homemade yogurt

I used merrill's recipe for homemade yogurt and it didn't come out right. I made it twice: half the mixture in a yogurt maker and the other half in a warm oven for the suggested amount of time, and the second try was for a longer period time, thinking I had not waited long enough. I followed the directions explicitly (sp) and neither attempt was succesfull. I was thinking maybe it's because of the weather: I live in NY but it was last week when it was 50-60 degrees (although the heat was on in the house). Could that have contributed to my failures (boo-hoo!)?

a Whole Foods Market Customer
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5 Comments

Panfusine
Panfusine January 10, 2012
Where can I get these starters.. (I usually get some yogurt with me from whenever I'm visiting India (where it takes maybe 2 hrs to set!) & use it as a starter..(they usually die out in due course)
 
nycook
nycook January 10, 2012
I do like a very thick yogurt, so I shall buy and use starter next time. Thanks, Merrill, for the advice!
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. January 10, 2012
I find that Greek yogurt often doesn't work as well as other types of yogurt (I should add this as a note to the recipe). And if your yogurt hasn't thickened somewhat after it's been heated for 7 to 8 hours, it likely won't thicken much more in the fridge. You might want to try again using European-style yogurt, but really I've had the best results (in terms of getting truly thick yogurt) with a starter. Some people don't mind a looser, milkier yogurt, but if you like it thick, starter is best.
 
nycook
nycook January 10, 2012
I used Greek yogurt (and a thermometer that came with the maker to know when to add it). After it was completely cool, I put it in the fridge and waited...and waited. It never thickened. It was "slimy" milk textured.
 
Merrill S.
Merrill S. January 10, 2012
Oh no! What happened with your yogurt? That might help us figure out what went wrong. Did you use starter, or regular yogurt?
 
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