Ask Allie!
Ask Allie is our advice column, where you can ask all your food-related questions to get digestible answers! No question is off limits!
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Yogurts tend to be thicker and creamier using UHT than pasteurize, is that right?
Even the thermophils one prefers temp 100F? I thought it should be around 104-115F? I live in the capital of the Philippines and our temp is around 84-90F, not good for mesophils and thermophils.
— Annlyn
That’s correct.
115F will kill most yogurts, and while the vast majority can deal with up to 110, they’re usually not all that happy outside the 90-100 range. You’re right; Manila is WAY too hot for mesophils, though if you have some form of cooling in your home it would still be fine to do, but it’s fine for thermos since you’d either be using an appliance, an oven warmed w/ light, or a cooler.
I am activating the thermophilic German quark yogurt (I am using a yogurt maker). After the first batch, the consistency is more of a liquid yogurt and the taste is a bit bitter. Could you please tell me if it is the correct taste and consistency?
— Tiago
It’s completely normal for the first batch or two to be more liquid, but the bitterness does not make sense to me. This is generally a thick, creamy, mellow flavored culture. Make sure you’ve got your temps low enough (90-100F) and keep on with it, since it should take 3 batches for activation to be completed. Do those activation batches no less often than every 24 hours.
In one of the comments on the sourdough bread, you said to email for a gluten free recipe. Can I get a copy of that recipe?
— Merie
These are the GF SD loaves we have up in the blog; I hope this helps!
