Heavy Cream Yogurt - questions & pictures...

[ljguitar]

Hi folks...
I made a quart (plus 1/3 cup) of yogurt using only whole cream and 1/3 cup Mountain High Plain Yogurt as my starter.

Heated the cream to 185°F, cooled it to 110°F and blended in the plain yogurt starter. Poured it into two pint jars and incubated it for 10 hours in our Excalibur Dehydrator at 110°F.

Smooth texture - very thick, not as set-up as commercial yogurt...more like really thick paint



It will ''run'' off the spoon but does not drip...



It is smooth like silk, with a creamy mouth feel and extremely mild, but definite yogurt taste. My wife had some for breakfast on top of her 1-minute pancake - a flat 1 minute flax muffin - with strawberries. It is very good.

A few questions:

• Anyone else here who has done this?
• If I use more ''starter'' will it get thicker?
• Has anyone made Yo-cheese from this? I may with one pint.
• When making yogurt with milk, the longer one leaves the yogurt to incubate the more tart the flavor, si if it is left a couple hours longer, does this also affect the texture (making it thicker)?

Since the starter yogurt had 6 carbs, and the cream 26.56 carbs (USDA data base figures) the total is 32.56 carbs, or 8 carbs per cup.

[SugarPop]

Good for you, on being so industrious and creative.

I want to say that you are a welcome addition to this place - I enjoy your posts, enthusiasm for this lifestyle - your recipes and especially that you show pics!

If you haven't yet done so - Please check out all things made by Kevinpa.......He's another creative cooker/baker who has been a saving grace for many people here, for all the things he's contributed to living LC.

B

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by SugarPop

...If you haven't yet done so - Please check out all things made by Kevinpa.......He's another creative cooker/baker who has been a saving grace for many people here, for all the things he's contributed to living LC.

Hi Sugar-P...
We have and have ordered the parts to assemble his 'flour mixes'. I could live on bacon, fried cheese and kilbasa&cabbage. Not my wife - she requires a lot of variety, and Kevin's recipes excite her sense of adventure (and desire for desserts and breads).

Thanks for the nice things you said. This is a fun place!

[coconutmilk]

I've made yogurt but have yet to make the heavy cream version, still on my too do list. But from my experience with yogurt you can do two things to make it thicker. 1 you can add a little powdered milk or two incubate it longer. I normally do both and incubate mine for 15-18 hours and it's nearly as thick as yocheese without straining. After straining off the intial whey I whip it with a mixer for the creamiest yogurt I've ever had. I put some in ice a ice tray freeze and pop in a zip bag. So I have starter anytime I need to make more.
Vikki
Oh btw I use a a heating pad to incubate mine. giggle

[carbkinky]

I have added 1 envelope of Knox gelatin...makes a different texture.

[Laura in Arizona]

Originally Posted by coconutmilk

...
Oh btw I use a a heating pad to incubate mine. giggle

Do you just set the jars on the heating pad or do you wrap it around them? I don't have a dehydrator and hate to buy extra stuff to store. I know some people put in oven but I am not sure my oven goes low enough. I love things that do double duty. If I could use a heating pad that would be awesome.
Thanks!

[shadowzip]

Originally Posted by Laura in Arizona

Do you just set the jars on the heating pad or do you wrap it around them? I don't have a dehydrator and hate to buy extra stuff to store. I know some people put in oven but I am not sure my oven goes low enough. I love things that do double duty. If I could use a heating pad that would be awesome.
Thanks!

When I make yogurt in the oven, I turn on my oven at the lowest setting--170--while the milk is heating. As soon as oven is heated I turn it off. By the time the yogurt is ready, the oven has cooled off but still a little warm, I put the yogurt in the oven and turn on the oven light. Leave it in there overnight 8-10 hours. By the way I put a post-it on my door and light switch to warn anyone against turning off the light or opening the oven door,

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Laura in Arizona

Do you just set the jars on the heating pad or do you wrap it around them? I don't have a dehydrator and hate to buy extra stuff to store. I know some people put in oven but I am not sure my oven goes low enough. I love things that do double duty. If I could use a heating pad that would be awesome.
Thanks!

Hi Laura...
Put a heating pad in the bottom of a cardboard box the right size for it (so it's not folded), set a folded bath towel on it, and set the jars on the towel. Just make sure it's around 110°F (43C) or a tiny bit under so you don't kill the active culture. If the air in the box is 110°F so is the yogurt...

Lots of folks make it this way...

You can regulate heat by opening or closing the box lid and by turning the pad down.

Mine with cream could have used 10-12 hours I think (only did 8). My wife thinks so too (and she is liking it with sweetener).

[coconutmilk]

I make mine in a plastic 1 qt. bowl, not jars. I put the heating pad in my stew pot sit the bowl on top, wrap the heating pad around it and put the top on the pan. It doesn't close but it helps hold the heat in. The longer you let it go the thicker the yogurt.
Anyway, that's the way I do it and it's work very well so far. I normally make it the way Dana Carpendar discribed in her "How I gave up my low fat diet and lost 40 lbs" I've been making it that way for about 5-6 years.
But I do want to try the heavy cream... sounds like it would be much creamier and satisfying.
Vikki

[Laura in Arizona]

Thanks Shadowzip, Larry J and Vicki for your help. I think based on what you guys have told me, I can make this work without having to buy anything. I bought a quart of cream and some yogurt for starter last night. Will try as soon as I get a chance and let you know how it turns out.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by coconutmilk

...But I do want to try the heavy cream... sounds like it would be much creamier and satisfying.
Vikki

Hi cc-milk...
Here is a pic of my Yo-cheese made from the whole cream yogurt. I put it in a muslin bag and hung it over a bowl on the counter for 24 hours to drain the whey - about 1/2 cup of whey was drained in total.

It is the texture and thickness of cream cheese at room temp...note the spoon standing in the mixture. Wonderfully mild yogurt flavor, rich mouth feel.

My wife and I are talking about the probability of doing this with double the sized batch (2 quarts) and using some for yo-cheese. First we need to experiment and see if we can use the yo-cheese like cream cheese for cooking and other uses.

Yogurt Cheese from whole cream yogurt...


The yogurt it was made from...

[wifezilla]

Hi Larry,

Yours looks exactly like mine did. I made it all in to yocheese and it was delicious

I tried leaving it longer in other batches...all it did was get more tart.

Face it, commercial yogurt is full of fillers. Other than adding plain Knox gelatin would not want to do that. I don't mind taking the extra step to yocheese it.

[theislandgirl]

There's a lot of history here with yogurt making, LJ. When you get some time, have a field day and do a bit of digging...

BTW, my research and experience with most yogurts tells me that the "setting" and firming usually occurs when you halt with the warmth and let it chill in the fridge. Cream yogurt will be softer/creamier, but should still do the same thing (think creme fraiche, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, cream 'cultured' with buttermilk).

As for longer culturing time, if there's anything left for the wee friendly bacteria to munch on (presumably lactose), longer culturing will make the yogurt more tart, more acidic, lactic acid being the by product of the bacteria and also coincidentally the "curdling" or setting agent that causes protein agglomeration, or thickness. The 'traditional' method of adding skim milk powder is basically adding more lactose and some incidental proteins, feeding more of the lactose to the bacteria (they reproduce faster) but not necessarily all the lactose is being digested...so I don't bother.

I get all the thickening I personally desire by a very long culturing time (I like it tangy) and then chilling/straining...short straining time for a thicker yogurt if I want it, loooong straining time for yocheese.

[Su11]

Your yogurt and cheese look lovely!

I've made yogurt for years, but since I grew up in a low fat household, I've only recently looked into even whole milk yogurts. I also used to always use dried milk as it was cheap. Now, from what I'm reading about that processing except for some speciality brands, I don't want to do that either.

Mom had a warming tray from a yogurt making set (it originally held 4 pyrex dishes), so we would use that with a LARGE pyrex bowl. We'd cover the bowl with a plate and wrap it if it were cold weather. I have used a gas oven before, but I'm going to have to test it.

I agree with the longer times. We loved thick yogurt, but the homemade was very tart anyway, so the longer times didn't improve the texture and made for a very very tart yogurt.

One wonderful addition is cranberries. Sweeten them as you can with your woe and add a couple of spoonfuls to the yogurt. It is near perfect!

[coconutmilk]

ljguitar,
oh my that looks so good. I will definately be giving this a try. I would like to get the jars before I make it, I'm betting that the glass helps keep the temperature even and holds on to it much much better than plastic. Which would mean a shorter incubation period.
That pic of the yocheese makes me want spoon some chilled strawberry sauce over the top and spoon my way to heaven. Thank you so much for posting this.

Wifezilla,
I have the recipe you posted on your blog, I just haven't gotten to it. But I do have yogurt cubes in the freezer, ready to go when I get a chance to try it. Yum yumm me loves yogurt.
Vikki

[amiga74]

wow, your yo cheese looks delicious!

i really want to make my own yogurt-but i need to get a few more supplies to do so. this thread is inspiring me!

[3bees~1flower]

allright...now you've got me curious to try this. :P

i'd like to try half a batch first. i would use 1/2 quart or cream and then how much starter? how many T's are in 1/3 cup?

what's the *best* plain yogurt to use for starter?

this looks so good!

ljguitar...how does your wife sweeten her yogurt? what's her favorit sweetener for this?

[wifezilla]

Stoneyfield and Mountain High are good brands to use for starter. Brown Cow is another one.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by 3bees~1flower

...ljguitar...how does your wife sweeten her yogurt? what's her favorit sweetener for this?

Hi 3bees...
She likes Splenda.

You will not need 1/3 cup of starter for a half quart of cream, probably a couple Tbls is all. I used Mountain High. Just be sure you get PLAIN Yogurt, and not Vanilla.

[3bees~1flower]

thanks, ljguitar! appreciate it. i wouldn't use a whole 1/3 cup, i just curious how many T's were in 1/3 cup so i could use half that amount.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by 3bees~1flower

thanks, ljguitar! appreciate it. i wouldn't use a whole 1/3 cup, i just curious how many T's were in 1/3 cup so i could use half that amount.

Hi 3bees-etc...
One fourth cup is 4 T and half cup 8 T so I guess one third cup would be around 6 T.

[3bees~1flower]

sounds good to me! i'll use 3T starter then. thanks!

i won't be ale to try this till next week! looking forward to it!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by 3bees~1flower

...i won't be ale to try this till next week! looking forward to it!

Hi 3bees...
I have a gallon of 1/2 whole cream and 1/2 whole milk incubating overnight. I plan to make a quart into yo-cheese, give a quart away and keep 2 quarts for us to use.

I want to see how the texture/taste compares to the whole cream version I did last week (the start of this thread).

We have company in overnight who I'll feed oopsie waffles to in the morning, and then off to play a quick one hour noon-time gig at a low income housing area tomorrow over the noon hour...then I'll be home to spend time with my lovely wife.

If it turns out ok, i'll post pics tomorrow afternoon sometime.

[3bees~1flower]

sounds like you have a full weekend.

looking forward to hearing how your experiments go.

dh and i are off this morning to a wedding about 4hrs from home...without kiddos!...will be back home tomorrow night!

[3bees~1flower]

ok! i'm gonna make this tonight. i am only going to use 1 pint of heavy cream. how much plain yogurt should i add to it?

[theislandgirl]

Originally Posted by 3bees~1flower

ok! i'm gonna make this tonight. i am only going to use 1 pint of heavy cream. how much plain yogurt should i add to it?

Since LJGuitar used 1 quart of cream and 1/3 C of starter yogurt, as originally posted, I suggest you use 1/6 C approximately (which is 8 Tsp or 2 Tbsp + 2 Tsp). I'd use 3 Tbsp.

[3bees~1flower]

THAN