Ooey, gooey condensed milk

Store-bought condensed milk is often off the table for people following the low fodmap diet because it contains high levels of lactose, along with high-fructose corn syrup. By making it at home, you can significantly reduce the risk of gastrointestinal discomfort AND put back on the menu a whole range of sweet treats. Think – caramel slice, hedgehog slice, banoffee tarts… Theoretically, you should be able to tailor homemade condensed milk to your specific dietary needs (by experimenting with plant-based milk varieties and different sugars) but I just stuck to lactose-free milk and white sugar. Here are 2 methods of making ooey, gooey condensed milk. Enjoy!

FROM SCRATCH

INGREDIENTS

4 cups (1 litre) lactose-free milk (Want to make your own? Read this 👉🏽 )

1 2/3 cups (380g) white sugar

METHOD

1.             Place the ingredients in a medium-large saucepan and stir to combine. Use the same wooden spoon as you might to make an old-fashioned custard. At this point, I would set a timer on your phone to go off every 15 minutes for the next 2 hours, just in case you get distracted.  

2.             Place the saucepan over a low heat and stir intermittently. What does “low” heat mean? On my induction stove-top, I started on the lowest level (1 out of 10) but settled on a low to medium heat (3 out of 10) because it was taking a-g-e-s…

3.             Depending on the milk you've chosen (I chose lactose-free dairy milk), the liquid will change colour as it condenses and thicken over time. Like custard, wait until it is able to coat the back of a spoon.

4.             If, after 2 hours, the mixture still looks like milk, increase the heat a little and keep going. But don’t run out of patience and turn the heat up too much! Patience is a heavenly virtue.

5.             Once the milk coats the back of the spoon, take it off the heat and allow it to cool. It will thicken further as it cools. Let the condensed milk come to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight glass container.

Non-cook condensed milk

If you don’t have 2.5 hours to supervise barely simmering milk, try this method.

To make condensed milk low in lactose, you need to add lactase drops, which will break down the lactose into glucose and galactose, making it easier to digest. You can buy these from your local pharmacy.

Here's a step-by-step process:

1. Determine the quantity: Measure the amount of condensed milk you are treating.

2. Calculate drops needed: For every cup (240 ml) of condensed milk, start with 7-10 drops of lactase enzyme. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best results.

3. Mix and refrigerate: Add the lactase drops to the condensed milk and stir thoroughly. This is harder to achieve than it sounds because the milk is incredibly thick so persist. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to allow the enzyme to break down the lactose fully. If you’re not sure that the chemical reaction is complete, you can always test this using a dip-stick.

And now just think of the joyous deserts you can now enjoy knowing you have lactose-free condensed milk! Why not try our classic hedgehog recipe.