Dulce de Leche is "milk jam", a Latin American confection. This recipe uses fresh milk, which takes a long time to boil down but has a better flavour than the recipe that starts with commercial evaporated milk. It is traditional plain but the optional ingredients make it suitable for certain applications. It can be used as a bread spread, ice cream topping, or filling. If made with goat milk it may be called Cajeta.
Ingredients
- 1 litre (1000 g) whole milk
- 1 1/4 cup (250 g) sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt (optional)
- 1/2 tsp (3.5 g) baking soda
Steps
- Combine the milk, sugar, and any optional ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer; watch for boiling over in the early stages. Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture.
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the boiling changes character to have thick bubbles, about 1 hour.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is a dark caramel color, has visibly thickened, reaches 215 F, and has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1/2 to 1 hour.
- Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
- Transfer to a sealable storage container.
Storage Instructions
Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.