Dulce de leche is a creamy caramel sauce made from simmering milk and sugar.
It’s sugar time, friends. Dulce de leche is one of my many weaknesses when it comes to sweets. I love it by the spoonful, over ice cream, in a cake – you name it. So many noms. <3
If you’re not familiar, dulce de leche is a milk-based caramel-like sauce, made by combining milk and sugar and simmering for a couple of hours on the stove.
I needed some dulce de leche for another recipe coming this week and was planning to go with store-bought to keep it simple. It turns out, none of the stores I went to wanted to have it in stock, which was a little surprising because I’m usually able to find it pretty easily. I considered it a challenge accepted and decided to make it instead. Making the sauce is actually pretty easy, but it takes a little bit of time and patience. Also, occasional stirring. The recipe I’m sharing with you today is slightly adapted from Alton Brown.
How to Make Dulce de Leche
You need milk, sugar, vanilla, and baking soda. Start by combining the first three ingredients in a saucepan and put it on the stove over medium heat. Stir it occasionally until the sugar has dissolved; this should take 3-5 minutes. Then add in the baking soda and stir to combine.
Let the mixture come to a gentle simmer and reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for one and a half to two hours. The color will darken overtime. As it’s becoming more of a darker caramel color, stir more frequently to avoid burning and skim off any foam from the top.
The sauce is ready when a dark caramel color is reached and is reduced to about a cup of sauce. Remove from heat and transfer to a jar with a tight lid. Let it cool slightly before placing in the fridge.
I recommend eating it by the spoonful for sure.
- 1 quart whole milk
- 1¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Add the milk, sugar, and vanilla to a medium saucepan and place on the stove over medium heat.
- Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved, about five minutes. Then, stir in the baking soda.
- Bring to a gentle simmer (don't let it boil over) and reduce the heat to low.
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 1½ to 2 hours. Over time, the mixture will darken and become thicker. Stir more frequently in the last twenty minutes to avoid any burning and skim off any foam from the top.
- Remove from heat when the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about a cup.
- Let cool slightly and transfer to a jar with a tight lid.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.
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Hi. Is it really necessary to skim off the froth/foam on top?
Hi! Sorry for the delayed reply! To be honest, I haven’t experimented making this without skimming off the foam, though I was told leaving it in could affect the consistency of the dulce de leche.