Yogurt Starter Cultures for Bifido Yogurt

Very tasty with pleasant sweetness, better than grocery store brands. I incubate at 108 degrees for 12 hours.

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 6-24-16I 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.

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.

This product (my recipe below) contains healthful cultures my research says you should be eating, especially during and after oral antibiotics. These starters are super dependable in my hands. There are instructions for re-use, but I use new cultures each batch. Even so, it gives me better than store yogurt at less than half the price. I use the yogurt in everything from cereal to smoothies and as a topping. I use a gallon of this yogurt every few weeks. If you are what you eat, I'm now cultured.I boil each gallon 1% milk with 2 cups nonfat dry milk and 2T gelatin. I use organic milk when available. When temp drops to 114F, mix in well two envelopes culture and keep 105-114F 7h. Perfect sterility not required but I am careful not to contaminate it. If you like tartness, you can leave it at room temp overnight. I prefer it within an hour or two of completion. To check if it's finished, you can see the yogurt has withdrawn a little from the whey and acts solid on tilting the culture vat.After testing it set (it always has for me), I scoop into quart take-out containers and refrigerate. At this point, it is heavenly. My worst batch, I used slightly sour milk. Yogurt was more goopy than usual, faintly butyric acidy, but still better than store bought.