Sour milk is fermented, a probiotic-rich dairy product that can be made easily from fresh milk. Many recipes call for sour milk; sometimes, it is also used as a substitute for buttermilk. It may not taste exactly like buttermilk, but it will provide the acidity that a recipe may require for baking.
However, milk that has gone sour on its own is not considered safe to use, so how to make sour milk by using fresh milk?
Well, it is very easy to make sour milk from fresh milk at home. You will just need two ingredients to make sour milk; lemon juice or vinegar and milk. To make one cup of sour milk, take one measuring cup of fresh milk and add one tablespoon vinegar or squeeze half fresh lemon; you may also use bottled lemon juice instead. Stir the liquid completely, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature, and get soured.
The above procedure is termed acidification, a quick and easy way to make sour milk. However, another process to get sour milk is fermentation, which is a lengthier procedure. This process requires a starter culture and several hours of incubation in a controlled temperature environment.
How is sour milk made?
Sour milk can be made by using two processes; acidification or fermentation. You can add any acid, lemon, or vinegar to fresh milk to make sour milk in acidification.
Lemon Juice and Milk: to make sour milk with lemon juice, you will need to have a cup of fresh milk and then squeeze a half lemon into it and stir it. After, leave this liquid for about 15 minutes and get it soured.
Vinegar and milk: if you are using vinegar to make sour milk, you will still follow the same steps as above. Take one cup of milk, add one spoon of white vinegar, stir it and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature. You can also use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar in order to get flavored sour milk.
You can use warm milk if you want to make sour milk quickly.
If you want to make your sour milk quickly, then the above two steps are suggested; however, fermentation is the lengthier procedure to make sour milk which takes about 24 hours to turn the milk into fermented or sour milk.
How do you ferment fresh milk?
Fermentation is a process in which milk is fermented with a specific kind of bacteria called Lactobacilli. In this process, the bacteria partially digest the milk, making it easier to digest, especially for those who have milk allergies or are lactose intolerant. Fermentation also increases the shelf life of milk. Fermented milk is also very popular in countries like Japan.
However, milk fermentation is a simple process in which you will have to add a teaspoon of kefir grains to a cup of fresh milk. Then, stir it over the cup and let it sit for about 24 hours at room temperature. During this time, the healthy bacteria and kefir grains will ferment the milk.
As the milk ferments, it changes from liquid to dense solid consistency. Many people think that yogurt is the only end product of this process; however, it is not true as fermentation can give several products such as buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, ropy milk, and sour cream.
Fermented milk possesses lots of health benefits, and many people drink it to get its health benefits. It proves helpful for gastrointestinal disorders, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and also for many other conditions.
What can I do with my sour milk?
Sour milk contains a useful bacteria called Lactic Acid, which proves very helpful for human health in many ways. Lactic acid helps stimulate the functions of various digestive glands, which means it fosters the digestive process. Consuming sour milk helps to improve the functions of the intestines and prevent constipation. Moreover, sour milk has been used as a major ingredient in most recipes. Some of the ways to use sour milk are given below;
Baking: sour milk is very helpful for baking; this is because the acidic content of the milk reacts with the baking soda in the ingredients. Sour milk proves a good replacement for buttermilk, sour cream, or even yogurt. You can use sour milk in pancakes, biscuits, waffles, and cakes to give them a fluffy texture.
Cooking: you can also use sour milk to the dishes that have a creamy, cheesy consistency, such as potato bakes, casseroles, and seafood stews.
You may also use sour milk to tenderize meat such as chicken and fish. Moreover, you can also soak barely wheat barriers and faro in sour milk.
Skincare: another beneficial use of sour milk is that it can also be used for skincare that works as Lactic Acid Facial. Rubbing sour milk on your skin will help you to make it smoother, tighter, and firmer.
Gardening: sour milk can also be used to increase the calcium content of the soil. You can dilute the sour milk with water and pour it into your garden bed. This is more helpful for tomato plants.
Pet foods: you can also mix sour milk into the feed for cats, dogs, and hens
