Not too many moons ago I tweeted about my curiosity about dulce de leche (dool-say deh lay-chay) to which people oohed, aahed and gushed about how delicious a treat it is and their favorite way of using it. I wondered how something as simple as condensed milk could be transformed to such a tasty caramel sauce, with just a little heat and a lot of time. I had read about it being super easy to make; simply plonk the can of condensed milk in a vessel of simmering water or microwave it (in a non-metallic bowl, of course) for 10-15 minutes, and there you have it. When I did make it, I was stunned by the results. From being just condensed milk, it had metamorphosed into a thick, creamy and rich dessert in its own right. I remember the first time I had it – I ate it by the spoonful straight from the jar and before I knew it, I was more than halfway through the jar, maybe with a little fed to my clothes. Sure, it can be used in cakes, as a topping for muffins and ice creams, spread over bread and cookies or swirled into brownies but on its own Dulce de Leche is pretty darn addictive.
Dulce de Leche is a rich, milk-based caramel sauce. Now, Dulce de Leche is available packaged in bottles, but nothing compares to the richness and density of homemade Dulce de Leche.
Last night I made Dulce de Leche again, but this time around instead of opening the can up and letting it simmer in a water bath I immersed the entire can in water for 3 hours. I did risk an explosion (caused by the pressure built up in the can) but I found this to be a lot better because this way curiosity couldn’t get the better of me since there was nothing to check! Plus, when the can is completely immersed, you can get rid of the rattling sound the can would make when half immersed in water. Of course, I tired this method just this one time (I promise!). I recommend that you always pierce 2 or 3 holes at the top of the can or keep the can partially open while it simmers in a water bath. If you still want to give the first method a shot then make sure not to open the can immediately, else you just might have some hot Dulce de Leche in your face.
Dulce de Leche
1 can of condensed milk (mine weighed 400g or a little under 1 pound)
Water
- Either pierce two holes at the top of the can or with a can opener, open the can half way. No need to pull the lid back.
- Place the can in a deep sauce pan and fill the pan with water just until 3/4th of the can is immersed and simmer over low heat, 3-4 hours (I say 3-4 hours because that depends on how thick you want the dulce de leche to be – here I have simmered the can in water for 3 hours, but if you’d like it thicker, by all means continue simmering).
- Keep an eye on the the water level, making sure to refill the water and maintain the level. After the 3-4 hours, turn off the heat and let the can cool.
- Remove the lid and serve or use as desired.
Variation: Add half a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg or half a vanilla bean to the dulce de leche to heighten the flavour! Oh and even a sprinkle of sea salt.
If you’ve got gallons of milk at hand then you might want to try this method of reducing the milk. And if you’re in a hurry, you can try the microwave method (aka cookingforengineers method!).
Some Recipes that use Dulce De Leche as an ingredient or topping:Dulce De Leche Cake with Vanilla Bean
Cinnamon Sugar Churros
Crispy Apple Crumble
Paratha, Puff Pastry, Palmiers
Chocolate Brownies
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Looking at the pics, i got an UNCONTROLLABLE CRAVING that just EXPLODED MY HEAD!!! luv ur blog..
This is something my mom used to make for me when I was a kid. Still does whenever I go home. Its called ‘ghono doodh’ in Bengali which means thick milk. I just love to have it plain.
Btw I use the microwaving method to make banoffee pie. Super yum it is
I got an idea from Food Network for a cake, and was looking for a recipe, which is how I found your site! I also make the Dulce De Leche at home from condensed milk. I use the fully immersed method and haven’t had a problem. I use a huge pot, several cans of condensed milk (this time I did 10 at once) and just make sure that they are completely covered with water for the entire three hours. It helps to put a lid on the pot to prevent a lot of water to escape as steam. I love that I can boil a bunch at a time, pull them out of the water, and store them in the cupboard for when I need them. Since I don’t open the cans at all (not even a little puncture) they will stay preserved until I open them. Anyway, thought I’d share my experience with you since it sounded like you didn’t want to do the fully immersed method again. Happy baking!
Guess what? I am from Russia, and this thing is very popular in our country as well. Nobody knows the phrase “dulce de leche”, we just call it “boiled condensed milk” (“varenaya sgushchenka”). When I was growing up, it was not sold ready-made in stores, so we made it ourselves, and we always used the full immersion method: boil for 3 or 4 hours in very large quantities of water, without any puncturing or opening the can. The can will explode only if there is very little water left in the pot. That never happened in our household or to anyone I personally know. Now in Russia it is widely available in stores, ready-made, so people hardly ever make it themselves any more. It is a popular ingredient in cakes and ice-cream, a spread for breads, and a topping for bliny (Russian pancakes). Anyway, I love your blog! Great pictures! Good luck!
Hi everybody ! i´m from ARGENTINA, here is where de Dulce De Leche was created ! and you can buy it is the supermarket and everywhere! a lot of recepies used Dulce de Leche…! everibody has in the refrigerator an pot of ddl, is used like Butter for toast bread… mmmmmm…. and the BEST EVER is “LA SERENISIMA ESTILO COLINIAL” http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-ash2/41783_87701307910_2262947_n.jpg REALLY ADDICTIVE! jaja and the other delicious is “LA PATAIA” from Uruguay.
I used the alton brown method. Grass fed local whole milk, cup of saw cane sugar , teaspoon of baking soda and a vanilla bean. I might go sprinkle some sea salt on it now actually.
Takes about 2-3 hours on the stovetop.
fricken amazing.
im thinking of making this for gifts for my family, and i have a question for you. do you get a full can of dulce de leche or does it reduce? and by how much? i am very excited to try this!
thanks
Hi Davita ! Yes, you get a can of Dulce de Leche, anyway, I advise you to try one and then do the rest to gift! (sorry for my english….)
Saludos !
Could this be done in a slow cooker or does it have to be done by boiling in water on a stove?
Thanks.
Hi there!
What you get after boiling condensed milk is more likely the Uruguayan dulce de leche, rather than the Argentinean, which is vanilla aromatized. When I lived in Canada I tried to include the vanilla at the end, but doesn´t work.
Anyway, awsome coincidence the usage of dulce de leche in Russia with the pancakes (we use crepes instead). Cheers from the End of the World.
Hi,
The best Dulce de Leche. Thanks a lot. Impressed my family by using them on bread pudding. Just spread it on the bread with the usual nuts and raisins and it tastes so divine. Thank you so much. Loved the recipes on your site. Got a few list lined up for trial. Lets see how it turns out.
Keep up the great work.
Warm Regards
Suchi
Do I need to use sweetened condenced milk, or reg. condenced milk? Thanks
Sweetened condensed milk works best! Enjoy
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