Good Eats Dulce De Leche

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole milk
• 12 ounces sugar, by weight (approximately 1.5 cups)
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. 1

   Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large, 4-quart saucepan and place over medium heat.

2. 2

   Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine.

3. 3

   Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer. Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture. Continue to cook for 1 hour.

4. 4

   Remove the vanilla bean after 1 hour and continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about 1 cup, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

5. 5

   Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.