ADVANTAGES + DISADVANTAGES OF MAKING MESOPHILIC RAW MILK YOGURT
Advantages
- Cultures at room temperature (70°-77°F) leaving the raw milk bacteria fully intact
- If the pasteurized-mother-culture procedure is used, the yogurt culture can be perpetuated from batch to batch via the pasteurized mother culture
- No need to continually purchase yogurt starter.
Disadvantages
- Need to create and maintain a mother culture to preserve the health of the yogurt culture when used with raw milk
- This type of yogurt culture makes the thinnest consistency yogurt.
BEFORE GETTING STARTED
When using raw milk to make yogurt, there are several factors to consider, so make sure you've looked over these before beginning.
Keep in mind, that making yogurt with raw milk and our Heirloom Countertop (mesophilic) Starters requires an extra step, to ensure the culture remains viable for re-culturing indefinitely. Making mesophilic raw milk yogurt will involve three processes:
The initial step of activating the starter requires heating the milk to 160ºF, to pasteurize it. If you prefer to use pasteurized store-bought milk instead, you can, just start at step 4 of Activating the Starter below.
Throughout the process it's best to avoid ultra-pasteurized or UHT milk.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACTIVATING THE STARTER
- If using raw milk, slowly heat 1-2 cups raw milk to 160ºF.
- If using 1-2 cups store-bought pasteurized milk, skip to step 4.
- Cool the milk to 70-77ºF.
- Transfer milk to a glass or plastic container.
- Add 1 packet yogurt starter. Mix thoroughly.
- Cover with a towel or coffee filter, secured with a rubber band, or put a lid on the container.
- Place in a warm spot, 70º-77ºF, to culture.
- Check after 24 hours to see if it has set. If it has not set, leave up to 48 hours, checking every few hours.
- Once it has set, or at the end of 48 hours, cover with a tight lid and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
This yogurt is the pasteurized mother culture. Always use this pasteurized mother culture as the starter culture for making raw milk yogurt. You will also need this yogurt to culture a new batch of pasteurized mother culture at least once every 7 days (see below).
If you have leftover yogurt from the pasteurized mother culture, you can eat this.
Keep in mind, even if the activation batch does not set, it is still cultured and can be used to make subsequent batches of yogurt.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING RAW MILK YOGURT
- Put 1 cup raw milk into a glass or plastic container.
- Add 1 tablespoon pasteurized mother culture. Mix thoroughly. To make larger batches, use 1 tablespoon pasteurized mother culture per cup of milk, making up to ½ gallon per container.
- Cover with a towel or coffee filter, secured with a rubber band, or put a lid on the container.
- Place in a warm spot, 70º-77ºF, to culture for 12-18 hours.
- Check every few hours by tilting the jar gently. If the yogurt moves away from the side of the jar in one mass, instead of running up the side, it is finished culturing.
- Once it has set, cover with a tight lid and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- The raw milk yogurt can now be eaten! Enjoy!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A NEW BATCH OF PASTEURIZED MOTHER CULTURE
Once every 7 days, use the pasteurized mother culture to make a new batch of pasteurized mother culture, to keep the yogurt culture strong.
- If using raw milk, slowly heat 1 cup raw milk to 160ºF.
- If using store-bought pasteurized milk, skip to step 4.
- Cool the milk to 70-77ºF.
- Transfer to a glass or plastic container.
- Add 1 tablespoon pasteurized mother culture. Mix thoroughly. To make larger batches, use 1 tablespoon pasteurized mother culture per cup of milk, making up to ½ gallon per container.
- Cover with a towel or coffee filter, secured with a rubber band, or put a lid on the container.
- Place in a warm spot, 70º-77ºF, to culture.
- Check after 12 hours to see if it has set. If it has not set, leave up to 18 hours, checking every few hours.
- Once it has set, cover with a tight lid and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Always use the pasteurized mother culture as the starter culture for making raw milk yogurt and weekly batches of fresh pasteurized mother culture.
Extra yogurt from the batch of pasteurized mother culture can be eaten.
