Yogurt made with chili stems [General]

2014 Jul 6
Soy milk yogurt:

live2cook.wordpress.com

diary yogurt starter:

chowhound.chow.com

2014 Jul 8
Cashew milk yogurt with chili stems:

tongueticklers.com

2014 Jul 10
I don't have any chilli stems at the moment, but I'm trying this with cherry stems. :-)

2014 Jul 12
I think the cherry stems worked. The first batch I tried I did in the oven, using Zym's water method. It curdled on the top and bottom with separation of clear liquid in the middle. Googling, I read that happens when the temperature is too high. So the next batch I made at room temperature. It's thickened. I used blanched peanuts and soy blended.

BTW apparently cherry stems are a superfood. I used stems from both store bought cherries and some from a cherry tree in our yard.

I want to try the chili stems too for comparison.

I wonder if other fruit stems, such as apple stems, would also work.

I think it's the probiotics in the stems that are culturing the yogurt.

2014 Jul 12
Likely wild yeasts, which, along with bacteria, are on all fruits and veggi's. If you can maintain 43 C for long periods of time you'll get a thick, acidic product with little whey separation. The closer you get to 46 the more likely you'll get whey separation. An excalibur dehydrator is your friend.
If it's not a dairy allergy concern, just a viable starter you're looking for, I've had a culture going for 6 months from a teaspoon of Hewitt's 2%. Probably 14 or 15 generations in at this point, still functioning perfectly.

2014 Jul 13
@hatman Cool. What is Hewitt's ? (I'll google it).

So an update on that cherry stem vegan yogurt. I used soybeans and blanched raw peanuts. My wife declared she wouldn't have any because she doesn't like peanuts (though it doesn't taste like peanuts or peanut butter at all).

I thought I would have to finish the whole thing, and I made quite a lot (1.5L).

But it was only thiner on top. Below it was very thick. And it tastes like high end goat cheese. It's incredibly yummy. I've already eaten half of it. And it haven't tried to strain it into a yogurt cheese. It would make a great yogurt cheese.

I also found some bags for fresh green or red chillies with the stems on for $1 a bag in Chinatown.

Most yogurt starters do not persist without real milk. Even commercial vegan yogurt starters do not (they seem to be based on Bulgarian yogurt starter, which doesn't regenerate even in milk outside of Bulgaria).

But apparently if you go back to wild probiotics (such as from chilli or cherry stems) you can get a starter that will keep propagating in soy or peanut milk.


2014 Jul 13
Hewitt's is an ontario based dairy. You can find their yogurts at places like natural food pantry, herb & spice, [some, if not all] farm boy's, produce depot (carling location). Milk ingredients & bacterial cultures; good and sour.

2014 Jul 15
I strained my soy yogurt and it got very thick. About a liter was left after 24 hour straining. Following a recipe on the internet I added some mint leaves from the garden (dozen), some olive oil (2 tbsp) and minced garlic (4 tbsp). And a splash of apple cider vinegar. I blended it up, but not garlicky enough. So I added another 4 tbsp of minced garlic. Still not garlicky enough ! It has a nice texture and a hint of mint taste though, and a hint of garlic. So what am I doing wrong? How do Shwarma places get their tzatziki so garlicky ?

2014 Jul 26
High / Low method of making thick yogurt (from milk, or soy milk or cashew milk):

brodandtaylor.com

and

brodandtaylor.com


2014 Jul 26
Thank you Francis for posting this. I have one of those and I do like yogurt so will give this a whirl. Have you tried any flavoured yogurts or just the plain?

2014 Jul 27
I just make it plain, but I add stevia and fruit when I eat it most times.

I tired two batches with this high / low method now and it is thicker and less tart.

You have the folding proofer ? cool. :-)

2014 Jul 27
Francis, have you made it with regular milk? The link goes to a recipe using soy milk. They have another recipe using regular milk and I see there is also one using goat's milk. And yes, I have the folding proofer. I really like making bread and it use it for that.

2014 Jul 29
Yeah, I haven't tried with regular milk, but they have. They call it custard yoghurt, because it creamier and thicker, a bit less tart too. My soy yoghurt came out less tart than one from a regular incubation.

brodandtaylor.com

My son makes bread at a local bakery by hand on weekends. I wonder if I can get him to make some at home ? Then I could have an excuse for buying the proofer. LOL.

It's a bit tricky (with soy milk which also boils over like regular milk) to scald the milk at 195F. I tried in the InstantPot and it burned a tiny bit on the bottom (but didn't boil over). I also tried in the microwave in a pyrex bowl and that worked a bit better. On the stove you will need a double boiler or an improvised one. I found by googling something called a "milk watch" which is a metal disc with ridges that rattles around in the bottom of the pot and prevents the milk from burning supposedly. I also saw something in Canadian Tire called "boil guard" which is a concave silicon mat you put on top of the pot. It has some vents in the center. Haven't tried with either of those two gadgets yet.

2014 Jul 29
Francis, I thought from the picture you posted that that was your proofer. Guess we all have our toys, but not necessarily the same ones. I went to Brod & Taylor's web site and read up on their yogurt making instructions. I am going to try it not in the proofer but in another machine I have called a Thermomix. It heats to graduated temperatures and has a timer so you can set it to hold at various temperatures for set times. Some of the set temperatures include 90C, 50C (one more than the 49 called for, can't see that will make that much difference) and 30C. I can take the milk out of the jug for cooling purposes to get it down quickly from 90C to 46C. Should be a fun thing to try.

2014 Jul 30
@Feline, great another interesting gadget.

Actually I told InstantPot about the High / Low method and it's easy enough to add that temperature profile to the chip. They are going to test it. The duo model already makes yoghurt (by the regular 110F method of culturing for 12 hours).

Just looking up the thermomix. Wow. I love "smart" appliances.

www.thermomixcanada.ca

Expensive though . . .

2014 Jul 30
This is the boil guard thing . . . doubles as a steamer.

www.finaltouchwine.com

2014 Jul 31
Hmmm. That looks interesting. The ad claims that it can be used to steam vegetables but I can't see how as I would think you would need to cover the thing with something for the steam to be effective. On the other hand, it sure looks like it would work rather well at preventing spills.

2014 Jul 31
They have it at the Canadian Tire on Coventry. I'm going to get one . . . no use crying over spilled milk :-)

2014 Jul 31
Let us know how you like it.

2015 Jul 17
@feline I don't use it much, because I've found the best way to scald milk without burning is in a pyrex baking bowl in the microwave.


2015 Jul 17
Heirloom, room temperature, yoghurt cultures on etsy:

www.etsy.com

All are interesting, some I like more than others. I make them with soy milk though, so I can't speak to them cultured in cow's milk.