Baked milk

Baked milk
Place of origin:
Russia
Main ingredient(s):
Milk
Recipes at Wikibooks:
Baked milk
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
Baked milk

Baked milk (Russian: топлёное молоко, Ukrainian: пряжене молоко, Belarusian: адтопленае малако) is a variety of boiled milk that has been particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.^[1][2][3] It is made by simmering milk on low heat for eight hours or longer.

In rural areas baked milk has been produced by leaving a jug of boiled milk in an oven for a day or for a night until it is coated with a brown crust. Prolonged exposure to heat causes reactions between the milk's amino acids and sugars, resulting in the formation of melanoidin compounds that give it a creamy color and caramel flavor. A great deal of moisture evaporates, resulting in a change of consistency. The stove in a traditional Russian loghouse (izba) sustains "varying cooking temperatures based on the placement of the food inside the oven".^[4]

Ryazhenka

Today, baked milk is produced on an industrial scale, as is soured or fermented baked milk, traditionally known as ryazhenka (Russian: ряженка). Like scalded milk, it is free of bacteria and enzymes and can be stored safely at room temperature for up to forty hours. Home-made baked milk is used for preparing a range of cakes, pies, and cookies.

Caramelized sweetened condensed milk is a similar preparation used in home-made pastries, often prepared by prolonged heating of unopened cans of condensed milk.

See also

• Dulce de leche

References