Heres an idea I had for simplifying a milk recipe

[serenaglynn]

So tell me if its viable before I do it!
Wanted to do a plain goats milk soap, using fresh milk. The recipe I had in mind was my basic one, but adding half of the normal water content, then the lye, then the oils etc, and at the end where you would normally add fo's etc, add the rest of the liquid content - (being added as milk not water.)
Maybe this is one thing that will need an experimental batch first before i know.
I get given the goats milk frozen in bottles, so to measure it i have to defrost it, pour it from the bottle, then measure and re freeze if i were to follow a slushie recipe. Thinking that any way to simplify on this would be great.

 

[Genny]

I've seen people do it 1/2 now, 1/2 later in cp & hp. Just make sure that your lye is completely dissolved when you make your lye mixture since it might be a little harder to dissolve with less liquid up front.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Yep, that's a pretty common way of doing, and actually the way I prefer (though I use Coconut Milk, not Goats Milk)...I don't like mixing my lye directly with my milk, so I use half the liquid amount as water to make my lye solution, then at trace, add the other half of liquid amount as Coconut Milk. I have not had trouble with scorched milk or overheating doing it this way.

 

[lsg]

I do this with cow's cream. I do use more water than cream though to make sure the lye dissolves well.

 

[serenaglynn]

well thats great news! my goats milk is really thick and creamy too, so im gonna do goats milk and chocolate bars.

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

I do this with cow's cream. I do use more water than cream though to make sure the lye dissolves well.

Yes. I have done this with GM cream. It could be my imagination, but I think it makes a creamer bar. Then 100% GM as lye water.

 

[Genny]

well thats great news! my goats milk is really thick and creamy too, so im gonna do goats milk and chocolate bars.

& now I'm craving chocolate milk LOL

 

[maiseycat]

I've only done one milk soap, but this was how I did it as well. The only caution I would give is your initial trace will be faster than normal due to how concentrated the lye solution is.

 

[paillo]

Yep, that's a pretty common way of doing, and actually the way I prefer (though I use Coconut Milk, not Goats Milk)...I don't like mixing my lye directly with my milk, so I use half the liquid amount as water to make my lye solution, then at trace, add the other half of liquid amount as Coconut Milk. I have not had trouble with scorched milk or overheating doing it this way.

exactly what i do too. if i want an extra-high milk content i add powdered goat milk or buttermilk to the portion i stir in at trace.

 

[serenaglynn]

I just couldt wait and did 2 loaves..
Decided to try it another way at the last minute, by leaving out 50mls of the water and adding about 100 of the goats milk at trace, along with a large cup of oatmeal. I keep peeping at the molds and so far looks like all went like a dream. Added just a hint of Butter Bee FO.
The mixture is lovely and deep creamy, the milk didnt discolour at all, but my next recipe I want to use all milk if poss, for a soap for someone with psoriasis.

 

[serenaglynn]

 

[serenaglynn]

Keep trying to post IMG code but its not showing up/..

 

[IrishLass]

Great soaping minds think alike! This is a sign that you are a true soaper at heart! If you do a search here on the forum using the words, 'split method', you'll come up with lots of threads/posts discussing this very method.

I've tried pretty much all the different methods of milk soaping, and I must say that the split method is the only one that 'fits' me comfortably. I also do what paillo does if I want a higher concentration of milk when doing the split method- i.e I add enough powdered milk to the fresh milk to bring the entire milk concentration for my batch up to a 100% concentration.

IrishLass

 

[serenaglynn]

Hi Irish Lass, im here in the gree isle myself!

 

[Lindy]

Your pics are there and they look fantastic! Where in the Gree' Isle are you? I have friends in Dublin and elsewhere...

 

[serenaglynn]

The wild west, Mayo. Dublin would be exactly the opposite side of Ireland to us, about 3.5hr drive.

 

[green soap]

So tell me if its viable before I do it!
Wanted to do a plain goats milk soap, using fresh milk. The recipe I had in mind was my basic one, but adding half of the normal water content, then the lye, then the oils etc, and at the end where you would normally add fo's etc, add the rest of the liquid content - (being added as milk not water.)
Maybe this is one thing that will need an experimental batch first before i know.
I get given the goats milk frozen in bottles, so to measure it i have to defrost it, pour it from the bottle, then measure and re freeze if i were to follow a slushie recipe. Thinking that any way to simplify on this would be great.

If you ever wanted to make a full milk soap again, you could simplify your process. Make ice cubes out of the milk, pop them into plastic bags, and weight the frozen milk cubes as you would weigh the water. Prepare your other soap ingredients, let it get a little slushy and pour the lye in it. Stir diligently until dissolved. This is still more work then just water, but it is a little easier than what you described for your full milk process.

 

[Lindy]

Thanks SerenaGlynn.... it's a lovely country you like in.

Green Soap - I love ice cubes. It makes weighing it out so much easier as well as adding the lye.

 

[serenaglynn]

well so far so good, the proof will be when i unmold later and cut - the mixture was quite warm on going into the molds and stayed warm for quite a long time - should i have tried to cool it down faster?
Thanks for the cube tip - unfortuately my recipe calls for mls not grams or oz - does that complicate things a little?
Also hoping all that heat didnt cook my oatmeal!:-D