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    Home » Recipes » Plain Culture

    Mattie's Homemade Lye Soap

    Published: Mar 21, 2016 · Updated: Mar 21, 2016 by Kevin Williams | Leave a Comment

    Mattie Stutzman's homemade lye soap

    Mattie Stutzman's homemade lye soap

    By Kevin Willias

    Since Gloria's column this week touched upon homemade soap, I thought I'd share an Amish recipe for this special soap.  Even if you don't try it at home, the recipe is still interesting to read.

    These are instructions on how to make bars of homemade lye bar soap from Mattie Stutzman, an Amish homemaker in Sinking Spring, Ohio  It's a long, involved process, but worthwhile if you can stick with it!

    Cautions:

    Lye is caustic until it is cured and fumes should not be inhaled. Protective gloves and

    safety goggles should be worn when working with lye or lye solutions as chemical burns

    can occur on the skin, mucous membranes, and even the throat and lungs. The work area

    must be very well ventilated. Lye soap should be made outside, but if it is to be made

    inside, a fan and open window are highly desirable.

    Vinegar should be kept handy during lye soap-making to neutralize any splashes or spills

    of lye, lye water, or uncured soap, which are extremely alkaline.

    No copper, tin, or aluminum materials can be used for this process as a dangerous

    chemical reaction can occur. Materials used to make lye soap should only be used for

    making soap and should never be reused for food preparation or other uses. Items should

    be clearly marked for soap-making only and kept stored safely when not in use. Anything

    the lye or lye water or uncured soap touches are then caustic.

    Ingredients should be measured carefully, as mistakes can cause the saponification

    process to fail and the soap may be unusable.

    Ingredients

    1 quart water

    12 ounces lye (100% sodium hydroxide), containing no dark spots, which are undesirable

    heavy metals

    2 ½ quarts clean lard or tallow, melted

    Materials

    2-quart or larger crock, Pyrex measuring cup (must be Pyrex as non-tempered glass will

    break), or heavy plastic pitcher

    Wooden stirring spoon or heat-resistant rubber or silicone spatula

    Container to hold stirring utensils that have touched lye

    2 candy thermometers

    Clean a dish pan or other plastic storage container that is about 12 quarts capacity. Clear

    works best so you can see if there are spots where the lye has failed to combine properly

    with the fat.

    Lid for the container, which does not have to be tight-fitting

    Towels or blanket to keep the soap warm for a few days

    Essential oil or soap-making scent, if desired

    Knife to cut the soap after it has set up, before it has cured

    Put 1 quart of water in the crock, Pyrex cup, or plastic pitcher. Add 12 ounces of lye and

    stir gently, being careful not to cause any splashes, until the lye is dissolved.

    IMPORTANT: The lye must be poured into the water, and never the other way around.

    Let the lye water stand until lukewarm, 90 to 95 degrees F. Let the melted fat stand until

    lukewarm or no more than 100 degrees F. These temperatures must be reached

    simultaneously. If the fat is not cooling quickly enough, it can be placed in a sink of cold

    or iced water. If the fat cools too much before the lye water is ready, it can be rewarmed

    on the stove. Once both substances are the correct temperature, pour the lard or tallow in

    the large dishpan or plastic storage container. Pour the lye water slowly into the fat while

    stirring and continue stirring constantly for about 15 minutes to 1 hour. When the soap is

    ready to set up, it will “trace” and the track of the spoon will stay evident in the mixture.

    At this point, a few drops of essential oil or soap fragrance can be stirred in if desired.

    Once the soap traces, the container should be covered and wrapped in a towel, blanket, or

    even old pillows to slow the cooling process so the soap won't separate. The container

    should not be disturbed for at least 24 hours. The soap can be checked about every half-

    hour after the stirring has stopped to see if it is ready to be cut. To be cut, the soap should

    have attained a firm, butter-like consistency. A sharp knife should be used to cut the soap

    into bars. The soap is still caustic at this time, so avoid contact with skin.

    All equipment should be washed immediately. The containers should be rinsed well in

    warm water to remove all traces of soap, lye, and fat, and then washed in warm soapy

    water.

    After 24 hours, look through the sides of the container. All surfaces of the soap should

    appear solid. The bars should be hard and easily removed from the plastic container, but

    in some cases this process may take up to 3 days. Many factors affect the length of time

    the soap takes to harden. The bars are ready to be turned out of the container when they

    do not accept finger indentations (use gloves to test). In a cool place on white freezer

    paper, white plastic mesh, or other clean white surface, stack or space the bars with open

    spaces in between to allow good airflow. The bars should be allowed 2 to 3 weeks to cure

    before use. The longer the curing period, the harder the soap. If the soap is allowed to

    cure for 3 to 4 weeks, the bars are safe to be wrapped in paper if desired.

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    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

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