Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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So I've just found out that there are about 3 raw milk dairies around me that offer cow-shares since its (inanely) illegal to consume raw milk that you don't own.

WOW RAW MILK! I've never been a really big straight up milk drinker but I do like yogurt, and I'd like to go back to consuming it after my 30-day strict paleo adherance is over.

How would you suggest one begins in yogurt making? I know you can go the quick and easy route and get a yogurt maker (yay unitasker) or I've seen numerous methods involving your own containers and heating pads.

Which do you think is easier in the long run?

Is this even a good idea with lacto-paleo?

TL;DR: Should I make my own raw milk yogurt and how should I go about doing so?

UPDATE: I just found http://nourishedkitchen.com/raw-milk-yogurt/ <- this tutorial and it says I can just heat the milk slightly, pour it into a jar and put it in warm water IN MY CROCK POT?! Damn, that's the easiest. Please enlighten me if any of you have accomplished this and how it worked.

flag	asked Apr 8 2011 at 14:32 Oranges13 2,025●4●22

amanda · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-08 15:10:28Z UTC

I make homemade raw yogurt pretty regularly using this cooler method. It has worked well consistently. A few things I've learned over time:

-Smaller jars makes thicker yogurt than bigger jars.

-Milk that is a few days old works way better than straight-out-da-cow.

-Adding more starting culture than recommended results in runnier yogurt.

-If you like thicker yogurt you can let the whey drain out through cheesecloth for a few hours. Save the whey to drink or to use to lacto-ferment veggies.

-The yogurt gets tangier tasting the longer it is in the fridge, but I've never had any go sour--seriously, I found a several month old half-eaten jar I forgot about in the back of the fridge once and it was super tasty.

-Getting an edible product is dummy-proof, but there are so many variables (temperature, the fat content of the milk/breed of the cow, time of year, etc.) that you can't expect to replicate the exact same product (or your favorite store bought yogurt) every time. Texture and taste will change over time.

Good luck! I was pretty discouraged the first time I made yogurt since it came out really clumpy, but I've refined my technique over time.

Aaron B. · Answer 2 · 2011-04-08 15:41:07Z UTC

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One thing to add to the other good answers: If you're working with raw milk, it will have active cultures of its own that may interfere or combine with the yogurt cultures in unexpected ways. In my experience, this leads to greater variation in thickness and lumpiness. If you're okay with that, just heat it up to yogurt-making temps (about 100-110) and get the benefits of all those cultures.

But if you want a smoother product like the yogurt in the store, or if you want to duplicate your starter yogurt as closely as possible, you can pasteurize your milk first to kill the cultures that come with it. You can pasteurize at a milder temperature at home than the processors use (I think 140 degrees for 30 minutes will do it, but double check). Just make sure you cool it back down to about 110 degrees before adding the yogurt starter, or you'll kill its cultures too.

answered Apr 8 2011 at 15:41

Aaron B.
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If I'm getting raw milk I think I'll keep the stuff in it (at least at first, just to see). If it's totally unpalatable or goes bad too swiftly I'd process it a bit. I'd just buy the organic stuff otherwise (its Pasteurized). – Oranges13 Apr 8 2011 at 16:06

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One great thing about raw dairy, Oranges, is that it rarely ever goes "bad", it just becomes more easily digestable ;). – Barb Apr 8 2011 at 16:11

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It's never made ours unpalatable, but it seems a little thinner and less consistent in texture. It can be thickened by adding some gelatin, or by draining it a little. My wife says it's still great. I'm not much of a yogurt eater myself; to me it's an ingredient or a step on the way to cream cheese. – Aaron B. Apr 8 2011 at 16:33

I like the thinness(?), but I prefer to drink my yogurt or add to smoothies anyway. Anoterh option if you can't seem to get it to a desired thickness. – Barb Apr 8 2011 at 16:46

Heating the milk before adding the culture is not to destroy bacteria but to denature the whey proteins so they will coagulate better, which enhances the thickness and texture. the process is called "scalding" and involves heating the milk to 140 degrees and holding it there for 10 minutes.Cool the milk down to approx. 108 degrees before adding your culture. Traditionally scalding was done to denature any enzymes that might cause seperation. Basically it is done to create a thicker yogurt. I know I do it and it works. – chrisv Aug 14 2011 at 2:42

Barb · Answer 3 · 2011-04-08 16:48:40Z UTC

Something else to think about is making kefir. If you can get ahold of kefir grains from someone, you just put the grains and milk in a jar and leave it on the counter for a day or two. It's more drinkable than spoonable but it's an easy, excellent cultured product with more diverse strains of bacteria and yeasts.

tartare · Answer 4 · 2011-04-08 14:42:03Z UTC

I've been curious about this because I was to specifically make yogurt that tastes like a particular brand. I want it to taste like Erivan (my all time favorite yogurt, really sour, which I cant buy where I live now- booo). I was wondering if I used that basic method you describe and put in a tub of Erivan if the bacteria and flavor would "catch" to the rest of the milk and the yogurts would taste similar. Would I then have a sort of "mother yogurt" I could re-use to make similar stuff. I have a secret source of raw grass fed milk and I miss my yogurt. Anyone know?

midwesterner · Answer 5 · 2011-04-08 14:47:35Z UTC

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There is a way to do this and I know it involves using a scoop of live culture yogurt in whole, raw milk and putting it in a container on the counter for a few days. I've never done it myself, but my sister has - and one night it exploded. So, be careful.

answered Apr 8 2011 at 14:47

midwesterner
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AWESOME! That would REALLY teach my cats to get off the counter! – Oranges13 Apr 8 2011 at 15:08

Also, did she put it in a sealed container?! It's supposed to be able to "burp" so to speak, so 100% sealed (as in a jar or something) would explain why it exploded. – Oranges13 Apr 10 2011 at 3:38

tbonesteak · Answer 6 · 2011-04-08 15:24:25Z UTC

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i havent used it, but i heard the yogurt maker on amazon is amazing. will have to buy it myself soon.

answered Apr 8 2011 at 15:24

tbonesteak
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	There are numerous ones available on amazon - any suggestions? – Oranges13 Apr 8 2011 at 16:04
	I honestly believe a yogurt maker is a waste of money. If not a waste, there are certainly still better things you could spend your money on. For instance, if you don't already have a good dehydrator (like an exalibur), that would be a way better investment. I incubate my yogurt in my exalibur AND I can dehydrate fruits and veggies, make jerky, dry herbs, etc. You can't do that with a yogurt maker. Otherwise, the cooler method is pretty simple and effective or you could wrap in a towel and stick in your oven with the light on. – Barb Apr 8 2011 at 16:16
	Unfortunately for me, my last large appliance purchase was a juicer :( – Oranges13 Apr 8 2011 at 18:32
	sorry for the late response, it is the salton brand. – tbonesteak Apr 20 2011 at 22:14

Liesl · Answer 7 · 2011-04-08 15:29:55Z UTC

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Could I make it using coconut milk? I have Celiac and stay away from all dairy. The coconut milk yogurt in the store has sugar, rice starch, etc. in it that I don't want to eat.

answered Apr 8 2011 at 15:29

Liesl
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totally. this is a good basic recipe. you obviously don't have to add the sweetener or thickeners if you don't want to, although with coconut milk i have added gelatin with good effect. smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/04/25/… – amanda Apr 8 2011 at 15:34

pjnoir · Answer 8 · 2011-04-09 00:30:26Z UTC

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Raw milk is a complete LIVING FOOD - if you strength train and will make you bigger. I drink raw milk in my training binges a few times a years. I do enjoy good raw milk cheeses as some limited diary is my 20 percent Raw milk works for me.

answered Apr 9 2011 at 0:30

pjnoir
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	I'm a girl, so bigger is NOT what I'm aiming for. – Oranges13 Apr 10 2011 at 3:37
	unless you have an INTENT to build bigger muscles, you have nothing to worry about, it won't happen. Raw milk is a wonderful food for health. – pjnoir Apr 10 2011 at 13:12

Doris · Answer 9 · 2011-04-09 13:35:34Z UTC

For the last six months my husband has been making yoghurt with Cream! It is incredibily delicious. We buy organic cream without carrageenan and use a starter called Yogourmet from Quebec that we order from www.yogourmet.com It tastes great plain, but I eat it with berries most often.

Alchemille · Answer 10 · 2011-08-13 05:53:58Z UTC

When I had dairy (before I learned I was allergic to casein), I used to get various yogurt cultures from "Nick's Natural Nook" (on ebay). These cultures are ancient strains and don't require a yogurt maker so you can just male yogurt on your counter (I especially liked the matsoni and the filmjolk). They also have kefir grains.

Fonda · Answer 11 · 2011-08-13 16:56:26Z UTC

I make mine in the stove. I take a liter of milk and heat it up to just before it boils. THen i let it cool till i can put my finger in it - wash your hands first.. you are dealing with growing a bacteria culture.. you want a good one! Once cooled I put it in a large jar, mix in one large spoon of yogurt from a previous batch and place it in the over. I keep the oven on the lowest setting and leave it for 8 to 12 hours. You want the temp to stay around 80C/176F the whole time. (Sometimes i leave the oven of for 4 hours. Then turn it off, go to bed and wake up to wonderful yogurt!)

There is just no need to buy another single use gadget when you have a stove and a jar/pie dish/casserole dish ect. Good luck!

I want to start making my own yogurt

11 Answers