Homemade Coalhada: Creamy Cultured Milk
An ultra-creamy homemade coalhada made with just three ingredients and a little patience. The milk ferments gently overnight so you wake up to the authentic taste of Brazil. A fresh, thrifty dessert that is naturally full of live cultures.
🛒 Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 litre whole milk
- 2 tablespoons whole milk powder
- 1 plain whole-milk yogurt (with live cultures)
- Ground cinnamon, sugar or honey, to serve
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Directions
- 1
The night before, spoon the plain yogurt into a large deep glass dish with a lid and add the milk powder. Whisk hard until you get a smooth cream with no lumps left.
- 2
Heat the whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat, then take it off the stove and let it cool for a few minutes.
- 3
Test the temperature: dip a clean finger into the milk and count to ten without burning yourself. It should be lukewarm, never hot, or you will kill the cultures.
- 4
Pour the lukewarm milk over the yogurt mixture, straight into the dish the coalhada will set in.
- 5
Stir thoroughly so everything is evenly combined.
- 6
Close the lid tightly, then wrap the dish in several layers of newspaper to hold the warmth in for as long as possible.
- 7
Leave it to rest overnight in a warm spot, without ever moving or shaking the dish. Allow at least 6 to 8 hours.
- 8
In the morning, open the dish: the coalhada should have set to a texture close to a firm, velvety yogurt.
- 9
Serve well chilled, dusted with cinnamon and sugar, or drizzled with a little honey.
💡 Chef's Tip
The secret is warmth and stillness. Never stir or move the dish during fermentation, and keep it in a room between 20 and 25 °C. Always use whole milk and a fresh plain yogurt whose cultures are still active. If the milk is still liquid after 10 hours, the starter was too old: start again with a new yogurt. Coalhada keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
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