If you don’t know what Momofuku is, it is a culinary brand established by chef David Chang in 2004 with the opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar. Now, it has restaurants all over the world with its sister bakery Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi. The first time I know Momofuku, there wasn’t even one in DC. My best friend Cherry brought me a bag of goodies from Milk Bar in NYC, knowing my enthusiasm for desserts. I was so thrilled and tried everything immediately. Disappointed. Nothing’s bad, but nothing’s good either. I couldn’t understand what the hype is about, until I went in store myself and tried their signature Cereal Milk and Cereal Milk soft serve. Life changer.
Cereal Milk, just like its name, is something so simple that you’ll ask yourself, “why I haven’t thought about it?”. I didn’t grow up eating cereals, but still, it hits right on my spot. If you like a sweet and salty combo or if you’re a fan of cornflakes, you’ll LOVE Momofuku’s Cereal Milk.
I couldn’t be happier with the end result. The best part of making Cereal Milk at home is you can adjust the sweetness level by your taste (and save money!). I seriously regret buying them in store where all you need are some cornflakes, milk, sugar and salt.
Make it. You will thank me later. Plus it’s a healthier alternative to store-bought chocolate milk – way less sugar with even more flavor! Cheers, friends!
Momofuku’s Cereal Milk Recipe Report
Yield: About 645g (2 1⁄2 cups);
Serves 4
Author: HerBakingLab
Recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi
Materials:
1. 100g (2 1⁄4 cups) cornflakes
2. 825g (3 3⁄4 cups) cold milk
3. 30g (2 tbsp tightly packed) light brown sugar
4. 1g (1⁄4 tsp) kosher salt
Procedure:
1. Heat the oven to 300°F.
2. Spread the cornflakes on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly toasted. Cool completely.
3. Transfer the cooled cornflakes to a large pitcher. Pour the milking the pitcher and stir vigorously. Let steep for 20 minutes at room temperature.
4. Strain the mixture through fine-mesh sieve, collecting the milkman medium bowl. The milkweed drain off quickly at first, then become thicker and starchy toward the end of the straining process. using the back a ladle (or your hand), wring the milk out of the cornflakes, but do not force the mushy cornflakes through the sieve.
5. Whisk the brown sugar and salt into the milk until fully dissolved. Store in a clean pitcher or glass milk jug, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.
(Notes from the cookbook: Toasting the cornflakes before steeping them deepens the flavor of the milk. Taste your cereal milk after you make it. If you want it a little sweeter, don’t be shy; add a little bit more brown sugar. If you want a more mellow cereal milk, add a splash of fresh milk and a pinch of salt.)
Observations:
1. I followed the recipe exactly and add 30g light brown sugar, which is too sweet for my taste. So I made another bottle without sugar to balance out the sweetness, which tastes perfect.
2. My advice is don’t add 30g sugar at once. Taste the milk while you’re adding sugar and stop when it tastes perfect to you. Remember the amount for future reference.
3. Don’t let the cornflakes steep too long! Or you will have less cereal milk (as the cornflakes absorbed all the milk).
Conclusion:
Make it, double the recipe, or tripe it. While I was writing this post, my mouth literally got watering again so I had to make another bottle. Every time I thought I would use the Cereal Milk to make Cereal Milk Ice Cream (recipe also on the cookbook), I somehow ended up drinking it all. It is this good.
