# Yogurt & Cottage Cheese



## Nowell3 (Oct 23, 2008)

How can I make my own yogurt and cottage cheese?


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

Yogurt: How to Make Yogurt at Home

Several different techniques offered there


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

TechAdmin said:


> Yogurt: How to Make Yogurt at Home
> 
> Several different techniques offered there


This looks like it must have been one of the first posts on the forum.



> Making Yogurt at Home
> Country Living Series
> 
> by Barbara J. Willenberg, Karla Vollmar Hughes, and Lyn Konstant
> ...


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I watched her make yogurt today and realized how difficult it is to start yogurt. Most yogurt in the stores is pasteurized, and the pasteurization process kills the active culture.

I am going to look locally, but there is yogurt culture available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XQI13EA?psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Euro-Cuisine...308359&sr=1-5&keywords=yogurt+starter+culture

https://www.amazon.com/Yogourmet-Freeze-Yogurt-Starter-Packaging/dp/B001GVIS4M


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## jazzy12 (Sep 30, 2012)

i like making my own yogurt and use the heat pad method and it is not hard. all you need is milk a starter, heat pad is what i use. i i make a gallon batch twice a month and after you do it a couple times it just gets easier. this is how i make it:
.
you need a gallon of milk, a starter, large stainless steel pot with lid, thermometer
heat pad, strainer, cheesecloth.

starter 
you can buy a small container of plain live culture yogurt at the store. no sugar, fruit or stuff. i like greek yogurt with more live bacteria in it.
OR you can buy a freeze dried culture online or use the cup of yogurt you took from your last homemade batch,.

milk
get one gallon milk, whole or 2% or mix half of each if you like low fat yogurt.

heat milk
heat milk to 185 degrees. 
some do 120-165-185, for me at my altitude i have to do 185 or it wont set. it takes me about 25-30 min to come to temp set on med. watch it doesnt foam over or scortch

cool down
when it reaches temp, remove from burner and let it cool down. it needs to go down to 110-115 degrees so you can add the starter. i put my stainless steel pot with no lid on in a large bowl of ice water to speed the cool down. usually takes about 20 min,

check temp - add culture. 
if it is 110-115 , stir in your yogurt culture. if you bought a single small container of yogurt add the whole thing. otherwise add about one cup, stir in real well.

if you got busy and forgot and the temp is too low then you can put it back on the stove for a short time to bring it back up but dont go above 115..

heat pad
put lid on pot and put this on a heating pad set on Low. cover this with a bath towel to insulate,
let this set for at least 8 hrs, i prefer 10 and usually do this overnight. it will set and pull away from the sides when it is done.after 8-10hrs you have yogurt. make sure your heat pad is ANOT auto shut off or it wont work 

you got yogurt
now, take one cup of this out and put it in a freezer container to make your next batch. at this time i also take out an extra for back up.

do you have a dehydrator?
you can spread this out on a sheet and dehydrate it then power it if you want. kinda messy but it works.


when you take your first cup out and freeze that for your next batch, you can use this cup to culture your next batch. repeat this step of making a batch and taking a cup out for next starter. usually i can repeat this 5 times before it weakens and i need a new culture. sometimes it has lasted longer but i usually take a new culture after the 5th batch. . 

you can put your new yogurt in container now or add fruit or stevia or honey, whatever you like. OR if you want a thicker yogurt, get a large bowl and a strainer lined with cheesecloth. pour yogurt into strainer and let set 1-3hrs, til it get the way you like. now add your fruit or flavorings, store in container in fridges.

after straining you will end up with about half gallon of whey. this is good stuff, you can cook or bake with it, you can feed it to your critters or drink it. my dogs and chickens love it.

.


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