Ingredients
1 quart whole milk
12 ounces sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions
Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large, 4-quart
saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has
dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine. 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. 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. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Store in the
refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.