HP with fresh goat milk?

[adoptapitbull]

I'm going to try some HP soap today. I'm afraid that all the heat will burn the milk in my recipe. Should I make it 1/2 milk, 1/2 water, and mix the water with the lye, then add the milk later? I don't care so much about color, as I expect it to be a brownish color. I just don't want burned milk. Suggestions? Crock pot over stove? Oven over crock pot? Want to make some this afternoon, so all input would be appreciated!

 

[MeadowHillFarmCT]

I made HP in crock pot for the first time last weekend and used 100% goat milk. The first batch I let it gel on its own without any stirring (let the island melt on its own). I did notice a caramelized color... The second batch I stirred through the whole process and noticed less but the end result was about the same.

I really didn't notice burnt milk.

 

[oh2bejoy]

I have done it both ways (1/2 water to dissolve the lye, then add milk later; all milk to dissolve the lye), and have never burned or scorched a batch. But the soap does come out lighter if I add the milk later.

 

[adoptapitbull]

Do you keep your temps lower than if you hadn't used milk? Or just proceed the same way?

I might do a half coffee/half milk batch first to see the effect on a half milk batch and go from there. My crock pot did seem to almost burn the milk when I was rebatching, but I think that was because I just poured straight milk into the soap chunks. It wasn't incorporated fully as it would be in fresh soap.

Here goes nothing!

 

[adoptapitbull]

Success! Made a coffee soap that is to die for. I love that I could test it right away! I think I like HP!

 

[MeadowHillFarmCT]

where are the pictures??? Did you use all milk? I am interested in your process. I think I over cooked mine...

 

[oh2bejoy]

I used to use the low setting on the crockpot, but it was just way too hot. I start it off on low (when melting the solid oils, and then just to get everything going), but then I move the temperature to the warm setting, which is about 170 degrees, according to my laser thermometer.

I do this for both goat milk and my vegan-friendly soap. I don't cook so much with my crockpot anymore. When I am at my boyfriend's house in San Diego, I use the oven, because I could make 6 pound batches. When I am in Pasadena, my oven doesn't work, so now I cook it using the double broiler method. I have been using this method for about 3 weeks now, and my soap has been turning very nicely.

But if you ask me, I like the oven method the best, because I feel the heat is steady and even and the pot the soap is in is heated evenly from all directions. With the crockpot, there is a spot that heats up my soap much more quickly than the rest of the crockpot.

I am glad your crockpot soap turned out great! Yaaaaaay!!!!

 

[adoptapitbull]

I did mine on the stove and I thought it was so EASY!

Just a whole bunch of stirring and maybe 45 minutes later, my soap was done. I waited about 3 hours to cut, and it even cut like a dream!

I used 1/2 strong coffee and 1/2 milk mixed with the lye.

When it was looking like mashed potatoes, I added coffee grounds (LOVE!), cinnamon EO, and cocoa powder. I didn't know what else to scent it with since I had hoped the coffee scent would come through. The cinnamon works quite well, actually. I love, love, love the scrubby coffee grounds. I believe I may be obsessed with scrubby soap

I'll post pics later on today....if I have any left! lol J/K

 

[adoptapitbull]

And a pic...


...that does not work. Oh well, I'll mess with it later.