Making Caramel with Milk

[ChristysConfections]

Hi All,

 

I am having a caramel problem. I have access to some delicious water buffalo milk (28% fat). I attempted to use it as a replacement for heavy cream(36% fat) in my usual caramel recipe. Unfortunately, when I added the hot milk to the hot sugar, the mixture split into an ugly, grainy mess. I did manage to improve it by blending it with an immersion blender, but the final texture was still grainy. The flavour was great though! 

 

The method I used was to make a dry caramel with white can sugar, then I added  a small amount of glucose and the buffalo milk that I had heated to a simmer. I cooked this to 252 and added butter before pouring into a pan to cool.

 

Does anyone understand the science better who could recommend a different method or adjustment to the ingredients that might make it have a smooth texture as caramel should? My supplier for buffalo milk does not have a separator, so using buffalo cream at this time is not an option. I thought about adding butter to the buffalo milk when heating it to bring the fat content up to that of the regular cream, and/or using an emulsifier or something like lechithin or xantham gum. Any thoughts?

 

It seems I am constantly coming to you for help. Thanks, as always.

[chromedome]

I'm not personally familiar with the characteristics of buffalo milk, but I'd be inclined to try reducing it as Plan A. I don't know if adding fat would be as effective as reducing water, but it's something to think about while you wait for someone with actual expertise to chime in. 

 

 

[pastrygirl]

You should be able to add water to hot caramel without getting a grainy mess so I'm not sure what happened there.  But I agree, reducing the milk a little more first might help.

[GlorifiedRice]

Why not mix to sugar and milk together and simmer slowly till reduced then pour it into a mason jar

and place it in a pot of water like you caramelize Condensed Milk?

[Tri2Cook]

I made caramel with milk once a few years ago. My wife wanted caramel (she liked me to make soft caramel, put it in a squeeze bottle and she'd just squeeze it onto a spoon and eat it), there was no cream in the house and it was after grocery store hours. So I tried it with milk. It was long enough ago that I don't remember specifically what the problem was but we were both not at all happy with the result. There were some textural issues and I know there was something else but can't think of what it was. I want to say there was some curdling but I could easily be mistaken or thinking of a different project. This isn't to say it can't work, just that it didn't work for me using the recipe I usually use with cream.

[Chocolot]

No experience with buffalo, but did you add the hot milk slowly when you stirred it in?