Mesophilic: How to fix thin yogurt?
It’s time for a refresher on this topic! Lots of you are struggling with your yogurts right now, which makes sense since we’re entering the cooler portion of the year, so we want to make sure y’all understand how to better resolve weird yogurt problems. Next week, I’ll be sharing the thermophilic version of this article again!
Thin yogurt is the pits. I’ve been there. There are many reasons why homemade yogurt ends up thin. On the flip side there are many things you can do about it without adding additional “stuff”. Before I dive in and go on a tangent let’s begin with the two main types of yogurt. Thermophilic and mesophilic. In this post we will mainly talk about the mesophilic yogurt process. Make sure to come back and check out our next troubleshooting guide that will focus on thermophilic yogurt.
Mesophilic cultures ferment at room temperature. Around 70-78 degrees F. Mesophilic yogurts will almost always be on the thinner side. Think the consistency of jelly. However if you find that the consistency isn't even that there may be issues with your culturing process.
Reasons why mesophilic yogurt is thinner than it should be:
The temperature is too low. If the temp is below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the cultures will not ferment properly and the milk will stay runny.
The temperature is too high. If the temperature is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the yogurt will ferment too fast and will also render the yogurt runny. Very high temperatures will kill the beneficial bacteria in the yogurt.
Not enough yogurt starter culture. Self explanatory.
Too much starter culture will also cause the yogurt to ferment too fast and the yogurt will not set.
Try to keep the temperature between 70-78 degrees Fahrenheit and keep your ratios consistent. The rule of thumb is 1 TBS of starter culture to 1 cup of milk. Even if your starter culture is runny, you still use that. However, it’s a guideline and you can and should experiment with what will work for you. Every starter culture is unique and is not a “one size fits all”.
Allie note: please make sure you’ve saved 2 backup cultures in your freezer before you experiment.
Like I mentioned before, mesophilic yogurt is thin. Here are a few ways you can thicken your yogurt.
Strain out whey until desired consistency. You can do this with a yogurt strainer, nut bag, or line a plastic strainer with coffee filters, pour in the yogurt, place over a bowl, and set in the fridge for a few hours. (You can use the drained whey for smoothies!)
Add powdered milk/unflavored gelatin/pectin/tapioca starch to your mixture and ferment like usual. (Not my favorite way to thicken yogurt)
Increase the fat content by either adding 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream. Allie note: in my experience, a meso will be able to stand on its side without wobbling much if cultures in half & half or cream. For my lifestyle this is the most efficient method of thickening, where I add a few splashes of one of those and it sets like a thermo.
Use whole fat milk.
Denature the proteins in the milk by heating to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and then cooling back to room temperature. Then add your cultures and ferment as usual. There is no need to keep consistent heat as its a mesophilic culture. Just be sure to bring the temperature all the way back down to 70-78 degrees before adding your yogurt cultures. You don't want to kill them.