TheGecko, I opted not to refrigerate/freeze this time, since it never got above room temp, and I naively thought it would continue to not get above room temp sitting in the mold. Imagine my surprise when I saw the very clear signs of advancing gel phase! (Honestly, it was kind of enchanting to witness.) I can't wait for my new stick blender and other materials to arrive so I can start playing and experimenting and tweaking variables. I will definitely try to stop gel phase in one of my future batches and see how it turns out.
I still admit to some powerful curiosity about sun curing, even if it is just for a few days and rotating the bars. If I experiment with it, I will let y'all know how it turns out in the short run and in the long run.
Goat milk is naturally homogenized. The cream does not rise to the top the way it does in unprocessed cow milk. It will very very slowly rise to the top, taking a week or more to show signs of cream gathering, but even then, only part of the cream is rising. Then you have to beat the hell out of it to separate the butterfat and buttermilk. It is a lot of effort for just a tiny bit of fat. I guess it is just not nearly enough to make soap on its own.
