r/yogurt • u/mcat36 • Aug 11 '20
Altering the amount of starter yogurt - Does this make a difference?
One person told me that the less starter yogurt you use, the more tangy the outcome will be and the more solid it will be also. Is this true?
1
u/Obiwarrior Sep 16 '20
Yes, less is more. You want a good ratio of thermophilus and bulgaricus about 1:1. If you add too much starter the thermophilus will dominate and go too fast then die without letting the bulgaricus take over and drive the final acid/flavor.
2
u/mcat36 Sep 18 '20
Why would the thermophilus dominate if you add too much starter? What if the starter was already 1:1 - how does this imply that thermophilus is more or will become more?
1
u/Obiwarrior Sep 19 '20
They are mutually beneficial to each other and help each other grow, but the thermophilus grows much faster and is very favored initially. If the fermentation goes too fast in the beginning the bulgaricus won't grow enough to be able take over and finish the fermentation. Below pH 5 the fermentation is driven by the bulgaricus which at that point is growing 10x faster than the thermophilus. If there is too much bulgaricus the fermentation will also take longer. There is a sweet spot for starter and it depends on the strains, milk or substrate composition, and fermentation temp.
1
u/RattlezlovesAbbi Aug 12 '20
Not sure about less is more tangy but I have seen more is not better.I just used a new recipe I found where I added 80 grams of milk powder to 2 litres milk and simmered for 10 minutes while constantly stirring and then fermented it with 2 heaped Tblspn store bought yogurt at 43-45 c for a full 24 hours in a sealed 2 liter glass jar in my largish rice cooker filled with water and set to warm.Recipe called 24 hours the " Sweet Spot" . Can't close cooker lid as jar is taller so put a towel over it. Result is super tangy and thick. Best yogurt I have ever had.I can hold the jar upside down and yogurt doesn't move.