Making your own yoghurt is incredibly satisfying, and with UHT milk you can skip the heating step entirely, making it wonderfully simple. You’ll achieve a thick, creamy texture without any fuss. If using fresh milk, a brief heat treatment helps with thickness and sterilisation, but UHT milk makes this optional.

THICK AND CREAMY YOGHURT

Ingredients

(makes about 1.5 litres )

• a 1.5 litre container that fits your fridge and the place where you will be incubating the yoghurt, this is set and stored in this container
• 1.4 litre UHT milk (so much easier than using fresh milk)
• 1 cup whole milk powder
• 1 sachet starter culture (such as Yogourmet starter with probiotics – from Amazon)

Method

1. This relies on having an oven that can be set at 40C, a warming drawer may have a yoghurt setting, or a yoghurt maker.
2. Prepare containers: Use a glass dish with an airtight lid that fits in your  oven. When culturing, let the lid sit on top without being sealed. Sterilise all containers in the dishwasher or an oven at 100°C with steam.
3. Combine milk and powder: Add 1 cup of milk powder to 1 litre of UHT milk. Whisk thoroughly with a stick mixer until completely combined.
4. Add starter culture: Once the milk mixture is combined add the yoghurt powder sachet, blitz briefly, just enough to combine.
5. Incubate: Pour into the prepared dish and top up with the remaining milk, just full enough that the lid will go on later, and cover with the lid (unsealed). Place in a warming drawer, oven, or combi steam oven set to 40°C. Culture for 8 – 12 hours. The longer it ferments, the tangier the yoghurt will be. It’s not unusual for me to set the oven to turn off after 10 hours and go to bed. It is fine in the morning.
6. Chill and set: Transfer carefully to the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. A layer of cream may form on top—this is normal. Avoid stirring the warm yoghurt.
7. During the week just scoop off whatever yoghurt you are using from one end. You will notice that whey is forming in the bottom, tip this off and use on breakfast or in smoothies. By the end of the week the last 1 cup of yoghurt has thickened and can be used in labneh or tzatziki/raita.

Notes

UHT versus fresh milk: UHT milk has already been ultra-high temperature processed, so heating is unnecessary. Simply whisk the powder in and fculture. If using fresh milk, heat to 82–86°C, cool to below 42°C (whisking occasionally helps), then proceed from step 3. A skin may form as it cools—whisk it back in.

Oven alternatives: This works in any oven capable of maintaining a low temperature around 40–42°C. A dedicated yoghurt maker, warming drawer, or combi steam oven all work well. Avoid incubators that only run for 6 hours if you prefer 8-hour fermentation.

Storage: Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can use a spoonful of this batch to culture your next batch, or use fresh starter sachets.

Thickness: The combination of milk powder and longer fermentation at lower temperature produces a naturally thick yoghurt. If you prefer it thinner, use less milk powder or reduce fermentation time or just stir in the whey each day.