Yogurt Maker

We almost finished up our breakfast, quick cook oats, this morning, so we went to Coles to buy one more pack for tomorrow's breakfast. We like Yoplaid yogurt, so we check its price every time we go to supermarket.

We did the same thing today and found that it is still $4.99 without any discount. We were a little bit sad and kept looking around in the store. EasiYo yogurt powder caught our eyes. We read its package to see how to make it. Then we realized that we need to get a container which can maintain in a certain temperature to culture those bacteria. We have studied on this before and gave up the idea for homemade yogurt because we don't have that kind of container or thermo-incubator to maintain the temperature.

After seeing this EasiYo yogurt maker, we would like to give it a try and hope that we can have a way to maintain the temperature and eat homemade yogurt in the future.

We tried its powder tonight and will try to use those homemade yogurt receipts on web to do it in the future. Hope the EasiYo Yogurt Maker can serve as a good thermo-incubator.

======= Test results =======
1. Jan 23, 2009: After 8 hours incubation, the yogurt looks solid and we put it into fridge. It taste good with oat as our breakfast, but the flavor is a little bit too strong to eat yogurt only, but it tastes good to eat with quick cooking oats.

2. Jan 26, 2009: After finishing the first 1L, we tried to make 2nd one.
1 and 1/3 cups of pwd milk
1/3 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon of left-over Easiyo yogurt
Add water to 1L, then follow the instruction. It works well at 9 hours. I feel it is too sweet, but my husband thinks it is about right. Yes, we can make yogurt easily in the future.

3. Feb 7, 2009: After using left-over yogurt to make it twice, we tried to make 4th one with 2 TBS Easiyo sachets.
1 and 1/3 cups of skim pwd milk
1/3 cup of sugar
2 Tablespoon of Easiyo yogurt sachets

Add water to 1L, then follow the instruction. Well it works, but it took 36 hours and replaced with hot water every 12 hours. Maybe the amount of bacteria in 2 TBS is not enough or maybe it is because skim pwd milk?

(note) 1 cup =250 mL:
1 and 1/3 cup pwd milk ~= 320 mL = 130 g pwd milk
1/3 cup sugar ~= 80 mL sugar = 115 g sugar

======= Receipts on web ================
Easiyo? Share Here!

You can get low fat sachets.

Theres also a recipe for a homemade yogurt intead of using the sachets.

1 and 1/3 cups of pwd milk
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbs of an Easiyo sachet (seal it and keep using it till you finish the sachet)
A dash of vanilla extract or essence

leave for at least 12 hours

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Or

2.5 cups water
1.cup skim milk powder
1 Tabspoon yoghurt (one that is already made, doesnt matter what brand)

OR
1 and 1/2 cup milk powder
1/3 cup sugar
vanillia essence

top up with water and do as per normal
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Anyone making their own yogurt?

The following recipe has worked each and every time and NEVER failed:
Preparation time:

Vanilla Yoghurt

1 and 1/3 cups powdered milk (I use Aldi or Woolworths full cream)
1/3 cup white or castor sugar
1 teaspoon Queens Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons of starter using the easiyo sachet( natural/plain/low fat any of them will work)

Before going to bed, put all of the above into the easiyo jar, 1/2 fill with cold tap water,shake until sugar looks dissolved, top up with more tap water. Put into the easiyo thermos, with boiling water to the top of the red insert (as per easiyo instructions) overnight. In cooler weather I wrap with a towel or tea towel as well. In the morning put into the fridge. You can add fruit before serving.
I find you get at least 1/2 dozen batches from one easiyo sachet. I keep the rest of the easiyo satchel wraped up tightly and then put into an air tight container or in the crisper in the fridge, to keep it fresh.

Soy yoghurt Easiyo recipe:
Note: It might need some tweaking with regards to the gelatine/agar agar to get the right consistency for your family.
2 tbspn water
2 tbspn gelatine or agar agar
500 ml vanilla soymilk (if you can find one free of nasties) or 500ml Failsafe soymilk with 6-8 drops pure vanilla essence and 1/3 cup sugar.
1 tbspn starter soy yoghurt (yoghurt you've bought from shops)
Place water in Easiyo jar with gelatine/agar agar and microwave 30 seconds. Stir to dissolve gelatine. Add soy milk (at room temperature) and starter yoghurt. Shake until well mixed. Leave in Easiyo thermos overnight as per instructions. Refrigerate in the morning (minimum 8 hours).
I have found a soy yoghurt that is preservative free here: www.soyganics.com.au/soygurt.html#
It's called Soygurt and is made by an S.A company called Soyganics. They say IGA, Foodland, some health food stores, some Coles & Woolies carry it.
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Homemade Yoghurt by Crystal Miller

- 8 cups milk, cow or goat (I raise Nubian goats and use my own goat milk most often, but have made lots of yogurt with ordinary milk from the store)
- 1/3 cup powdered milk (this is optional but will make a thicker yogurt)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, optional for sweetened yogurt
- 1/2 cup starter yogurt
Before you begin wash 2 quart-sized canning jars. If you want to use 4 pint-sized jars instead that would be fine too. Have the metal rings and lids ready to cover the jars when you are done.

Pour your milk into a large cooking pot. Heat the milk up to 185 degrees. Allow the milk to cool down to 110 degrees. The cooling can take a long time. If you want to speed the process up fill your sink with cold water and place the pot of hot milk in the water and stir and stir. The temperature drops fairly quickly this way, so make sure to have your thermometer handy to keep checking.

After you reach 110 degrees add the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is dissolved very well. Pour this mixture into your ready and waiting jars. Put the lids on and put them into what ever place you are planning to incubate and culture them. Leave them there for 10 to 12 hours. Try not to disturb the jars to much. When the yogurt is firm it is time to remove them and put them in the refrigerator to get nice and cold. Usually 12 to 24 hours. If you make and incubate the yogurt during the day it can refrigerate overnight and be ready for breakfast the next day.

If you would like flavored yogurt, just add fresh cut up fruit or a little bit of flavored jam when you are serving your yogurt.

Crystal Miller is a mother of 8 children and enjoys her God given role as wife, homemaker and mother! She has a homemaking and country living web site called The Family Homestead and has a free monthly newsletter called Homestead Happenings.

Deb's Homemade Yogurt (oven style) - Alternative method of yogurt making

Makes 1/2 gallon
1/2 gallon milk (I use fat free)
2 cups instant dry milk powder
1 cup sugar or your choice of sweetener
1 Tablespoon good vanilla (I use Mexican)
1 6-8 oz. container yogurt with active cultures (first batch after that save some of your own)
Thermometer
Large, heavy, pot
Electric stove with light or gas stove with non-auto pilot light. Can also use a heating pad/towel/and box to cover)

Place milk in pot and add dry milk powder. Stir well.

Heat milk to 180 degrees, stirring now and then so bottom doesn't burn

Fill sink with ice cold water and place pot insde sink, Add sugar and stir well. Cool down to 110-115 degrees. Add vanilla. Add yogurt and stir well.

Fill containers of your choice and seal. ( I use jelly canning jars) Place on cookie sheet or heat proof tray.

Heat oven to 110-115 and turn off. Turn on oven light.

Place yogurt in oven on upper rack and check oven periodically to make sure it stays between 110-115.

Yogurt will be "done" in 4-6 hours but you can let it incubate for up to 12 depending on how tart you like it and how much beneficial bacteria you wish it to have.

Serve plain or with any kind of fruit. Suggestions: Top with sliced bananas, peach or cherry pie filling, or stir in plain vanilla.

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How Can I Make Homemade Yogurt?

The first step in making homemade yogurt is warming and sterilizing the milk. Heat milk in a large, thick pot to 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit (82-85 degrees Celsius), stirring frequently to heat it evenly and prevent scalding. Next, allow the milk to cool to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius), and then add a culture. The best culture for homemade yogurt is a batch of plain store bought yogurt, as long as the container says “active cultures” or “live cultures.” Add two tablespoons of yogurt for every quart of milk, stirring the mixture evenly and then pouring it into sterilized containers. Incubate the yogurt containers, holding the temperature between 105-122 degrees Fahrenheit (41-49 degrees Celsius), and do not disturb them. The longer the yogurt incubates, the thicker and tangier it will be.

After approximately eight hours of incubation, the homemade yogurt will be finished, and can be refrigerated for up to two weeks before use. Make sure to set aside a jar to use as a starter for another batch, and use a fresh container of commercial yogurt every five or six batches so that you do not exhaust your culture. If the yogurt smells strange or develops discolorations, discard it. Contaminants can work their way into yogurt even in a very clean kitchen, and it is better to be safe than sorry.

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Make your own yogurt

4 cups (1 quart) milk
1/2 cup powdered milk (optional)
1/2 cup "live culture" yogurt or other dried starter (it'll tell you how much to use)

1. Stirring slowly, heat the milk (and powdered milk, if you like thick yogurt) in a double-boiler or (very carefully, so as not to scorch) on your stove, to 180°F for one minute; remove from heat and cool to 115°F. To cool more quickly, place the boiler/pan you're using in a bath of cool water and stir.

2. Once down to 115°F, add the live cultures or starter, as well as the sweetener, if you desire, and give it a good stir and pour the mixture into smaller containers; mason jars work well for this.

3. Now comes the tricky part: you need to keep the mixture at 110°F for the next 4-to-6 hours; drop much below that, and the bacteria won't be warm enough to do their job, anywhere higher than about 110°F will kill them, and leave you with not much more than boiled milk.

This can be done several ways: in your oven, on the very lowest setting, in a bath of warm water (to help the heat from varying too much)-and some people report being able to achieve 110°F with just the warm bath and the oven light on-or in a very well-insulated cooler.

4. Pour hot water (115°F) into a cooler, put your jars of almost-yogurt in there, and shut the lid, checking every now and then that the internal temperature is still 110°F or so, and replace the warm water as necessary. No matter which method you choose, take care to keep the temperature as close to 110°F as possible.

5. Your yogurt is done when it's firmed up (though it'll come together a bit more as it cools). Once done, refrigerate your new yogurt and enjoy, ad nauseum. Add fresh fruit just before you eat it, for maximum freshness, and rejoice that you'll never have to buy yogurt at the store again.