Lab recipebeginnerdraft
Dulce de leche from milk and sugar
Also searched as: dulce de leche, milk caramel, caramel spread, confiture de lait
In short: Milk and sugar are reduced for hours until a brown caramel cream forms. A pinch of baking soda speeds up the browning.
Picture it
Like a sunset: it comes slowly, but step by step everything turns more golden.
Before · Afterstart
You need · 2–3 hours (as a guide)
- 1 l whole milk
- 300 g sugar
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 vanilla pod if you like
- wide pot with a thick base
Never boil sealed tins of condensed milk in water: if the pot boils dry, the tin can burst.
Step by step: what happens
- 1Bring milk, sugar and vanilla to the boil, then stir in the baking soda
Baking soda makes the milk slightly alkaline. That speeds up browning and stops the milk curdling.
Alkalis speed up browning - 2Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring regularly
Water evaporates; sugar and milk protein concentrate.
Reducing (reduction) - 3Towards the end stir more often, until it is caramel brown and thick
Milk sugar and milk protein react: colour and caramel aroma form below 100 °C because it takes so long.
Maillard reaction - 4Fill into clean jars while hot
It thickens further as it cools.
Result
About 400 ml of dulce de leche.
Keeps for
A few weeks in the fridge.
What to use it for
- On bread, in alfajores, with ice cream.
- Between cake layers.
Sources
- Great British Chefs: How to make dulce de leche sous vide
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)