Have a tummy ache as a result of your pizza-and-donuts binging over the weekend? Have a cup of yogurt or Airan as we call it around here, and you’ll be good in no time.
Forgot to protect your little one’s face from sunburn? No worries, just slather some of the creamy white goodness and it will be gone by tomorrow.
Forgot to pick the kids up from school today? Sorry, you’re on your own on that one.
Airan is pretty versatile and definately has many different uses in our house (except for picking the kids up from school) and I’m certain you will find it of great benefit to your family as well. Everything from smoothies to recovering from sunburn, this homemade yogurt is a superb remedy to keep in the refrigerator at all times.
We call homemade yogurt Airan but I realize that in Turkey that is a slightly different drink (yogurt and ice water blended together which is delicious too). Whatever the case, homemade is always superior to store bought and this item is a staple in our refrigerator. Not only does it provide beneficial live cultures in the form of probiotics, it is also great at marinating meat because of the high-enzyme content. We also enjoy making Tuzlook (savory spicy concoction) to use as dip for chicken and raw veggies or as a straight up drink.
Pour milk into a heavy-bottom pot and set at medium-high heat. Heat milk until it reaches 180°F (80 °C) using a candy thermometer. Watch that milk closely! {Note: I typically do Airan in 1-gallon batches)
While milk is heating, combine 1 tablespoon of sour cream and yogurt containing live cultures. Set aside while milk is being prepared.
When milk is heated to 180°F, quickly take it off the heat and place in a previously prepared ice bath in the sink. Alternatively, you can take the pot off the heat and simply wait for it to cool to 110°F.
Add your sour cream & yogurt starter to the cooled milk and give it a quick whisk. 
Okay, this is where there’s division in the ‘crunchy’ community. Some claim that keeping the yogurt warm for another 24 hours is beneficial for the live bacteria and is necessary for the yogurt to innoculate. I beg to differ. I have used this method many times before and it always turns out perfect. Pour into your container(s) and let stand in the warmest location of your kitchen for 12-24 hours. Some the yogurt in the dehydrator for 12 hours at 110°F. I’ve done both methods and prefer to avoid that extra step of placing it in the dehydrator. Both turned out great, though the one that was kept warm in the dehydrator was considerably more tart than my method. 
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon whole-fat milk
- 1T organic full-fat yogurt (check the label to be sure it contains live cultures and no junk)
- 1T sour cream
Instructions
- Attach a thermometer to a heavy-bottom pot and add milk.
- Place the pot with milk over medium-high heat and heat the milk until it reaches 180°F, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming and making sure the milk does not boil over.
- Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in your sink to cool your milk by putting approximately 4 cups of ice and cold water to make 3 inches of ice water.
- While milk is heating, quickly whisk the yogurt and sour cream together to make a starter and set aside.
- If you do not have a food thermometer, keep close watch over the milk and as soon as it begins to rise, take it off the heat immediately and place in ice bath. Cool the milk to 110°F. You can test this my sticking your {clean} index finger into the center of the pot and if it's slightly warmer than warm and tolerable, then it's probably cool enough to add your live cultures. Be sure water does not get into the milk.
- Alternatively, you may simply take the milk off the heat after it reaches 180°F and set it on the counter for it to cool to 110°F.
- Add your starter to your cooled milk and whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds to be sure it's all combined.
- Pour the warm milk mixture in a 1/2 gallon jar and a small jar (1/2cup size to save as starter), close the lid, wrap it in a warm towel or blanket and set in the warmest spot in your house (for most people, that's somewhere on the kitchen counter).
- Allow the yogurt to incubate for at least 6 hours, overnight is better and 24 hours is best. The consistency should be thicker than kefir but thinner than greek yogurt.
Notes
Special equipment
Food thermometer(optional but highly suggested)
*If the milk temperature drops too low, simply return it to the heat and heat it just enough to 110F. No need to heat it all the way back to 185F.
*It is highly recommended that a food or candy thermometer be used in this recipe as using the "rise" and "index finger" method are both subjective but I have been using this method for many many years before I finally acquired a thermometer. I think if you choose to not use a thermometer, you will very quickly learn to read the milk's cues when it's time to pull it off the heat and when it's time to add the culture.
*For future Airan making, you may use 1T of Airan combined with sour cream to inocculate the next batch.
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