3 c. warm water (120-degrees F, 50-degrees C)
1 c. instant nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. plain yogurt, room temperature
1/2 t. vanilla extract

In a small bowl, place warm water, dry milk, sweetened condensed milk and yogurt. Mix with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Pour into a 1-1/2 quart container or individual containers. Cover. Incubate 3-4 hours at a constant temperature about 110-degrees F (43-degrees C). Do not disturb during incubation. After 3-hours, remove cover and gently shake mixture to see if it is firm. If not firm, let stand 1 more hour and check again. Refrigerate as soon as yogurt begins to set. Chill at least 6 hours before serving.