Can I make yogurt using heavy cream or half and half, instead of milk? I would use Dannon plain, fullfat for the starter. OR, how about the Hood Carb Countdown milk? Would it work? Has anyone tried or do you know the "scientific" stuff about how yogurt is made? It seems it would make extremely low carb yogurt, possibly carb-free yogurt. ?????????

I make homemade yogurt all the time with the LC Hood whole milk. SUPER easy and tastes fantastic!

PLEASE tell me exactly how you make it. And how many carbs do you count?

I buy yogurt starter at Wild Oats & use a yogurt maker. I have made yogurt w/1 cup heavy cream & 3 cups whole milk, all half & half(4 cups) all Hood Carb Countdown, any combo that equals 4 cups. Of course, if you buy into the theory that the yogurt cultures consume most of the lactose in any dairy product, you can use 2% or even skim milk & the carbs would be around 4g per cup. I have been eating homemade yogurt for several years & the only time I experienced weight gain was when I ate too much of the super fatted yogurts made w/h cream. I think I was just consumimg way too many calories. Since I started using 2% I haven't experience any problems. Good luck!!

I use to have a recipe to make home made yogurt just using a glass jar and heating the milk to a certaint temperature. Of course a yogurt maker would be easier. If I can find the recipe I will post it on here or send it to you.
I do remember though that you don't have to buy yogurt starter at a health food store or anything like that. You just put in a couple spoonfuls of any kind of plain yogurt that you get at any store and the live cultures in it will multiply. Then once you make one batch I believe that you can use that a few spoonfuls of it to make the next batch.
I hope this helps.

Oh, when you buy the plain yogurt to use as a starter, read the label and be sure that it says that it has "live" cultures.
Another way to find out about making yogurt is to do a Google on it.

I make yogurt all the time with half-and-half plus cream. (I guess that'd be more like 3/4-and-1/4, actually.) It's so unbelievably creamy and good.

I use a few spoonfuls of the last batch as a starter, and have a Donvier yogurt machine which makes the whole process extremely convenient.

!!!

does this work with soy milk??

I use YoGourmet starter or a few Tbs of Dannon full fat yogurt, toss it in my yogurt maker and that's it. I have one that doesn't require any heating or cooling of the milk prior to incubation. Takes all of 5 minutes.

Ok please, I am a dummy. Tell me how much you put in of what, how you make it step by step and what your carb count for it is.

I stir the starter into 1 quart cold Hood LC whole milk, pour it into the yogurt maker jars, cover, plug it in, and incubate for 7 hours. Roughly 50 calories and 1.75 carbs per 1/2 cup.

BTW, Happy Happy Birthday!

THANKS! although it doesn't feel birthdayish.

Great thread!

I have started eating LC yogurt (Dannon and Hood brands) every morning but I'm not crazy for flavored yogurt (I prefer plain with my own flavorings). So I'm now thinking it might be a good idea to invest in a yogurt maker.

Anyone have any recommendations on a good brand, etc., that I could order through the net?

Tam

Hi I made yogurt from half and half today and have done so before. I got the recipe from my friend who is middle-eastern and her home made yogurt is fabulous.

1. Buy a single-serve container of DANNON NATURAL PLAIN Yogurt - it is sugar free and comes in a single serving container; Buy a half gallon of half and half. Buy a candy thermometer that attaches to the side of your pot with a clip/available in grocery stores, usually less than $5. Buy a HEATING PAD the kind you wear on your back when you get a back ache, flat/fabric kind.

2. pour the half and half into a large, clean soup pot; attach the candy thermometer to the side of the pot so it's end is in the half and half.

3. turn the stove on to medium heat, and stir the half and half so it does not burn, until the candy thermometer reads 212 Degrees F/100 Degrees C. IT WILL FROTH, keep stirring it to bring the froth down. This may take a while to reach this temperature, so please be patient, and keep stirring gently.

4. When the half and half reaches 212 Degrees F/100 Degrees C, turn OFF THE HEAT immediately, and remove the pot from the burner. Stir and blow the half and half until the half and half cools down to 100 Degrees F/38 Degrees C.

5. Spoon in ALL of the Dannon plain greek yogurt from the single-serve container into the half and half that has cooled in the soup pot, and use a french whip to stir it into your warm half and half; stir well. While you do this, turn the heating pad ON, and set to medium.

6. Move your soup pot to the warmed heating pad, remove the candy thermometer, and place a lid on the pot.

7. place on the lid and let it sit there for 24-36 hours.

8. The yogurt will take a few hours to thicken; it will take the rest of the time to become "tangy" as yogurt should. keep the heating pad on low to medium for the entire time (24-36 hours). You can taste the yogurt at the end of 24 hours and if you like it tangier, leave it for the rest of the time. At the end of this time, you may spoon it into tupper wear containers for safe-keeping, and then refrigerate it; you can also spoon it into plastic beverage cups, and place saran wrap over the top to keep it fresh.

9. This yogurt has NO sugar and NO carbs (or hardly any); I have not tried full cream but think cream may work just as nicely.

10. Consistency of this yogurt should be extreemly smooth and silky, mildly sweet, and tangy; it is so unlike store bought yogurt you will want to eat the entire pot all in one sitting. If you do not follow the above directions exactly the half and half could get curdles in it and it will be terrible (I did it wrong once, and it was not pretty!) If you let the half and half sit out overnight by mistake or something, that will ruin it as well with curdles. so take the half and half directly from the refrigerator and start with cold, fresh half and half.

11. FOR SERVING: You can then add sliced strawberries or raspberries to it (the lowest carb of the fruits), or you can dice up cucumbers, garlic, and green peppers and make tzatzaki sauce; you can use it as sour cream, or add it to shakes and drink it. It is just beautiful. I have insulin resistance and can not have carbs, sugar or fake sugar. but I can have fat, protein, and very low-sugar, low carb foods. This yogurt is just right for my pre-diabetic condition and I appreciate it so much. I have not tried freezing it, but if you know how to make frozen yogurt, maybe it would work for that as well. It is gorgeous. I LOVE IT! Good luck to you; It is inexpensive, and only takes about an hour to make it. Yes it is higher in fat, but that is OK for those on low/no-carb, no sugar diets; fat is ok on Atkins Diet. It is easy because prep is not difficutl and then it has to sit by itself for a while to become yogurt. Once you see how easy it is, you will see how much money you save as well, because it makes a good amount. My friend from the middle east who gave me the recipe said that low-fat milks do not work for yogurt, so the higher the fat content, the better the yogurt will be. She said never to use any milk below whole milk to make yogurt or it will not work at all - yougurt has to have fat in it to become yogurt. But this is ok with the Atkins Diet - no wonder middle eastern/mediterranean diet is so good for Atkins type diets. Good luck!