Yogurt Starter Cultures - Freeze-Dried Cultures for Bifido Yogurt

I was uncertain about choosing a brand other than the ones from Cultures From Health because if something works, why mess with it. But I was unable to perpetuate my re-culturing of their Bulgarian yogurt product because of travel and was going to have to purchase more. My husband didn't like the price, especially since we will have the same situation arise in a few months, so I was pushed to find something else. Wow, this stuff is great!! I'm on my 3rd batch of re-culturing and it's faster, smoother, better all around. The texture is downright velvety. Of course you cannot judge any culture by the very first batch. While wonderfully smooth, it won't have the same flavor development as a few re-cultures does. I will post update in future on just how many batches I was actually able to get from 1 package. In IDEAL conditions you can culture 3 gallons of milk, but the seller promotes that you should be able to get at least 96oz because there's no controlled environment in home culturing. But right now, it gave me a superior product and the affordability of starting over after a period of time. One note: it is suggested you can freeze some and use for culturing. I have not tried it on this batch, but will try it in the future and report. I did try that with the Cultures for Health Bulgarian yogurt and had a failed batch. The seller is awesome too, and very helpful. UPDATE 6-24-16 I have continued to use this brand since last year and I am very happy with it. The flavor and texture are really good. I have been able to culture as many as 10 batches from one packet, but we keep leaving before I can get that far again. That's 2 1/ 2 gallons of milk from one packet. It seems to get better with each re-culture, and I didn't notice any deterioration in the starter even then. I just can't seem to stick around long enough to push past that time frame. TIP: I recently started using half and half instead of milk because my husband likes a thick product and I was having to drain the whey from all the yogurt , losing about 9oz each time. In my most recent batch I heated the H&H in the microwave instead of simmering on the stove and I get nearly all 32 ounces of product.

This worked well for me. I needed a starter for my first batch and this product delivered. I very much appreciated that the vendor emailed me with links to instructions and videos about making yogurt. I had made it before so didn't really need help but I am going to watch the videos and read the instructions just in case I could improve. I highly recommend this product and this seller. I used whole milk from a regional dairy, mid-price range. I don't think the brand matters as much as the freshness of the milk. I made 7 small cups (4-6 oz ea) in an Epica yogurt maker with one packet of starter culture. However, I did add 10 tablespoons of non-fat dried milk to the 3.5 cups whole milk because I wanted a firmer yogurt. My instructions were to cook 10 hours for firm but I went 11 hours because it was my first time. I will probably do 10 next time because I bought a strainer to make greek yogurt after cooking. I think this starter will work for you as long as you follow instructions, and the vendor provides lots of instruction. Making yogurt really is simple and once you get used to it you will not want to go back to store bought. I received nothing for my review. I never do. I just share my experiences.

I am staying out of stores because of COVID-19 risks. I wanted to start making my own yogurt as I haven't done it in years. I ordered this product to do it. I use a pan to heat up the milk and 2 yogurt makers to make about 2.5 quarts at a time. I used Peak Powdered milk to make 1.5 quarts and add a quart of cream. Heat the mixture to 180 degrees and then cool to 113 degrees. I used 2 packets of this product for the 2.5 quarts, stirring it into the milk, and let it culture for 24 hours. It is ready by 12 hours but the additional time reduces the carbs as the bacteria continues to eat the sugar in the milk. It is sharper tasting as a result. I learned recently that the bacteria starts to die off after around 5 days. As a result, after I have refrigerated it on the first day, I remove about 4 oz, put it in a container and freeze it. When I want to make a fresh batch, I thaw the yogurt culture that day and add it to the cooled milk. I have made 2 batches that way and they have turned out very well. People have said that yogurt culture weakens with repeated batches and you need fresh culture. We'll see if I can't continue to harvest freshly made culture and have it continue to be effective for the next batch. I am not a fan of Greek yogurt because of the taste. I do not drain this and it is pretty thick, partially because of the added cream. I have been known to pour off a bit of liquid that appears partway through the batch, but I find the yogurt to have a nice consistency.

I have made yogurt for years, and I've never had a batch like this starter produced. It was just strange. Just think slime. I use whole milk, heat it to 180 degrees, then cool it to 95 degrees and add the starter. And this the only time in over 22 years that the yogurt turned out weird. Very tangy as well.

I am lactose intolerant so this product is wonderful as I can now make my own homemade yogurt that is safe for me to eat with lactose-free milk and cream

This yogurt start is GREAT. It took me a while to figure out how to make GOOD yogurt but once you know then you know. Do a little google research to get the process right. This yogurt can come out a little bland, acidicly-tangy or fruity-tangy depending on the temperature and time of incubation. DO NOT MOVE THE MILK/YOGURT once it starts incubating or the yogurt will seperate from the whey and come out chunky. You can try to fix this by beating the yogurt back into the whey but it just won't be right. If the yogurt overheats then it's game over. Even the temperature you cook the milk matters to the flavour. After the incubation period is over VERY CAREFULLY move the yogurt to the fridge without jostling it around (be very slow and still). Once the yogurt has cooled you no longer have to worry about it seperating. Don't use too much starter for the volume of milk you have or it will come out too acidic and not at all flavourful, just super sour. I definitely recommend you add sugar to the milk prior to incubation. I recommend you cook the milk to a minimal pasteurizing temperature (let the milk form a skin) and incubate this bacteria at a lower temperature for a longer time - too long and it will be too acidic. Try mixing different yogurt cultures into the milk at different times to make a custom yogurt.

It worked perfectly. I love the simple packaging.

First batch I used 1 C skim milk powder, 4 C water in a quart jar in a water bath in my slow cooker. Heated to @185°F [85°C], held at that temp 20 min. Cooled to @110°F. Stirred in a packet of culture. On "keep warm" uncovered my slow cooker maintains @ 105°F [40°C]. Left for 12 hrs. Even with skim milk powder it made delicious yogurt--just the right amount of tang and a tad sweet. Not as thick as it would have been full fat but still nice. It's now in the fridge where it will thicken up. I will freeze a few starter amounts from this batch to use experimenting with various homemade plant milks. If those experiments don't work it doesn't matter because I can now make my own very tasty fat-free yogurt.

I just purchased it to make homemade yogurt and first time didn’t work and I changed the milk brand again,second time was worse than the first and the third time I even tried with raw milk right out of the farm,guess what ,it did not make any difference at all.