Ryazhenka

Ingredients

Baked milk

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 200 mldouble cream

To culture

• 3 tbsplive ryazhenka or plain yoghurt, as starter

To serve

• on its own, cold
• or with honey and bread

Directions

1. Pour the milk and cream into a heavy ovenproof pot — a clay pot if you have one, which is what a Russian stove would have used.
2. Bake uncovered at 100°C (212°F) for five to six hours. Do not stir at any point.
3. A brown skin will form on the surface. Each time it does, press it gently back down under the milk with a spoon rather than removing it. Those skins are where the colour and the caramel flavour come from, and skimming them off throws away the whole point of the dish.
4. The milk will reduce by about a fifth and turn a deep beige, and it will smell of caramel. That slow browning is the Maillard reaction, and it cannot be rushed at a higher temperature without scorching.
5. Cool it to 40°C (104°F) — warm on the wrist.
6. Loosen the starter with a ladle of the warm baked milk, stir it back through, then cover and wrap in a towel.
7. Leave undisturbed somewhere warm for six to eight hours until set. Do not move it while it sets.
8. Chill for at least four hours and serve cold, plain or with honey. It keeps five days, and three spoonfuls will start the next batch.

Technique

• Six hours at 100°C (212°F), not two hours hotter. The colour comes from time, and higher heat scorches rather than caramelises.
• Press the skins back in rather than skimming them off.
• It is naturally sweeter than yoghurt without any sugar — that is the baked milk, not an addition.

Substitutions

• A slow cooker on low overnight in place of the oven, which works well.
• Any live plain yoghurt as a starter.
• Whole milk without the cream, for a lighter ryazhenka.

Variations

• Varenets is a close relative, baked and soured with sour cream instead.
• The baked milk alone, topleonoe moloko, is drunk without culturing.

History

Milk baked slowly in a Russian stove until it browns, then soured with cream; the clay-oven method predates industrial dairies.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ryazhenka?

Ryazhenka is a cheese & dairy from Russia: fermented baked milk, beige and mildly caramelised. Milk baked slowly in a Russian stove until it browns, then soured with cream; the clay-oven method predates industrial dairies.

How long does Ryazhenka take to make?

Ryazhenka takes 10 min plus 6 hours baking and 8 hours souring of preparation and 6 hours of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 1.2 litres. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ryazhenka?

Yes, within limits. A slow cooker on low overnight in place of the oven, which works well. Any live plain yoghurt as a starter. Whole milk without the cream, for a lighter ryazhenka.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ryazhenka?

Bake uncovered at 100°C (212°F) for five to six hours. Do not stir at any point.