Lard Recipe

[FrayGrants]

I want to make a lard soap as I have used it in the past and I liked the qualities that it gave my soap, other than the smell.

I was thinking of doing a bar with 75% lard, 20 CO, and 5 castor. Does that sound pretty good?

Finally what is the trace time like on a high lard bar as I might throw in some different colors if it isn’t too fast.

Just let me know, Thanks!!!

 

[AliOop]

That's one of my very favorite recipes! Lard is super slow-tracing, so unless you are working at high temps, or using a naughty FO, you should have plenty of time to make any design you'd like. Show us how it turns out, please!

 

[FrayGrants]

I didn’t know that it was a common recipe. I just chucked some values into the old soapcalc. I almost always use 5 castor and I usually don’t go very high on coconut, but I figured that the lard would offset it.

Glad to hear that it is already an established recipe. I will give it a go and I will post some pics, but don’t expect much as my design skills aren’t great.

I often just throw some colors in there and hope for the best, but somehow it always turns out nice because I am not going for any particular design.

I don’t think design will ever be my thing and I am completely okay with that, because they always turn out better than I expected, even if they’re white!!!

 

[AliOop]

I don't know that it is an "established" recipe per se, but it is one I use often. I love lard bars. I'm also not really skilled at designs. I give them a whirl in our monthly SMF challenges, but otherwise, it's mostly drop swirls or ITPS for me.

 

[Ladka]

High lard batter will give you plenty of time for any patterning and will take much of your time to make it come to trace.

 

[Carly B]

Lard soap lover here. But if you don't need the additional time lard gives you,
you might consider tallow or a lard/tallow blend. All three are wonderful.

 

[DeeAnna]

Your recipe is similar to one I like -- I normally use in the realm of 80-85% lard with the rest being coconut oil. I don't use castor, but there's no reason not to -- just my preference nowadays.

Lard tends to slow trace, all other things being equal. WIth the way I make soap, I'd expect a recipe like this to give me 15-20 minutes of working time. That's almost too long if the design I'm doing needs a thicker batter for best appearance. But I won't complain -- too much time is way better than too little!

I've found my 80-85% lard batches need a bit longer cure to really be at their best for lather. But if you have the patience to wait for these bars to "grow up" I think you'll find they're really nice.

 

[AliOop]

Agreed on the longer cure time for high-lard bars. Six weeks is minimum for me, but eight is better.

 

[Quilter99755]

I have lard in almost every soap I make. Love it. At one time I tested a bunch of FO's with a recipe of 80% lard and 20% Coconut Oil. The testing was a total bust, but it turned out the soap is now my grandson's favorite one. So once a year or so I make a whole batch just for him. Last time I sent some home with him he asked if I could cut it a little thicker. "It will fit my hand better, Grandma." So the next batch will be cut in thicker bars!

 

[DeeAnna]

A lot of the soap I make has around 50% lard plus a modest amount of coconut oil and high oleic oils like avocado and/or high oleic sunflower. This blend matures faster than the 80-85% lard recipes, which is why I take this tack. But if I'm in the mood to wait, the 80-85% lard batches are truly nice.