Milk has no equal among all currently known products—a product which is perfectly composed and combined by nature itself. The main advantage of milk is precisely in the ideal and most favorable ratio of nutrients. Milk itself is a whole kingdom of the food world! You may ask me why do people convert milk into other foods if it is so perfect? First, to preserve milk because it 
quickly turns sour. Secondly, people simply cannot consume a lot of milk. Thirdly, a person needs a variety of flavors, and there are a lot of different dairy products that provide us the richest flavor range. In such a varied form, milk can be consumed in significant quantities and for a long time without becoming bored. People have managed to make so many derivative products from milk which is no less surprising than the synthesis of milk. Butter, hundreds of types of cheeses, sour cream, cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, and dozens of other dairy products, often unique, unusual, were created by peoples over the centuries.
We use milk from various animals – cows, goats, sheep, yaks, mares, donkeys, antelopes, camels. We can produce literally hundreds of dairy products that differ from one another. The only pity is that many of them have a narrow geographic area of distribution. We usually use only a tiny fraction of the international dairy menu. Due to different geographical and historical conditions, different peoples have developed their own methods and techniques of dairy products. This further expanded their range.
Today I want to introduce you to a unique dairy product that is practically unknown in non-Slavic countries. It’s baked or slow-cooked milk. Making this kind of milk takes us back to the days when food had to be prepared in order to prolong its storage. As a result, in Slavic cuisine, people often used this method of keeping milk for a long time in a cooling stove oven. Nowadays, baked milk is prepared merely for the sake of its unusual, pleasant caramel taste and useful qualities.
Baked milk is better absorbed by the body than boiled or raw milk, so it might be good for people with diabetes mellitus, people with chronic intestinal diseases suffering from any form of allergy (except for lactose allergy). But before drinking baked milk, please be sure to check it with your doctor. If a person is allergic to lactose or milk sugar or has a lactose deficiency or individual intolerance of this product, in this case, it is better to refrain from drinking such kind of milk.
Baked milk differs from pasteurized milk by its high-fat content, calcium, and iron. It contains vitamins A, C, D, E, PP; B vitamins; beta carotene; trace elements: sodium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium. One hundred grams of the drink contains proteins – 2.9 g, fats – 4 g, carbohydrates – 4.7 g. Due to the evaporation process, it becomes more concentrated. It is perfect if you have milk from your own farm. If not, just take some regular store-bought pasteurized milk with fat content according to your taste but without the presence of any food additives.
It is really simple to make baked milk in the cooling stove oven. In a nutshell, you just need to put milk there, and after 12 hours, you can get an incredibly fragrant cream-colored drink with a caramel taste. Just pour milk into a clay pot and put it in the oven. Be sure to cover the pot with a lid not to let it evaporate very much and to receive a thick dark crust instead of a tasty foam on top. Pour milk no more than 2/3 of the pot to avoid spilling it out. The good news is that these days you can also make it in a slow cooker as well as in a thermos or a pressure cooker. When you use a regular gas or electric oven, keep the temperature at around 100 C. The drink is ready when a brown foam appears on top, and the milk itself turns light brown with small droplets of fat on the surface. The longer you keep the milk in the oven, the richer it will become in taste.
You may drink it right away or store it in the refrigerator for several days. But that is not all! Wiping your face with a cotton pad dipped in warm baked milk can replace the use of nourishing cream. To care for oily hair, whisk the yolk and the whites in lukewarm baked milk in turn and then add a drop of olive oil. Apply the mask to hair and scalp, leave it on for 30 minutes and rinse with cool water.
Next time I will tell you about another very healthy dairy product that can be prepared out of baked milk.
