Goldfields farm soap
Approx. 2kg soap
For me, this makes 12 patty cases and a 1kg loaf mould or two 1kg loaf moulds. Line your mould with baking paper for easy removal. If you want to change the oils in the recipe check with a lye calculator online to measure the amount of caustic soda required. Pay particular attention to weights. Once you get over the thought of using caustic soda you will make soap regularly. I do now and love it.
Ingredients
206g sodium hydroxide (caustic soda/lye)
528g distilled or rain water
1kg olive oil (pomace)
300g sweet almond oil
300g tallow (beef dripping)
15ml sandalwood fragrance essence (optional)
2 level tbsp rose clay powder (optional)
How to make
1 Don your safety glasses, face mask and rubber gloves. Wear an apron and cover any exposed skin (including your feet). Place water in a heavy duty plastic container and stand it in an empty sink. Slowly pour the caustic soda into the water. Stir with a long-handled stainless spoon until all powder has dissolved (about 1 minute). The fumes are fierce and a lot of heat is generated by the chemical reaction. Have a good air flow and be prepared to move away from the pot quickly. 2 Leave the container in the sink and wait until the temperature is 40˚C. 3 While the caustic soda mixture is cooling, measure oils and fat into a deep stainless steel pot. Slowly heat the fats and oils to 40˚C, stirring to mix. Remove from heat.
4 Take 1 tbsp of the oil and mix with the coloured clay in a small container. Set aside. 5 When both the caustic mixture and oils are at the same temperature, very slowly pour the caustic into the oil in a thin stream. Use your long-handled stainless spoon to gently stir while you do this. Once it is combined, use your stick beater to blend the two mixtures together to make soap. The colour will lighten and the mixture will reach ‘trace’, about the consistency of thin custard. Some oils make a thicker custard consistency. 6 Add your fragrance liquid and beat until combined. 7 Pour half your mixture into the prepared mould/s. 8 Add the coloured clay to the other half left in the pot and mix well. Pour this coloured mix on top of the plain mix. You can swirl the mixture around to make a mottled effect using a knife or spoon. 9 Cover the containers with cardboard and then a thick towel or blanket. This is the gelling of the soap and it requires 12-24 hours to harden. The soap gets quite warm over this period. You don’t want it to cool too quickly so you can use a polystyrene container with a lid to hold the heat in while gelling but a blanket in a box does just as well. 10 Twelve hours later, check your soap for firmness. If it is firm enough to touch without leaving an imprint you can go ahead and cut into the size or shapes that you want. Wear gloves as the soap is still caustic at this stage. 11 Cure the soap in a cool, dry place for four weeks before using. At this time, a ph test strip should read between ph9-10. If it is still caustic (higher than ph10), leave the soap a further two weeks and test again.