Home Made Yogurt / Ev Yapimi Yogurt

Making your yogurt at home is easier than it sounds! I remember my mom making yogurt when I was a kid but I never thought I could do it here in the states. Thanks to Ozgun for her encouraging directions and efforts :).
I was lucky and my first attempt was a great success! But it might take a few tries before you know how many hours you need, how hot your milk should feel, etc. I say be patient and don't discourage yourselves! Here's how I did it by using my mom's directions as a template:

Ingredients 
1/2 gallon milk (~2lt.s) (I have used fat-free organic Trader Joe's milk
 for my first attempt, %2 fat Kroger's Milk for my second attempt! Both work just fine!)

10 table spoons of yogurt (~12 OZ = 350 gr.s) ( I've used low-fat organic Trader Joe's yogurt for my first attempt and Dannon nonfat yogurt for the second one. Both work just fine!)

 (I tried fat-free options just to see if they work. And they do :) I think it is good to choose either your milk or your yogurt low-fat, and then use the regular or fat-free options for the other one. Or you can go with regular for both milk and yogurt.. I think having milk fat in at least one item is a good thing when we are talking about yogurt! Personally, I liked it better when everything was organic. Just because it feels more organic :) But, taste wise, it works just the same with Kroger milk..)

Directions
Pour your milk into a pot that is thick at the bottom. (Thanks to Charlie for the advise! I chose the wrong type of pot for my first attempt and ended up burned milk at the bottom of my pot! Even though the yogurt was still delicious, you don't want your milk burn! )

Boil your milk and leave it on the stove to cool down a little. If you have a kitchen thermometer, you can use it to see the right temperature. (The perfect temp. for fermentation is between 45C-25C (113 F - 77F) degrees.)

If you don't have a thermometer, the best way to understand the right temperature is using your pinky! You should be able to stir the milk with your pinky. The milk should be hot enough to make you feel uncomfortable but not too hot that you can't keep your finger in.

While you are waiting for your milk to get to the right temperature, take your yogurt out of the fridge so that it won't be too cold. After you see that your milk is at the right temperature, take about 1 cup out of it to mix with your yogurt that has been sitting aside. The reason we are doing this is because we don't want our yogurt and milk have a huge difference in temperature! ..which is an important detail!. 

At this step you mix your 10 table spoons of yogurt with your cup of milk  with the rest of your milk that is in the right temperature. You can either
a).. mix them all in your pot and put the mixture into another pot for fermentation.  
or (for your storage purposes )
b) .. pour your milk into container(s) of your choice and if you are using more than one container share out your yogurt-milk mixture accordingly. (I used my old yogurt containers for this trial. Each container takes around 800ml.s of milk and I mixed it with 5 table spoons of yogurt. But first I used 1/2 cup of milk to make sure my yogurt's temperature is not too low.)


As soon as you mix your yogurt with your milk, you put the containers somewhere warm and wrap them with blankets to keep it warm for the next 4-5 hours. I put them right next to my central heating unit and use 2 blankets to keep them warm! Then put a pillow on top to seal the deal and keep the sides of my blanket together. :) Here's how I did it:

After you wrap your containers tightly, leave them in that warm place of yours for 4 to 5 hours. The place I leave them is usually around 80-100F degrees. So I keep them wrapped for 4 hours. ( The yogurt will get tangy if you keep them wrapped for too long!)
In 4-5 hours unwrap your yogurt but don't move it immediately. Let it cool for 20 min.s or so. After that 20 min.s put it on the kitchen counter or somewhere cooler than the place you left them for fermenting. As your yogurt containers feel like they are at the room temperature, put them in the fridge. Keep it in the fridge for at least 3-5 hours before serving.

Afiyet Olsun :)

My first homemade yogurt.../ Ilk ev yapimi yogurdum.. :)

Here's the yogurt I made at home... I take pride in my work! Thanks to my mom for her wonderful directions! I will share the steps next time... :)

Variations with peas and carrots.../Bezelye ve Havuc Uzerine Cesitlemeler..

As a working woman, I don't feel like cooking all the time! Frozen peas and carrots, and bell peppers come to rescue me and my diet at those times!
Here are a few variations I made up. You can add/remove / modify the recipes as you wish..

Basic Peas and Carrots

Ingredients
1/2 - 1 onion
2 -3 cups of frozen peas and carrots
olive oil
black pepper
paprika
garlic/garlic powder
oregano leaves
tomato sauce/paste (if you will use tomato paste then you'll need a cup of water)
salt

Directions
Begin with the onions. You may cut, chop or dice your onions. I don't cut them finely but everybody has a different taste.. Put your olive oil in a pot and let your onions brown a little. (If you are using real garlic, you may as well mince it and add it at this point.)
Add your tomato paste at this point if you are using tomato paste. If you will use tomato sauce, wait until you add your peas and carrots and spices. You may add half a cup of water with your tomato paste so that it wouldn't burn.
Then add your peas and carrots. I like washing them in vinegar and then rinse them with water before I add them. This gives them a little hint of the vinegar.
After you add your peas and carrots add your spices. For a spicier dish, you may use crushed red peppers. If you are using tomato sauce this is the time to pour 2-3 cups of tomato sauce and let everything come to a boil. After it comes to a boil, let it cook for 10 - 15 min.s more and your dish will be ready to eat. Afiyet olsun :)

Peas and Carrots with Potatoes

Ingredients

Ingredients for basic peas and carrots
+
1 small potato
1 cup of water

Directions

Begin with your potato. Cut your potato into small cubes and let it sit aside for a few min.s 'till you cut the onions. You may cut, chop or dice your onions. I don't cut them finely but everybody has a different taste.. Put your olive oil in a pot and let your onions brown a little. (If you are using real garlic, you may as well mince it and add it at this point.)

Add your tomato paste at this point if you are using tomato paste. If you will use tomato sauce, wait until you add your peas and carrots and spices. You may add half a cup of water with the tomato paste so that it wouldn't burn. Add your potatoes and a cup of water and let the potatoes cook for 15 min.s or so until they are soft enough to eat. Then add your peas and carrots.

After you add your peas and carrots add your spices. For a spicier dish, you may use crushed red peppers. If you are using tomato sauce this is the time to pour 2-3 cups of tomato sauce and let everything come to a boil. After it comes to a boil, let it cook for 10 min.s more and your dish will be ready to eat. Afiyet olsun :)

Peas and Carrots with Bell Peppers
Ingredients

Ingredients for basic peas and carrots
+
1 cup of red, green, yellow, orange bell pepper stripes
(I use Trader Joe's frozen bell pepper stripes!)

Directions

Begin with cutting the onions. You may cut, chop or dice your onions. I don't cut them finely but everybody has a different taste.. Put your olive oil in a pot and let your onions brown a little. (If you are using real garlic, you may as well mince it and add it at this point.)

Add your tomato paste at this point if you are using tomato paste. If you will use tomato sauce, wait until you add your peas and carrots and spices. You may add half a cup of water with the tomato paste so that it wouldn't burn.

After you add your peas and carrots, your bell peppers, and add your spices. For a spicier dish, you may use crushed red peppers. If you are using tomato sauce this is the time to pour 2-3 cups of tomato sauce and let everything come to a boil.
After it comes to a boil, let it cook for 10 -15 min.s more and your dish will be ready to eat. Afiyet olsun :)

Another variation is using beans instead of peas and carrots! The directions are the same, just use canned kidney beans instead of peas.. (and carrots..) Here is how it looks with beans:

Afiyet olsun :)