Fermented Baked Milk

Today I want to share with you a recipe for fermented baked milk or Ryazhenka, that’s what it’s called in Russian. It is prepared by fermenting milk after it was baked at low temperature for 6-8 hours, which gives the milk a light brown color and wonderful caramel-like flavor.

Depending on its consistency, which can be runny or quite thick, ryazhenka is something in between a drink and a dessert.

Another great thing about it, is that ryazhenka itself is a perfect ingredient for baking. If you use ryazhenka instead of milk, yogurt or buttermilk in pancakes, waffles or yeast dough it will give a delicate and unusual taste. So far, pastries made with Ryazhenka are my favorite.

Ryazhenka is an extremely simple dish to make and I will show you two ways to bake the milk.

Ingredients:

8 cups whole milk

A tablespoon of mixture of sour cream and plain yogurt for every two cups of baked milk.

The first way is to use a slow cooker.

Pour 8 cups of whole milk into a slow cooker and leave the lid slightly open to allow moisture to escape. Turn on low and leave for 8-10 hours, or until a golden crust forms. Slow cooking it on high for 4-5 hours also works well, but it’s been more convenient for me to leave it in the crock pot overnight. When the baked milk is ready let it cool for 30 minutes, then remove the crust and strain through a fine strainer into a pot.

A second way is to bake the milk in the oven.

Pour the milk into an oven-safe 9×13-inch casserole dish. Bake at 350F degrees for 4-5 hours until a golden-brown crust forms on top of the milk. When the baked milk is ready let it cool for 30 minutes, then remove the crust and strain through a fine strainer into a pot. At this point, the baked milk is very sweet with caramel notes. You can stop here, if you like, and chill for a sweet, rich milk, or continue with the fermentation.

Add a tablespoon of sour cream or buttermilk for every two cups of baked milk. I like to use a mixture of sour cream and plain yogurt. I mix it with a small amount of warm baked milk until it’s smooth in texture. Then I pour it into the pan with the remaining warm milk and mix until it has an even consistency. Sour cream cultures give it a creamier, more yogurt-like consistency. With buttermilk or kefir, you get a bit of a grainy texture and a more sour taste. Cover the pot and leave at room temperature until it thickens (anywhere from 4 to 12 hours). The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation.

Now you have a creamy, rich in flavor fermented milk that can be used immediately. Use some clean glass jars to store the Ryazhenka. It can be jars from jam or pickled vegetables, or you can use some Mason jars. Poor the final product into the jars and store it in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Fermented Baked Milk can be refrigerated for up to  2-3 weeks.