We make yogurt every couple of days throughout the year, one day I got the camera out!
Alfie holding the sieve, Angus is pouring.
The milk in the pot is for yogurt, the rest goes in the churn for drinking.
The milk in the pot is for yogurt, the rest goes in the churn for drinking.
Milk needs to be about body temperature (38C is what I aim for if I use a thermometer but a couple of degrees over or under and it still works). The starter, a small quantity of the previous batch, is mixed in to the warm milk. I use a medium glass / cup full for a pot of milk. Then with the lid on the pot, I wrap the pot in a small blanket and leave it in the warm kitchen for 8 to 12 hours. Our kitchen averages about 22C most of the year.
After 8 to 12 hours it will have set to a curd and I put it in the
fridge to slow the process. It becomes a little firmer after being in
the fridge.
With fresh cows milk the cream rises to the top. As it is January there is very little cream from the winter grass. Amber, our Kerry cow feeds on grass for 12 months of the year with just a little hay in winter, also she is still feeding her calf.
The yogurt sets as a curd and the whey will separate a little when yogurt is scooped up, or, it can be blended with a whisk to make a smooth yogurt.
We make kefir now too and it is even simpler to make as the starter grains can be added to cold milk.