[Croftess]

I've searched on here for goat milk yoghurt but not found any info - I currently make my own yoghurt from pasturised organic cows milk, its a way I can eat milk without digestive problems. I'd like to try making some from commercial goat milk. I've tried to make some before but it didn't set - what did I do wrong?

I heated the goat milk until just simmering, left if to cool, added the culture and put it into my electric yoghurt maker overnight - the next morning it was as runny as it was when I poured it out of the carton. This is how I make cows milk yoghurt successfully so I assumed it would be the same process.

I'd gratefully receive any tips

[Skirza]

I'm afraid you won't find goat's milk makes yoghurt as easily as cow's milk - however it can be done. I personally always add skimmed milk powder to my goats milk which gives a lovely set yoghurt. I have read on here that using a tin of evaporated milk works too but I'm not a fan of the taste. I also believe that boiling the milk and letting it cool to blood temp helps the yoghurt to thicken. I don't use culture either, I  just add a spoonful of Yeo to start mine off, it seems to work better for me

[Croftess]

Thats a shame, but thanks for the input Skirza

[benkt]

One of our members makes yoghurt with our fresh goats milk and it always seem to come out fairly runny but is still tasty.  I think she uses pretty much the method Skriza described with boiling and using yeo as a culture!

[Anke]

Actually no need to boil it at all. Shop-bought milk will already be pasteurised, so no need to heat it again.

I just take my fresh-from-the-goat milk (no pasteurisation or any other faff) warm it till it feel warm to my finger, add a blob of commercial yoghurt (usually Yeo), and off it goes into my yoghurt maker, left for 10hours. Quite runny but delicious...

At the moment we are just making kefir all the time, even less hassle...

Pasteurisation just kills all the good bugs in the milk, what's the point (for home consumption) of it exactly?

[Skirza]

Pasteurisation just kills all the good bugs in the milk, what's the point (for home consumption) of it exactly?

I don't boil it for pasteurisation Anke, I just read somewhere that boiling goat's milk helps make a thicker yoghurt 

[Croftess]

Thank you people for your replies.

Anke I still have to heat the pasturised cows milk to make yoghurt, but I didn't leave it for 10 hours, just 8 wonder if that would make a difference. OK I'll try it again - thanks

[ballingall]

I've been making yogurt too, but it does tend to much runnier than shop bought yogurt. I don't like adding milk powder or condensed milk, the whole point for me is making something which is cows milk free. I usually mix my yogurt with puréed fruit, and I purée it really thick, which makes the yogurt thicker.


Beth

[Lesley Silvester]

I make mine in a food flask, by bringing up to the right temperature and then cooling it. I add some live yoghurt and put it in the warmed flask and leave overnight (about 10 hours). It's still pretty runny but I find that if I leave it all day with the lid of the flask off it thickens slightly. Still not that thick but thick enough to eat with a spoon rather than drink it.

[Croftess]

Thanks for your help girls - I ended up using the milk for making rolls but I will get some when I'm next in town and try to leave it to set for longer - I too would rather not use anything like powder etc - I have a very fine strainer which I use to make a greek type yoghurt but the first time I used goats milk the 'yoghurt' was so runny it would have passed straight through the strainer.

[ballingall]

Funny you should mention that Croftess, I made a batch on Friday that came out runnier than usual, so I tried straining it. I've never tried that before, because I thought it would really decrease the quantity of yogurt. I used a cheesecloth inside a strainer though to do the straining though, and it worked really well.
I would say that quantity of yogurt wasn't that much less than normal.


We're on raspberry flavour this week!


Beth

[Croftess]

Oh the extra cheesecloth sounds like a good idea _ I'll try that. Raspberry flavour sounds good too. I have mine with homemade blackcurrant jelly.

[Thrift Bee]

I heat then cool our goats milk, add a tablespoon of any good plain live yogurt and leave overnight. In the morning i strain with a cheesecloth and collander and have thick creamy perfect greek yogurt.  The whey is used as a buttermilk substitute in my wholegrain soda bread.

Straining is the only whey to go with goat yogurt!!!

I have a recipe for a baked cheesecake that used the greek yogurt and our own eggs. I use it to convert anyone that is suspicious of goaty food. 

[Lesley Silvester]

Ooh I must try straining it next time. That's if the yield goes up enough for me to be able to make yoghurt this year.

[Croftess]

It worked  I tried again and simmered the milk for about 5 mins, then cooled to blood temp added couple of spoons of my cows milk yoghurt and left it in the yoghurt machine for nearly 12 hours. It looked almost as thick as the cows milk yoghurt I make so I just strained it for a few hours and I've just tried it. Gorgeous its like greek yoghurt