Dulce de leche
This is not caramel — no sugar is burnt here. Dulce de leche comes from the Maillard reaction between the sugars and the milk proteins, the same one that browns bread crust and meat in a pan. That is why it tastes milky and nutty rather than bitter. A pinch of soda speeds the reaction up by raising the pH — without it the cooking would take noticeably longer and end up paler. The soda also neutralises the milk's natural acidity, so the mixture does not curdle.
Your own work in that: 5 min.
- Cooking 140 min
- Thickening 15 min
- Jarring 5 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneUse a pan twice the size you think
Take a wide, heavy-based pan holding at least four litres. Once the soda goes in the milk foams up violently — in a snugly sized pan it is over the hob within seconds. A wide base also speeds up evaporation.
Ingredients: 2000 ml milk · 500 g sugar · ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 pcs vanilla pod · ½ tsp salt
Dissolve the sugar, then add the soda
Heat the milk with the sugar, the vanilla pod split lengthways and the salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Only then add the soda — the mixture will foam and climb. Soda raises the pH, and the Maillard reaction runs far faster in alkaline conditions.
Ingredients: 2000 ml milk · 500 g sugar · ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 pcs vanilla pod · ½ tsp salt
The soda makes it foam up — hence the large pan.Cook for over two hours on low heat
Cook uncovered, over low heat, for about 2 hours 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and scraping the sides. The colour shifts slowly: white, cream, pale beige and finally caramel. Do not raise the heat — milk scorches on the base and the whole batch takes on a bitter note.
Ingredients: 2000 ml milk · 500 g sugar · ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 pcs vanilla pod · ½ tsp salt
The colour changes over more than two hours — it cannot be rushed.Stir constantly for the last quarter of an hour
Once it has visibly thickened, stir without stopping and drop to the lowest flame. From here scorching is minutes away, because little water is left to protect the base.
Ingredients: 2000 ml milk · 500 g sugar · ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 pcs vanilla pod · ½ tsp salt
Test the thickness with a spoon
Drag a wooden spoon across the base: the trail should stay visible for two seconds before closing. In the pan it seems too loose — it thickens noticeably as it cools.
Ingredients: 2000 ml milk · 500 g sugar · ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 pcs vanilla pod · ½ tsp salt
The trail holds for two seconds — it is done.Pot it hot
Remove the vanilla pod and pour into hot, sterilised jars. If the mixture came out uneven or grainy, blitz it with a stick blender — while hot it returns to smoothness without a trace.
Ingredients: 2000 ml milk · 500 g sugar · ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda · 1 pcs vanilla pod · ½ tsp salt
Before you start
The tin shortcut
A tin of sweetened condensed milk boiled for 3 hours in water gives a very similar result for ten minutes of work. The tin must stay submerged the whole time — uncovered it can explode. Open it only once it has cooled completely.
Adjusting the set
Cooked less it is a sauce for ice cream; cooked longer it becomes a filling for cakes and alfajores. Shorten or extend the final stage by 10 minutes to land where you need.
Keeping it
A month in the fridge. The high sugar preserves it, but it is still a dairy product — do not leave it in the cupboard. Loosen a stiffened batch with a spoonful of warm milk.