Did your homemade yogurt turn out grainy? No fear! This common problem can be fixed and I will show you how to do it quick and easy.
What Causes Homemade Yogurt To Be Grainy?
Your milk was not at a high enough temperature when you added your starter culture. This resulted in a low lactose content to begin with and coupled with the lack of an acid-producing bacteria, it will prevent your milk from fully setting and turning into yogurt.
How to Fix Grainy Yogurt
An easy fix is to simply raise your milk’s temperature for a couple minutes. A slow cooking technique I will refer to as “low and slow” sounds more intimidating, but doesn’t have to be all the time. You just want your milk to simmer until you see the desired amount of curd (you can tell if it has set or not by its loose, creamy consistency).
You do not need a thermometer for this, but you can use one if you have it. Just be aware that if you wait too long, your milk won’t have a high enough temperature to cause it to curdle.
If it’s still grainy, now’s the time to introduce your starter culture. The yogurt culture is so important in your yogurt-making process that I recommended you put it on right away during the last step. Adding a small piece of the culture will act as an instant activator, and is easy to do with a spoon. The yogurt is now ready to be strained through a cheesecloth or colander, and put into the refrigerator to cool.
Pro Tips For Making Yogurt
Do not heat your milk too much or you may kill the bacteria in your starter culture.
Don’t forget to add the starter culture. It is an important ingredient for the success of your yogurt-making process.
It is an important ingredient for the success of your yogurt-making process. How much time do you need? A little bit of goes a long way! Your yogurt will be ready in about 12 hours or so with this technique.
If your yogurt has finished straining but hasn’t cooled off yet, transfer it to a glass container and place it in the refrigerator until completely cooled.
What you are doing here is creating a “heat sink” to help cool your yogurt faster. If you want to enjoy your yogurt right away, stir in some vanilla extract and honey for a quick treat!
You may also use probiotics capsules if you have them around.
Most Importantly, Enjoy What You’ve Made!
Bottom Line
There are no special ingredients needed for this technique, and it is very simple. You may be surprised at how easy it is to make creamy homemade yogurt that turns out perfectly every time!