Turkish Yogurt Eggs (Çılbır) with Sourdough
Two bowls of garlic Greek yogurt topped with poached eggs, warm Aleppo pepper butter and dill, with toasted sourdough fingers for dipping.
Çılbır pairs poached eggs with garlic yogurt and a warm red-pepper finish. The bread belongs alongside the bowl, ready to scoop up the yogurt, egg and spiced butter together.
This two-person version uses thick Greek yogurt and gently warmed Aleppo pepper butter. Keep the heat low when making the sauce: the pepper should release its color without tasting burnt.
Turkish Yogurt Eggs (Çılbır) with Sourdough
- Makes
- 2 servings (1 bowl with 1 egg and bread each)
- Prep · estimate
- 10 min
- Cook · estimate
- 12 min
- Total · estimate
- 22 min
Ingredients
- 2 slices (120 g total) unseeded sourdough, about 1.5 cm / ⅝ inch thick
- 300 g plain Greek yogurt made with pasteurized milk
- 2 large eggs; use in-shell pasteurized eggs if serving the yolks soft
- 1 small clove (about 3 g) garlic, finely grated
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp fresh dill leaves
- ⅛ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) white wine vinegar, for poaching
- about 1 litre water, for poaching
Method
Make the garlic yogurt
Mix the yogurt, grated garlic and salt. Divide between two shallow bowls, making a small hollow in each. Set out only while you finish cooking; keep any extra yogurt refrigerated.
Prepare the poaching water
Put enough water in a wide saucepan to reach about 5 cm / 2 inches deep, using roughly 1 litre. Bring to a simmer, stir in the vinegar, then reduce the heat until only a few small bubbles rise. Crack each egg into its own small cup.
Toast the bread fingers
Toast the sourdough until golden and crisp, about 3–5 minutes, then cut each slice into broad fingers. Keep them beside the serving bowls.
Poach the eggs
Lower each cup close to the water and slide in the eggs, leaving space between them. Cook gently for about 3–4 minutes, until the whites hold their shape and are fully set. Soft yolks require in-shell pasteurized eggs. For ordinary eggs, continue poaching until both whites and yolks are firm, often another 2–3 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and let excess water drain onto a clean towel.
Warm the pepper butter
While the eggs cook, melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Remove from the heat, stir in the Aleppo pepper and let it bloom for about 20–30 seconds. If it begins to brown or smell sharp, the pan is too hot.
Finish the bowls
Place one drained egg on each portion of garlic yogurt. Spoon half the warm pepper butter around each egg, scatter with dill and serve immediately with the sourdough fingers.
Developed for home use; not kitchen-tested by Sourdough Bench. Times are estimates; use the doneness cues in the steps.
Small things that help
- Drain the eggs properly
- A wet poached egg thins the yogurt. Pause over the pan, then let the spoon rest briefly against a clean towel before transferring it.
- Use a quiet simmer
- Rapidly boiling water tears the whites apart. A wide pan with barely moving water is easier to manage than a strong whirlpool for two eggs.
Make it your own
- No Aleppo pepper
- Use ½ tsp sweet paprika plus a small pinch of mild chili flakes. Add them off the heat in the same way; hotter chili flakes need a lighter hand.
- Use olive oil instead of butter
- Warm 1 tbsp olive oil very gently, remove from the heat and stir in the pepper. This changes the richness of the sauce but keeps the garlic yogurt and poached-egg pairing.
- Skip poaching
- Use one freshly cooked egg per bowl with both white and yolk firm, halved over the yogurt. Keep the pepper butter and bread for the same bowl-style breakfast.
Make ahead & storage
Serve the eggs as soon as they are cooked. The garlic yogurt can be mixed up to 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated at 4°C/40°F or below. Keep bread separate and make the pepper butter fresh. Refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C/90°F.
Dietary notes
Ingredients to check
Contains eggs, milk and wheat. This recipe uses garlic yogurt, not a melted cheese sauce. Choose in-shell pasteurized eggs for soft yolks, or use the fully set option.
Before you start
Is çılbır the same as eggs on toast?
The eggs sit in garlic yogurt, with a warm pepper sauce, and bread is used for dipping. Sourdough is the bread choice in this version.
Will the hot butter curdle the yogurt?
Use gently melted butter, not a smoking-hot panful. Thick yogurt holds the topping well; pour a small amount around the eggs just before serving.
Can I use ordinary plain yogurt?
Yes. If it is thin, strain it in the refrigerator and weigh out 300 g after straining. A thick base keeps the egg and butter from disappearing into the bowl.
Sources & inspiration
- Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism: Çılbır
Primary cultural reference for poached eggs, garlic yogurt and red pepper. This page uses an independently written two-serving version with butter and sourdough.
- FDA: What you need to know about egg safety
Guidance on pasteurized eggs for recipes served undercooked, fully cooked eggs and immediate serving.
- FoodSafety.gov: Four steps to food safety
Preparation and refrigeration guidance for perishable ingredients.
Recipe writing and serving illustrations are created for Sourdough Bench. Inspiration credits identify the source of an idea; they do not imply that another author tested this recipe. How we publish.
