Bulgarian Yogurt Starter (Makes 1 Gal / 4 L)

This makes delicious soy yogurt that is thick, creamy, and with a consistency similar to Mexican flan. I found no need for added thickeners using soymilk (which has a higher protein content that most other non-dairy milks.) The company provides recipes for other non-dairy milks which I have not tried. (The recipe booklet was supposed to come with the starter but was missing in my order. I called the company and they promptly sent me the pdf.)Bulgarian yogurt is a thermophilic starter, which means it works better with warm milk. I simply heat the soymilk (I use TJ's organic, unsweetened, unfortified soymilk that contains only soybeans and water), cool it to the proper temperature, mix the powdered starter first in a cup of the warm soymilk, then add it to the rest of the soymilk. I pour it in a yogurt maker, let it incubate for six hours and viola, a thick, tasty non-dairy yogurt with live cultures.I found a yogurt maker for $4 at a thrift store. The company, however, provides instructions for making the yogurt without an electric yogurt maker. It uses a jar, a towel/blanket and an insulated box such as a microwave (not turned on, of course).This is a multi-use heirloom culture which means you can use some of the yogurt to start another batch. So long as you keep up with the yogurt-making so the yogurt you are using as a starter is fresh, you can make endless batches from a tiny amount of the initial culture powder. Store the starter powder in the freezer as a back-up and you won't need to buy more for a very long time. (The stated shelf-life for the package is two years.)When I was researching yogurt starters, I found most of the non-dairy yogurt starters were "direct set" starters meaning you had to use starter culture powder for each new batch of yogurt. This requires continually buying yogurt starter which can get expensive. I bought this Bacillus Bulgaricus yogurt starter seven months ago and have barely made a dent in the amount in the package. Most of the time, I just use some of the previous batch to make a new batch.I heartily recommend this yogurt starter and if I ever need more, I will buy it again.

First of all, it was ordered in the summer and sat in my mailbox for 3 days before I picked it up. This might have been a problem in killing some of the bacteria. Not sure... I don't really have anything to compare it to.That being said I ordered the one gallon and used it for a full gallon of 2% milk. After 24 hours in the incubation, it was still very very runny so I let it sit for another 12 hours.This of course made it more tangy but slightly more thick. I triple-strained it for about 4 hours, scraping the inside of the bag out so the running stuff in the middle could get to the outside of the bag periodically.This is what gave me my thick consistency and removed a lot of the runny whey. I usually do this with all of my homemade yogurt because I like it thick and with a higher protein count.Since I left it for an extra 12 hours in the incubation, it was very very tangy but I did get the consistency I was looking for finally. I should have started with a half a gallon to see if it would have worked better. The bacteria was alive and I did get yogurt, but if I had just done one gallon for 12 hours it would have been extremely runny and not set. Now I have starter for my next batch from this batch which I hope will be a little stronger and I can do my regular timing on it.*** Update!!! I have been using the starter for this yogurt now for almost a year. This is BY FAR the best yogurt! The culture got stronger each time I used it and is now a full-bodied, not tangy at all, smooth as cream, buttery yogurt. It's amazing! I've given a start to 2 family members who love it as well and my other family have ordered some. It DOES take time, but it gains strength! So glad I waited it out and kept using it! Seriously delicious and unlike anything I can find in the stores. The closest I could find was "Fage"? but this is still the BEST!

Hope this helps. This is an excellent starter BUT no directions on item for weight/amount to use for your milk quantity. So googled, found info online copied/pasted directions for your amounts here. I use a scale, didn’t like the volume measurements of 1/14 tsp for 64 ozWt of starter→ Quantity milk1 gram makes 1 Liter/quart or 32 oz1.5 grams make 2 Liters/quarts or 64 oz2 grams make 4 Liters/quarts or 1 gallon4 grams make 8 Liters/quarts or 2 gallons…. etc for the rest …6 gramsmake16 Liters/quarts or 4 gallons8 gramsmake30 Liters/quarts or 8 gallons10 gramsmake50 Liters/quarts or 14gallons13 gramsmake60 Liters/quarts or 16gallons20 gramsmake100 Liters/quarts or 26gallons25 gramsmake150 Liters/quarts or 40gallons

I've used several different yogurt starters. This is by far the best! I've been using 1/4 teaspoon and six cups of milk. It comes out nice and thick and has a wonderful taste. If you try it, I think you'll be impressed

If you're on the fence about buying this, do it! I made yogurt a couple times, using store bought yogurt as the starter, before I bought this. It turned out ok. But let me tell you that the yogurt I make with the Bulgarian yogurt culture is far superior!! Even the yogurt I make using the last batch I made (with this culture) turns out significantly better flavor, texture and consistency than using store bought yogurt as a starter. Who knows how old that store bought stuff is anyway! I definitely recommend buying this!! You only need a little bit. This has lasted me several months (I bought the 8 gallon one). I make a couple gallons of yogurt per month. Great value and quality.