discussion title:
Q for vwgirl, 2lori8, bluebirthstones...
message #:
46015.4 in response to 46015.1
Hmm, I had that problem with rice milk, but not with EBM or soymilk. Some ideas (m)
I learned to make yogurt from the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. She said the longer you let it ferment, the firmer and tarter it will be. I found that to be true. . .6 hours was pretty runny, 8-9 hours was firmer. She says 4-12 hours. Stirring it also makes it runnier, so try not to mix it more than necessary. It also thickens more once refrigerated, though mine from rice milk was just that: milk. When I contacted the rice milk manufacturer for ideas, they said it contained no lactose, and suggested adding a little sugar. Didn't work. That's probably not the problem with EBM, though, as it has more lactose than cows milk!
Also, she said it would be thicker if you increased the fat content. She also says the fat in yogurt helps make the friendly bacteria more hardy and healthy. Her suggestion (for cows milk; she doesn't mention using breast milk) is to add nonfat dry milk powder for extra nutrition and thickening. (1/4 c. per quart of cooled liquid milk.) Add this after you scald the milk to kill the bacteria and cool it to 110 or so. She says, "Nonfat dry milk powder is sterile, so you don't have to worry about it containing bacteria."
If you don't want to add dairy products to your yogurt (my son was dairy-allergic, so I didn't!), you can try to increase the fat content by pumping after nursing, breast massage, breast compressions, or just plain skimming some extra "cream" from another batch of EBM to add to this one.
She also says you can add one packet (1 T) of agar flakes or unflavored gelatin after it is finished, just before you place it into the refrigerator. Dilute the agar or gelatin in a few T of hot water, then mix into finished yogurt.
Remember, even if it is thin, the cultures are still good for you!
Some trouble shooting tips from her book. If it didn't turn out:
*Did you let it get too hot, above 120 F? That will kill the yogurt bacteria.
*Did you let it get below 90-95 F, where cultures become inactive?
*Was your starter too old?
She had others (like antibiotics in the milk, airborne yeast particles if you baked bread within a day) but they weren't as likely.
HTH!
Booker
