Matsoni yoghurt starter culture | for home made yoghurt

Matsoni is a mesophilic yoghurt with a somewhat thin, custard-like texture with notes of honey. Make it yourself with our Matsoni starter culture!

What is yoghurt?

Yoghurt, also spelled yogurt, yogourt or yoghourt, is a foodproduct produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as yoghurt cultures. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yoghurt its texture and characteristic tart flavor.  Cow’s milk is commonly available worldwide and, as such, is the milk most commonly used to make yoghurt. Milk from water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels, yaks and plant milks are also used to produce yogurt. The milk used may be homogenized or not. It may be pasteurized or raw. Each type of milk and each type of starter produces substantially different results.

What is matsoni?

Matsoni, also known as Caspian Sea yoghurt, is a mesophilic yoghurt with a somewhat thin, custard-like texture with notes of honey. For a mesophilic yoghurt, it is relatively acidic, but as a whole still quite mild. The structure is soft. It is mostly eaten in Georgia and Armenia.

As a fermented milk culture, it has many health benefits, including live probiotics and easily digestible nutrients from the milk (including lactose).

Similar to:

Caspian Sea yoghurt

Mesophilic. No yoghurtmaker needed

You make this yoghurt at room temperature, no yogurt maker or the like is needed. Just ferment on your countertop.

Content Matsoni starter culture

• 2 gram of heirloom mesophilic dry yoghurt starter
• Enough for the rest of your life
• Produced in the Bulgaria
• Allergens: milk
• Contents: milk, starter cultures

Micro-organisms Matsoni starter culture

Live active lactic acid cultures of Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Streptococcus Thermophilus, Lactococcus Lactis, Lactococcus Cremoris.

Why a dried matsoni yoghurt starter culture?

• dried starters have a long shelf life
• easy to ship / take with you, also abroad
• does not deteriorate due to transport
• light in weight (shipping costs)
• you can buy the starter even if you do not intend to make yoghurt immediately
• you can save a part in case the quality of your fresh yoghurt deteriorates
• after activation, the effect of dried yoghurt as a starter is identical to fresh yoghurt

Storage instructions

In the fridge or freezer. Save the dried yoghurtstarter in a ziploc bag after use, or vacuum-sealed. The starter is highly hydrophilic – if moisture gets into the package, the quality will deteriorate. Shelf life is at least a year in the freezer, but probably longer.

How to activate your matsoni yoghurt starter culture

1. Let a cup (200 ml) of milk warm up to room temperature (around 76°F / 24°C) on its own, if using pasteurized milk, or if using raw milk, bring the milk a boil then let a cup of it cool down to room temperature on its own.
2. Add the starter from the pack to the milk and stir until it dissolves.
   Note: Do not whisk. Whisking introduces air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation.
3. Cover the jar with a lid or a towel to keep the milk clean from dust and airborne particles. Towel is maybe better because it allows air to still go in, which speeds up activation a bit.
4. Let the milk sit for about 24 hours and then check if it has set (firmed up).
   Note: Milk has set if it separates somewhat cleanly from the sides of the jar when you tilt the jar. Some mesophilic yogurts will be slimy so separation might look messy but you will clearly notice change in consistency.
5. If it hasn’t set in 24 hours, then keep it going and check every 2-4 hours until it sets. Some mesophilic cultures may take up to 72 hours to set depending on the ambient temperature and other conditions in your environment.

How to make matsoni yoghurt

1. Add your activated starter (the cup of yogurt from the previous step) to a liter (or up to 4 liters) of milk. Do this in a single container so all the starter can mix evenly with all the milk. The milk can be room temperature or cold, straight from the fridge.Stir gently until the active starter dissolves.
   Note: Do not whisk. Whisking introduces air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation.
2. Distribute the milk into culturing containers (1L mason jars work best).
3. Cover the jars, the same way as in the activation step, and leave them at room temperature for 12-48 hours until the yogurt has set. It will now set much faster than before. It will also be much yummier!
   Note: If your environment is warmer, the yogurt will set faster. So check it after 12 hours then check every 2-4 hours to make sure it has set. As in the previous step, the yogurt is set if it separates somewhat cleanly from the sides of the jar when you tilt the jar. Some mesophilic yogurts will be slimy so separation might look messy but you will clearly notice change in consistency. Also, keep in mind that mesophilic yogurts are naturally thinner than thermophilic yogurts so be prepared for a viscous or slimy consistency.
4. Move it to the fridge and keep it there for at least 2 hrs before eating it. Cooling the yogurt will help it thicken and improve its taste.
   Enjoy!

Sometimes a dried yogurt starter needs a second ‘fermentation round’ to get its full potential. This means using a spoonful of the first batch to start a second. The second batch will be better.

Fail Proof Matsoni Making Instructions

Use this method if you have difficulties getting good results with the traditional method or would like to get your results faster, try this fail-proof manual method instead.

This is a fail proof manual method that you can use with mesophilic cultures to get your yogurt to turn out faster compared to when using the traditional mesophilic method.

This method relies on keeping the milk warm during incubation, which speeds up the process by making the culturing environment more beneficial to the development and procreation of the lactic acid bacteria.

1. Heat up the milk to just over 167°F / 75°C (not needed if you use UHT milk)
2. Set aside a cup from the milk
3. Keep the rest of the milk in the container you heated it (or distribute it to the culturing containers – 1L mason jars work best)
4. When the milk in the cup is at 86°F / 30°C (it will feel lukewarm to the touch), add the starter from the pack to it then gently stir it until it dissolves, about a minute
   Note: You are adding the starter to the milk in cup, not to the milk in the containers!
5. When the rest of the milk (in the containers) is ready, at around 90°F / 32°C, distribute the milk from the cup (the one with the starter) to the jars, proportionally to their volume.
6. Gently stir the milk in the jars.
   Note: At no time whisk. Whisking introduces air bubbles into the milk and that slows down incubation.
7. Place a blanket in your microwave (or oven). Microwaves and ovens are thermo-insulated and minimize the loss of heat.
8. Place the jars in the microwave on the blanket.
9. Loosely cover the jars with their lids or a towel.
10. Cover with and wrap around another blanket or a large towel. Make sure the blankets are covering the jars from all directions to minimize heat loss. This will make sure jars stay warm all throughout the incubation process.
11. Leave overnight (about 8 hours). Check if yogurt has set, if it hasn’t (different mesophilic strains have different incubation times so some may take twice that time), leave it for a couple of more hours, and keep checking a couple of hours apart, until it sets.
    Note: The yogurt is set if it separates somewhat cleanly from the sides of the jar when you tilt the jar. Some mesophilic yogurts will be slimy so separation might look messy but you will clearly notice change in consistency. Also, keep in mind that mesophilic yogurts are naturally thinner than thermophilic yogurts so be prepared for a viscous or slimy consistency.
12. Move to the fridge and keep there for at least 2 hrs before eating it. Cooling the yogurt will help it thicken and improve its taste.
13. Enjoy!

Buying a Matsoni starter culture?

Order your Matsoni starter culture at startercultures.eu, the European webshop for all your fermentation needs. By Meneer Wateetons, renowned Dutch fermentation expert and author. Order on weekdays before  3 pm and we’ll ship the same day.  Questions on the usage of the vegan cheese starter kit? Ask them in our chat, we’ll here to help!

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