Why isn't my yogurt creamy and thick?!
There's always a lot of watery stuff (whey?) surrounding what seems like a column of good, firm yog. I dump it off and find my yogurt is soupy. Tasty, but soupy.
Do I let it incubate longer? Do I add more starter? Am I going to give yself some sort of food-borne illness?
Answers: I started making yogurt in the oven. I followed a recipe I found online. I heat a quart of whole milk to a boil, then remove from heat. I allow it to cook until I can "hold my pinkie in the milk for 10 seconds without getting burnt" (yes, that's what the recipe said. I went w/ this recipe because I haven't a thermometer). Afterward I add 2 T of plain yogurt as a starter, then I put it in the oven on "warm" - what I suspect is approx. 150*F. I tried just using the pilot heat as suggested, but it was too cold. I usually let it sit for about 8-10 hours, then refrigerate.
There's always a lot of watery stuff (whey?) surrounding what seems like a column of good, firm yog. I dump it off and find my yogurt is soupy. Tasty, but soupy.
Do I let it incubate longer? Do I add more starter? Am I going to give yself some sort of food-borne illness?
It almost sounds like you are letting your yogurt culture set too long or it is being heated too much. You should never actually boil milk. Just heat it until you see tiny little bubbles around the outer edge of the pan (this is called scalding) and then cool it until it is baby-bottle temperature. Put a tiny drop on the inside of your wrist just like you were going to feed a baby. If it feels warm it is too hot. Also check that you are not using "ultra pasteurized" milk - that changes the chemical structure of the milk and it does not set well.
Get a good quality, 100% natural whole milk yogurt for use as a starter. Most places you will have to buy a quart of plain yogurt to get this. (You can freeze this yogurt in one or two tablespoon allotments in an ice cube tray, then use the appropriate amount next time you make yogurt.) And you might consider using a small cooler rather than your oven as an incubator. I put a jar or two of very hot water down into the cooler for 20 minutes or so to warm the environment a bit, then take that out when I put the yogurt in.
That clear stuff is indeed the whey - and don't give it the old heave-ho. Whey is worth it's weight in gold in bread baking - just use 1/2 cup or so instead of a similar amount of the liquid called for in the recipe. Gives the bread a nice texture and extends the shelf life.
As far as the oven goes, get yourself an oven thermometer and test the temperature. Yogurt (all cultured products really) are fussy. What you are doing is growing a living organism. They will grow - though more slowly - at temperatures that are less than optimal, but they will die in an environment that is too hot. The Lactobacillus and others used in yogurt are not heat loving bacteria. 150F is too hot.
You may have to put it in a cheesecloth to remove any further whey. But it should be thicker since you used whole milk. Maybe next time you should let it sit longer. I attached a site with other options for making yogurt the next time. Maybe that will help.
Yes...homemade yogurt tends to be quite a bit soupier. If you look at commercial yogurt (except greek), they tend to have several thickeners in it.
Enjoy it. it's fine.
I raised 5 kids on homemade yogurt. Being Asians, they are lactose-intolerant but somehow thrive well on yogurt. The trick I developed is this: I add several teaspoons of powdered milk to the whole milk. That increases the milk solids and makes the resulting yogurt thick. The dry milk also increases the nutritive value of the yogurt.
First thing you should do is preheat your oven to 200-250 deg F. Then let the boiled milk cool to almost room temp before adding the culture. Once you have added the culture, carefully stir it in and put it in the warm oven. Turn off the heat and do NOT open the oven door until morning. This should do the trick.
Tips:
Do not use fat free or skim milk. The lowest you can go is 2% milk.
Use high quality culture (not fat free yogurt culture).
If you live in Denver, CO your yogurt will take longer to set.
Commercial yogurt has added thickeners such as pectin or gelatin. I make yogurt at home too, and I add several tablespoons of powdered milk to my milk to get it a little thicker. I also strain it in coffee filters or cheesecloth. Or I'll keep it runny to blend into smoothies's. UMMM peach smoothies!
I'm afraid I cheat and use an Easiyo yogurt maker. I've had good results with that. The only time it turns out soupy is if the weather is too cold. Maybe your yogurt needs to be left somewhere warmer during it's 8 hour sit?